Davey and Goliath

History

In 1958, Franklin Clark Fry, president of the United Lutheran Church in America, set aside $1 million to fund a children's television program. The church contracted Clokey Productions, headed by Gumby creators Art and Ruth Clokey, to produce Davey and Goliath. Children's-book author Nancy Moore wrote scripts in consultation with the church. The first episode, 'Lost in a Cave', was made in 1960 and aired in syndication in 1961.

Early episodes used entirely clay figures with some latex or rubber clothing, and scenery was mostly clay. Voices were provided by Hal Smith, Dick Beals, and Ginny Tyler, who performed multiple roles. After the first episode, Clokey produced 'The Wild Goat', 'Stranded on an Island', and 'The Winner' in early 1961, now using real cloth for clothing and more model buildings. These four episodes began airing free on local stations nationwide in 1961, primarily on ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates, independent stations, and educational stations.

By 1964, the show aired in over 90% of U.S. television markets. In 1965, a 30-minute Christmas special called 'Christmas Lost and Found' aired, which was more overtly religious and avoided traditional Christmas figures; it was the last episode with Dick Beals as Davey's voice.

Television airings

For much of the 1960s and 1970s, the show was a regular weekend feature on both religious and non-religious TV stations. Starting in the 1980s, commercial channels slowly stopped carrying it, while Christian stations began showing it instead. By 1990, very few commercial outlets still had it on the air. The series remained on CatholicTV Network until late 2009 and on Tri-State Christian Television until 2010, and later appeared on a few local Christian stations.

On cable, the Odyssey Network broadcast every episode without commercials from 1992 to 1999. After that network became the Hallmark Channel in 2001, only a handful of holiday episodes were shown. In 2008, iTunes offered episodes for free, with over twenty available by December; they later cost 99 cents each. The show was on Trinity Broadcasting Network until early October 2018, and also aired on its Smile of a Child network during the week.

Parodies

The 1989 short film 'He Was Once' by Mary Hestand is a surrealist live-action piece featuring Davey and Goliath, with a plot about Davey encountering a bear and being punished after his parents disbelieve him. Adult Swim's 'Moral Orel' is a darker, adult-oriented parody, though its creator stated it originated as a parody of 'Leave It to Beaver'. MADtv spoofed the series in its 14th episode with 'Davey and Son of Goliath', referencing the Son of Sam serial killer. 'The Simpsons' included a clay-animated segment titled 'Gravey and Jobriath', portraying a religious extremist building a pipe bomb.