There was a locally-produced 1950's kids show, Channel 6, I think, and the
host was Bob Latting. I remember him being slight and bald, and I don't recall
his clothes at all. The format escapes me, but there were kids on the show,
some games and such. When I was on the show, I was probably the only kid
in history who threw the darts and missed all the balloons. How embarrassing.
I played music with the host's son Mitch, an amazing trumpet player
at the age of about 12. They moved to California, because he got a job playing
with Maynard Ferguson.
If you look at the Kids Karnival picture......see the man located below the
"Thinman" sign and just behind the cameraman's hand, you'll see my father,
Bob Latting.
I was actually part of the show opening. I would dress up in a clown outfit
my grandmother made. I would stand in front of the camera and say "Hey kids,
it's time for Kids Karnival!"
Trumpet playing. Well, Maynard is our cousin, but I never worked with him,
just idolize him still.
This was a great find on the internet. It brought back so many wonderful
memories. Thank you.
Webmaster: I'm delighted you found the site, Mitch. Thanks for the
contribution.
Do you remember a kids show on KOTV in the mid 50s hosted by Bob Latting,
who owned the Golden Drumstick restaurant, formerly on the NE corner of 11th
and (Yale)?
He handed out silver dollars to kids who answered a question. I still have
one I got on the show when I went as part of some kid's birthday party.
Runners-up got a dinner at the Golden Drumstick, which speaks
a lot of chicken prices in the mid 50s.
(from Guestbook 31 and via email) Bill Stemmons said:
Latting hosted kids shows on KOTV channel six back when we didn't yet even
know what the channel tuner was for! I was actually in his local version
of a "Peanut Gallery" audience a few times, and ate at the Golden Drumstick
once or twice with my parents. We jokingly called it the "Broken Drumstick,"
but it really was good fried chicken.
No tickets or passes - We'd just go down there on Saturday morning when we
felt like it! He was great with kids!
(from GroupBlog 239) Ronald Radford, Flamenco Guitarist, said:
During my March 31, 2007 Flamenco Guitar Concert at the Tulsa PAC, I mentioned
from the stage that my first public performance was around 1952 at 8 years
old on the Bob Latting kids show on KOTV playing my ukelele and singing "My
Little Grass Shack in Kealikakua Hawaii"! This was 55 years ago and since
then I have developed an international career as "The American Master of
the Flamenco Guitar"...see
RonaldRadford.com.
Our family got to know Bob Latting by eating often at his "Golden Drumstick"
restaurant. When he found out about my talent, he invited me to be on his
show. Bob's encouragement of my talent was part of my early influences in
Tulsa.
(from Guestbook 165) The webmaster said:
I found an excellent first-person account of Tulsa in the last century
linked from
BatesLine.com.
There were references to a Billy Latting on these two pages of the story:
The
Good Years and
WWII.
I sent them on to Mitch Latting, who replied:
I do believe the Billy Latting and Mrs. Latting mentioned in the articles
are both my Aunt Alma and Bill Latting Jr. If my memory serves me well, Uncle
Bill, Aunt Alma, Bill Jr. and Rosemary lived on Darlington (sounds like what's
being called the "White City" addition.)
Uncle Bill Latting (my father's brother) was a lawyer in Tulsa. Uncle Bill,
and a partner, actually owned the Golden Drumstick. According to my mother,
the restaurant was suffering until such time as my dad (Bob Latting) was
summoned by his brother Bill, to come to Tulsa from his radio show in Okla.
City. I believe the Oklahoma City radio show was called "(something) at
Beverly's". I'll have to check with my mom again about the correct name.
Anyway, my dad had lots of radio and promotional experience in Hollywood
prior to coming back to Oklahoma (my Dad did radio interviews of movie stars
at the famous Hollywood Brown Derby).
Arriving in Tulsa, my mother and father took over running the Golden Drumstick.
It was they who tied the Golden Drumstick into the Kids Karnival TV show,
which put the name of the restaurant in every televisioned home in Tulsa
and surrounding areas. Hence, the people lined up to eat at the Golden Drumstick
and my father was a TV personality.
The radio show "at Beverly's" undoubtedly refers to Beverly's Pancake
Corner (home of the "Big Bevburger" since 1921). It's still there; I ate
there a couple of years ago. Read more and see some great photos and postcards
at
Doug
Dawgz Blog.
Beverly's (he's a man, baby) has "possibly the only surviving
'Chicken in the Rough'
neon sign", according to
Route66Photographs.com,
where there is a photo of the sign.
Interesting that Bob Latting stayed on the chicken track when he moved
back to Tulsa.
The Kids Korral with Don Marvin
(guest: George Reeves)
Pay attention, kids! We're selling
product up here!
Clark Kent in Tulsa.
(from Guestbook 224) Darren Marvin said:
I recently saw this web site. Noticed my father's picture on the Other kiddie
shows area. I have that same picture as well as others with George Reeves.
My mother was LoRene Washburn Marvin, she was Miss Oklahoma 1954, I believe.
She went to school at Tulsa U with John Chick,
always talked about him, being in school plays and such. My parents met at
Channel Six in the fifties, my father told me about his kids show, being
announcer, salesman, whatever, meeting my mom at Channel Six.
My mother's father was Sheldon Washburn, started first Dr. Pepper bottling
plant in Tulsa, north of downtown.
Thank you for paying respect to my father, also great web site.
Thanks, Darren, and it's our pleasure. Frank Morrow mentioned your mom
in GB 23.
(from Guestbook 151) Dave Harmon said:
Just reading the "Other kiddie shows" page and saw the bit where George
Reeves visited the Kids Korral show.
Several years ago, I remembered Reeves visiting Barnard Elementary school
and the memory was so hazy that I thought it might not have happened
at all. I called a Tulsa friend who was there at the time and he remembered
Reeves' visit to Barnard.
I don't know but I'll bet that his visit to the schools and the show was
during the same trip to Tulsa. This must have been about '51 or '52. Not
sure of the year.
Anyone else remember seeing Reeves? If so, what year was that?
George Reeves' "Superman" is the first show I can remember watching
(although my parents tell me I liked "Pinky Lee".)
My mom made a Superman cape for me from a bed sheet, with a red "S" sewn
on. I had to be cajoled into taking it off to be washed.
(from GroupBlog 218) The webmaster said:
Hey kids! Watch several episodes of George Reeves' "The Adventures of
Superman" online for free at
Superman TV on AOL
Television. Recommended episode: "Panic in the Sky".
Jack Larson and Noel Neill, this series' Jimmy and Lois, have cameo roles
in the current "Superman Returns", now showing at the
Admiral Twin
Drive-In.
KOTV's "The Don Scott Show"
Is "Don Scott" Foreman Scotty of later OKC fame?
Maybe so... (courtesy of Kathy Shaw)
Steve Powell ("Don Scott" and "Foreman Scotty")
(courtesy of Roland Austin)
(via email, 7/10/2004) Bruce said:
Regarding the photos posted of Don Scott and whether that was Foreman Scotty
in a later incarnation, I think it must have been him.
I clearly remember one time on the Foreman Scotty show when he was going
around chatting with a few kids in the audience at random as he always did.
A boy piped up, "I know your real name!" Scotty put the mike over and said,
"What's that?" The boy answered, "Don Scott!" I don't remember Scotty's exact
reply but I recall that it was some kind of affirmative, which is why the
memory stuck.
If Don Scott were also a stage name, however, I'm not sure if Scotty would
have taken the time to explain that since he always moved around from kid
to kid in a big rush and almost never traded more than one or two remarks.
7/8/2006: I just discovered
Foreman Scotty's Kids, a blog
by Lisa Powell, Steve's daughter.
(from Guestbook 95) Greg Leslie and his brother Lance with
Foreman Scotty (Steve Powell).
Boyce Lancaster, Sr. as "Circus Jim" at the Tulsa State Fair, 1959.
Bozo can be seen several elephants back. Boyce, Sr. attached a note:
"Believe it or not, I rode that elephant 6 miles! I did a lot of standing
up after that." (courtesy of Boyce Lancaster Jr. and Sr.)
The Bozo Show (with Doug Montgomery as Bozo the Clown), featuring
the limited animation sensation, "Clutch Cargo".
Bozo's storylines had continuity over the breaks. He might be exploring a
haunted house when a hand would reach out from behind a door, just before
a commercial or cartoon, sending shudders through kiddie viewers.
Read about The Lone
Ranger's visit to the Tulsa State Fair in the 80s from readers Lowell
Burch and Jim Back!
And for the big kids, Learn and Live, a Highway Patrol quiz show on
Sunday morning. Two troopers sat at a table and asked traffic questions of
high school students. If the answer was right, a trooper declared it a "true
and correct" answer. If not, they would look concerned, check their notes,
then ruefully state that it was "not a true and correct answer." Does this
sound like a fun show? If so, allow me to recommend TVLand's 48 hour "Dragnet"
marathon to you.
Or Generation Rap with twin psychologists, Judy Hagedorn and Jan
Kizziar? According to Mike Bruchas, Mazeppa's "Tulsa Teen Town Topics"
(or was it "Generation Pap"?) was a take-off on this show, which featured
teens sitting in bean bag chairs and rapping with the twin docs.
(from Guestbook 21) former Tulsa mayor Terry Young said:
...I also was the producer of Generation Rap, the topical show done
by Judy Hagedorn and Jan Kizziar. I booked all the guests. My favorite was
an almost washed up Criswell (of "Criswell Predicts"). Never have
seen anyone wear as much make up in my life.
(Criswell was one of the "stars" of "Plan 9 From Outer Space" by director
Ed Wood)
The Kids Karnival
(from
Guestbook 164, 6/13/2004) Mitch Latting said:
Runners-up got a dinner at the Golden Drumstick, which speaks
a lot of chicken prices in the mid 50s.
