Adventure Time (1958 TV series)

Series background

Each episode of Adventure Time included a variety of segments that changed pace frequently to maintain children's interest. The program made extensive use of cartoons and comedic clips interspersed with live action. Paul Shannon would lower a "magic sword" and say, "Down goes the curtain, and back up again for..." followed by the cartoon's title. Commonly shown cartoons included Rocky and Bullwinkle, Kimba the White Lion, Dodo, the Kid from Outer Space, Koko the Clown, Beanie and Cecil, Space Angel, Dick Tracy, Krazy Kat, Snuffy Smith, Popeye, and Beetle Bailey. The last four were produced by King Features Syndicate, whose parent company also owned WTAE. Shannon also frequently presented Three Stooges shorts, introduced by spinning the "Stooge-O-Scope," a wheel with pictures of the six actors who played the Stooges. Moe Howard credited Shannon and Adventure Time with the Stooges' national revival in the 1960s. Shannon appeared as Wild Bill Hickok in the Stooges' feature The Outlaws Is Coming. He also portrayed his alter ego Nosmo King, a silent, bearded man in dark sunglasses, a slouch hat, and a tan raincoat. Nosmo was shown driving around Pittsburgh or playing a one-man-band instrument to tunes like The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There." The character's name reportedly came from a "No Smoking" sign. Other characters included Happy Howard (The Friendly Spider), Randy Rocket, and The Great Mysto the Magician.