Big Brother Bob Emery. I hadn't realized he was
national long before he was the local lunchtime kiddie show guy in the Boston area. We went home for school lunch in those days - if your district's school attendance report still refers to "half days absent" that's why - and I watched his show at my grandmother's every day at 12:15. He would raise a glass of milk in toast to the president every day while "Hail To The Chief" played in the background. I remember when the portrait switched from Eisenhower to Kennedy. I was only 7, but I had some vague knowledge that the two were from different parties, and I wondered if there might be some trouble with that on the show. It was reassuring that there wasn't.
He played the ukulele, and I still remember the intro song.
Oh the grass is always greener in the other fellow's yard
The little row we have to hoe - oh boy that's hard
But if we all could wear green glasses now well it wouldn't be so hard
To see how green the the grass is in our own back yard.
And the closing song.
So long, small fry, it's time to say goodbye.
Be back again tomorrow noon and then
We'll have some fun, there's some for everyone
So don't forget we have a date
Tomorrow noon and don't be late
So small fry, so long.
Next up: Boomtown, Fantasmic Features, and Major Mudd (IBBY). I hope you feep well.
6 comments:
Because of course, there's a show you watched in your childhood from which you don't remember the theme song.
"Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee..."
But after the song, did Bob sign off with a "cheers" or a "regards?"
Actually, akafred, that's how the show got canceled. One day he signed off with a bug "F you!" and they never let him back on.
When I was in kindergarten, for some reason my sister had St. Patrick's day off and so did I. My brother did not. So, my sister and I got to go to the WBZ-TV studios on Soldier's Field Road and make an appearance on the Big Brother show. What was not evident from watching on TV was that they changed the children that sat around Big Brother twice during the show. My sister and I were ushered on stage for the final segment where he passed around the Jimmy Fund bank. My mother must have been clued in to this, because she had given me a nickel before going on air. So I proudly placed my nickel in the bank. I did not get to toast President Eisenhauer with a glass of milk. But alas, Jonathan, I could not have gotten beyond "the grass is always greener in the other fella's yard".
Jonathan, That is totally untrue. Where on earth did you get that nonsense? Check this out: http://www.bostonradio.org/essays/big-brother
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