Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club

The Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club was an after-school local children's television program which aired on WPHL-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for ten years from 1965 to 1975. It was hosted by local Television/Radio personality Bill "Wee Willie" Webber. Webber was the first voice and face of WPHL-TV when it signed on the air on September 17, 1965.[1] The show ran for 3–4 hours in the late afternoon (typically 3P-6P) and was one of the first successful programs on UHF.[2]

Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club
Presented byBill "Wee Willie" Webber
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons10
No. of episodes2,500
Production
Running time3–4 hours
Release
Original networkWPHL-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Original release1965 (1965) –
1975 (1975)

Webber introduced a variety of Japanese anime cartoons, including 8th Man,[3] Astro Boy,[4] Marine Boy,[5] Prince Planet,[6] Kimba the White Lion[7] and Speed Racer.[8] Other shows included Ultraman,[9] Spider-Man,[10] The Patty Duke Show,[11] The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,[12] The Friendly Giant,[13] Casper the Friendly Ghost,[14] Milton the Monster,[15] Rocket Robin Hood,[16] George of the Jungle,[17] The High Chaparral,[18] The King Kong Show,[19] Buck Rogers, The Three Stooges, The Lone Ranger and Daniel Boone. The theme song for the program was "Yakety Sax" by Boots Randolph.

Once a week, the show featured a live studio audience of kids. This Peanut Gallery played games on-air, including Musical Chairs, and won prizes for telling jokes or attempting to whistle after stuffing their mouth with Ritz Crackers.[20] At the height of the show's popularity, there was a one-year waiting period to get a ticket.[21]

Regular characters on the show included a bear puppet named Ralph,[22] Charlie ChinChopper (eyes drawn on Webber's chin, then the image inverted via a set of mirrors),[23] and the Bluebird of Happiness. Webber often took the show on the road, broadcasting from various locations, including Willow Grove Park, Dorney Park, Hershey Park, the Mann Recreation Center, Hawaii and Rome, Italy. In 1970, the show traveled to Bavaria Film Studios in Munich, Germany for a behind the scenes look at the filming of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.[24]

From 1976 to 1979, Webber hosted a similar show on WKBS-TV (Philadelphia).[25]

References
  1. {{WPHL-TV Channel 17 50th Anniversary Show – Intro/Sign On/Wee Willie Webber on Vimeo
  2. "Broadcast Pioneers Bill Webber".
  3. "THE LEGEND OF WEE WILLIE WEBBER".
  4. "THE LEGEND OF WEE WILLIE WEBBER".
  5. {{WPHL-TV Channel 17 50th Anniversary Show – Intro/Sign On/Wee Willie Webber on Vimeo
  6. "THE LEGEND OF WEE WILLIE WEBBER".
  7. "Remembering Wee Willie Webber and afternoon cartoons".
  8. "Remembering Wee Willie Webber and afternoon cartoons".
  9. {{WPHL-TV Channel 17 50th Anniversary Show – Intro/Sign On/Wee Willie Webber on Vimeo
  10. "Philly Local Kid Shows".
  11. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972".
  12. "THE LEGEND OF WEE WILLIE WEBBER".
  13. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972".
  14. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972".
  15. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972".
  16. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972".
  17. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972".
  18. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972".
  19. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972".
  20. WPHL-TV Channel 17 50th Anniversary Show – Intro/Sign On/Wee Willie Webber on Vimeo
  21. "TV Time, The Many Sides of Wee Willie Webber, November 1972". November 1972.
  22. "Wee Willie Webber Tribute".
  23. Wee Willie Webber on Breakfast Time in January of 1963 (Part 3 of 3) on YouTube
  24. "Wee Willie at Willy Wonka".
  25. "Broadcast Pioneers Bill Webber".
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