Mr. Cartoon
From steamboat captain to cartoon host in a grocery store.
Mr. Cartoon was a children's television program that aired on WSAZ-TV, the NBC affiliate in Huntington, West Virginia, for nearly 36 years. Originally titled Steamboat Bill, the show was hosted by George Lewis until 1969 and then by Jule Huffman until its end in March 1995. The show's transformation was forced by a 1962 station ownership change that eliminated the original nautical theme, leading to the creation of Mr. Cartoon.
Quick Facts
- Presenter
- George Lewis (1956–1969); Jule Huffman (1969–1995), Bob Brunner (guest host)
- Runtime
- 60 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Network
- WSAZ-TV
- Huntington
- West Virginia
- First aired
- 1959
- Last aired
- 25 March 1995
Facts from the source article.
Original format – Steamboat Bill
Premiering in 1959, Steamboat Bill starred George Lewis as the title character, a friendly captain of a steamboat called the Television Queen. He was often accompanied by Merlin the Sea Monster, a mischievous, easily frightened child-like character played by Jule Huffman, with Steamboat Bill acting as a father figure. Each episode mixed live-action segments of Steamboat Bill's adventures with cartoons, prominently featuring Popeye in keeping with the nautical theme. Although the show centered on the Television Queen, Steamboat Bill also had access to a rocket ship for moon travel and a time machine. Storylines often spanned multiple episodes or weeks. In 1962, a change in WSAZ ownership required the removal of all steamboat imagery from the station. The August 3, 1962 episode ended with Steamboat Bill learning he was losing the Television Queen, then walking to the Ohio River, removing his captain's hat, and placing it in the water to float away.
Second format – Mr. Cartoon hosted by George Lewis
On Monday, August 6, 1962, Steamboat Bill wandered into Elmer's Grocery Store, found Elmer absent, and decided to stay, changing his name to Mr. Cartoon. The character adopted colorful suits, sunglasses, and a bowler or fedora hat. Storylines now revolved around the grocery store. Beginning in 1968, Mr. Cartoon was generally accompanied by one of Hanna-Barbera's Banana Splits, which appeared on WSAZ as part of NBC's Saturday morning children's programming. George Lewis left the program in 1969 and moved to Baltimore, where he helped launch WBFF in 1971 and hosted a similar show called Captain Chesapeake, taking the Merlin costume and renaming the character Mondy. Lewis personally chose Huffman to replace him as Mr. Cartoon.
Third format – Mr. Cartoon hosted by Jule Huffman
Jule Huffman retained Mr. Cartoon's look—hat, sunglasses, and colorful suits—but discarded Elmer's Grocery Store and the storylines. He introduced a live audience of local children, with host segments consisting of interaction, small games with basic props like rubber bands, songs, dances, and conversations. Mr. Cartoon had the kids cue each cartoon by taking deep breaths and then yelling, '1-2-3 Roll'em!' A daily feature was 'Yucket Bucket,' where three children attempted to answer riddles mailed in by viewers; if they failed, Mr. Cartoon doused them with confetti from a bucket. Later, he warned that failure would turn them green, but no actual consequences occurred. In 1974, the Banana Splits stopped appearing, and Mr. Cartoon gained a new sidekick originally named Friend, a large green furry dog-like creature who communicated by honking a bicycle horn. Friend was quickly renamed Beeper through a contest. Beeper's costume was created by altering and combining pieces of the Banana Splits costumes, which the station never returned to Hanna-Barbera. Beeper engaged in slapstick bits, such as clumsily running into Mr. Cartoon, chasing him, or climbing on children. A recurring joke involved Mr. Cartoon warning Beeper not to muss his fur, only for Beeper to muss it when Mr. Cartoon wasn't looking. Beeper's favorite food was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Production
Most episodes of Mr. Cartoon originated from WSAZ's studios in Huntington, West Virginia. During much of Huffman's tenure, the set featured bleachers or benches for children against a backdrop mural of cartoon characters, mostly from Popeye and Looney Tunes. Special episodes were occasionally done at WSAZ's Charleston studio or on location at area shopping malls or large local events such as the Sternwheel Regatta in Charleston and the Tri-State Fair and Regatta in Huntington, as well as in Ashland, Kentucky and Ironton, Ohio. In Huffman's absence, other WSAZ personalities guest-hosted; anchor/reporter Bob Brunner once introduced himself as 'Mr. Cartoon's younger and better-looking brother.' The show's running time changed often: it was 60 minutes for most of its run, but was sometimes reduced to 30 minutes for a syndicated show at 4:30. At other times, the second half-hour was another show presented as part of Mr. Cartoon, such as the syndicated version of Double Dare starting in 1988, introduced by Mr. Cartoon with the audience yelling '1-2-3 Roll'em!' and Mr. Cartoon signing off after. For a brief period in 1988, Finders Keepers was used similarly, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power were also presented that way. After 1988, to accommodate The Oprah Winfrey Show, Mr. Cartoon moved to once a week on Saturday mornings, returning to Looney Tunes and Popeye cartoons with host segments for the full hour. Prior to 1984, the theme music was Twelfth Street Rag; then it switched to a sped-up version of 'Broddy Bounce' by Captain & Tennille. In 1988, the show used the Double Dare theme as its own, and after moving to Saturdays, a piece of stock music was used.
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