Jabberwocky (TV series)

Synopsis and history

Produced and recorded by Boston's WCVB-TV Channel 5, the children's program Jabberwocky blended live actors, puppets, and short cartoons. Its central gimmick was a show-within-a-show: actress JoBeth Williams, in an early career role, played the lead performer, while actor Tucker Smallwood portrayed the director. During the first season, Joanne Sopko and Carl Thoma took on those parts. Harvard psychologist Jerome Kagan served as an advisor.

The main recurring troublemaker was a puppet named Dirty Frank, who would pop out of any handy packing crate. His messy habits and curiosity, meant to mirror a child's perspective, drove the action in most episodes. Another key figure was Mr. Buchanan, a kindly handyman and prop builder played by Robert Prosky, who worked in a backstage workshop. His often-failed inventions and wise, grandfatherly advice helped the characters solve problems.

While the show was set on a studio soundstage, episodes frequently included short documentary segments filmed around the Greater Boston area. Co-creators Fred Schilpp (executive producer) and Adam Villone (head writer) wrote many episodes, alongside Dewey Bergman and Joseph A. Bailey. Smallwood also contributed occasional segments. Tom and Bob Jurkowski created the animation and puppets.

David Lucas of David Lucas Associates in New York wrote and produced the original theme music. Gail Frank started as producer and later became executive producer. Puppeteer Peter Johnson trained under Caroll Spinney, known for playing Big Bird on Sesame Street. The program, built around moral lessons, earned several major broadcasting awards, including a citation from Action for Children's Television—the first ever given to a commercial TV show.

Reruns and syndication

WCVB-TV kept broadcasting Jabberwocky long after production ended, as it became part of the station's tradition of original local content. By the late 1980s, the show aired every Saturday at 5 a.m., followed by reruns from other networks, then syndicated kids' shows leading into ABC's Saturday morning block in the 1990s. After Jabberwocky, WCVB created other original children's programs, including The Nature World of Captain Bob, Pixanne, Rainbow, Rapmatazz, and A Likely Story. In 2000, after more than 25 years on the air, Jabberwocky and classic episodes of The Nature World of Captain Bob disappeared from the schedule.