Customer Reviews

Barnaby And Me

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like millions of others in this region, I grew up watching Barnaby on TV. Linn Sheldon was on television for 32 years as Barnaby, the elfin-eared pal of children and parents alike. Left to fend for himself at the age of seven, he lived by his wits and with the kindness of sympathetic citizens in Norwalk, Ohio. As a teenager he hitchhiked across America playing the banjo for meals, spent three years on the MGM lot, and returned to the Cleveland area to begin a career as actor and standup comic. In 1948 he joined WEWS-TV in Cleveland, the first TV station in the region, and his accounts of early televion are fascinating. In time his fame spread well beyond Cleveland to Westinghouse TV markets, and he did extensive work in Texas as well. As his career developed, so did his need for alchohol. He made and lost a fortune, married four times, and had serious bouts with depression. His stories about his drinking days and his brushes with the psychiatric community are at once moving and hilarious. Now retired and healthy again, he looks back on his life with the same kind of joy and sensitivity he imbued in the character of Barnaby. Reading it made me feel like a kid again enthralled with the musings of this wonderful elf.

Although it is about the life of a television performer,one who was a pioneer in the industry, I feel that this book is an easy read, fun, and hard to leave alone...I find myself referring to favorite chapters many, many times. This is not a book about Cleveland, it is a book about everyone. Someone should do a musical or movie about this author.

I GREW UP WATCHING BARNABY FOR MANY YEARS AS A SMALL FRY. HE WAS AND STILL IS ONE OF MY HEROES. LINN SHELDON DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING HIS LIFE, CAREER, AND ADVENTURES IN SHOW BIZ. HE IS VERY CREATIVE, HUMOROUS, DETAILED, AND WITTY. HE WRITES WITH CLASS AND DIGNITY. HIS TELLING OF THE DARK SIDE OF HIS LIFE (ALCOHOLISM) IS VERY HONEST, TOUCHING, AND HUMOROUS. I AM A RECOVERING ONE MYSELF. I CAN IDENTIFY WITH HIS FEELINGS AND EXPERIENCES. THIS IS A VERY TOUCHING LOOK AT A VERY LOVING AND CREATIVE MAN WHO BROUGHT A LOT OF JOY TO MANY CHILDREN IN CLEVELAND OVER A FEW DECADES. VERY VERY RECOMMENDED.

Linn Sheldon's Barnaby character was probably one of the most sincere of the great 1960's kiddie show hosts. In many ways, his warmth and understanding were predecessor to what Mr. Rogers brought to children's TV -- although an essential difference is that Mr. Roger's entire agenda was about supporting children, whereas Barnaby hosted a show that marketed cartoons to children, and was supported by advertising...

Anyway, I find myself perplexed at the 5-star reviews of this book. Sheldon has collected and strung together a bunch of anecdotes about his life on-the-way, during, and after showbiz. What grabbed his attention and what he seems to find worth writing about are the high points in life. So there are anecdotes are about times of triumph, like performing or hanging out with Bob Hope or Robert Mitchum or Emmet Kelly; or times of despair like being ripped off as a child during the Great Depression, lost loves, or dealing later with sickness and alcoholism. For me the truest and most vivid parts of the book were of his vagabond childhood in the 20's and 30's, including a couple of absolutely heartbreaking stories; and of regional showbiz in the 40's. Parts of these sections paint colorful pictures, and we can identify with his feelings and experiences.

Later this is lost, especially when it comes to Barnaby. There's very little there about Barnaby and what made the character alive, and more importantly what makes Sheldon tick. We're told about his battle with alcoholism and how Barnaby kept him going, but the level of engagement is somehow superficial; Sheldon keeps himself, and therefore engages us, at a distance. After some basic info about how the show started, he goes back again into the anecdotes; a story about Jeanne Dixon, a story about a run-in with a park maintenance worker while in costume...there's surprisingly little meat about the Barnaby Show itself, its development and growth, and little of him or his involvement in it. Indeed, Woodrow the Woodsman, his sidekick, is mentioned only in the photo captions, and not at all in the text!

Maybe it was all lost to him in a blur, and maybe I shouldn't expect so much from someone who is not a writer to begin with, but I think there could have been a lot more here. Perhaps he needed to distance himself from what he went through in order to write about it at all. But given what he has been through, there is enough pain, tragedy, triumph, humor, and history to be of universal interest; whereas all we have now is a minor book of nostalgic interest to those who grew up in Cleveland, with very little in the way of detail.

I watched Barnaby when I was a child. Was able to meed Linn Sheldon a few times. He is a very nice man and he has written a very nostalgic book. If you watch Barnaby then this is a must read.
Brian.

We watched Barnaby every day before supper. It was magical. What a great trip down memory lane. Anyone from the area should pick this up and enjoy your childhood all over again. Even the dark stuff makes you feel for Mr. Sheldon. I am so sorry that he never did a narrative of this book so we could hear his voice. May he rest in peace.

Hi all,

Admittedly, I have not read or purchased this book but I am going to now. I may also get a copy for each of my family members. I would have hoped that he would have personal stories such as what my letter contains in his autobiography. Oh well. Maybe the next book, huh Mr. Sheldon?
To understand Mr. Sheldon is to understand most major cities in the US with children's TV in the 1950's. It was like providing a surrogate parent or friend on TV to the kids that were watching. There was ethics and you trusted those who spoke to you on TV in those days. Yes, Mr. Sheldon didn't interject much personal beliefs or feelings with his Barnaby character but you got a sense of who he and his character was just by listening and watching. You just knew this may was a good man and a friend to all that met him, in person or on TV. As the baby boomers are entering their twilight years we reminisce, of course. Things you think about and remember have some deeper significance and sentiment.
All things remembered are endearing to us. Mr. Sheldon is one of those strong memories to me.....and others, I feel.

Here is a copy of an email that I was to have forwarded to deliver to Mr. Sheldon and it never was. My family's feelings and memories about him are spelled out here. I remember him well.

(here is that letter)


Hello there, specifically to you, Mr. Sheldon, (and to whoever can help me link up with this man).

Allow me to re introduce myself. I don't know if you remember me. I am James Gray. As a child growing up in Cleveland (0-8 years), Warrensville Heights, to be exact, I clearly remember Mr. Lin "Barnaby" Sheldon. To me he was a personal friend to my parents, he came over to our home to play cards on a regular basis. I used to ask my Dad...who is this guy, he said this is the man who plays Barnaby on TV, son. I am not sure how my father met him but my Dad used to be General Manager of a Oldsmobile dealership in Cleveland. I believe it was Deberry Oldsmobile or something like that. Never the less, my Dad must have had some good connections cause he also knew the owner/manager of what was called the Shaker Steak House in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Back to Mr. Sheldon. I even remember Linn's 45 rpm record he did called "Bofo the Christmas Dog". He did a signing of his record at the Higbee company in Cleveland. They did that in those days. Since the original writing of this letter I did some research and now own this record again...after all these years. FYI..if anyone wants this record I got it at:



FLIP SIDE records and collectibles in Hermitage, Pa.
Email: order@flipmall.com or
their website at www.flipmall.com.
A Judy Johnson is the owner.
Phone is also: 724-342-0824.

For some weird reason I still remember some of the words: "Bofo, goes where Santa goes, and Santa goes where Bofo goes. On Christmas Eve when all is dark, children hear Bofo bark. Woof! Woof!". That's all I remember.

Just a related side note. In those days I had some very serious illnesses that were almost fatal. This one was thrombo phlebitis behind my eye. One of my eyes were bulging out and there was something wrong. It was a blood clot in a main vein leading to the brain. It was a result of what I remember as lead poisoning. I credit a Doctor Silver for saving my life. Lead was in everything in those days, including pencils. Don't even ask how it got there. All I can say is young boys trying to impress and make laugh a young beautiful girl who sat in front of me at St. Henry's elementary school. It's strange that when you get older some memories come back clearly and some fade...for some reason I remember that girl's name as Linda Hessy, she was tall for her age and very pretty, of course. So I had to impress like the clown I was and still am. Anything for a laugh even if it risks my life? Another story.

Once again back to our story about Mr. Sheldon. Since my Dad knew him well he asked him to mention my name on TV one time. In those days that just wasn't done so Mr. Sheldon had to devise a way to do it legally. He make up some story about a rocket ship that was blasting off in my name. maybe a mention of my being sick. Sadly I was too drugged and sick to remember seeing Barnaby mention my name on TV. I do vaguely remember it and the staff of the children's ward kept the TV on in our ward and it was focused on his show. They propped me up and told me that Barnaby has a special message to me. WOW. What a kick. The entire hospital ward heard it and cheered me on. It was like Babe Ruth coming into the hospital and telling the sick boy he was going to hit a home run for him. It was like that to me. I obviously did recover and I will never forget Mr. Sheldon, wherever you are.

Since the advent of the Internet and its possibilities I have attempted to find lost contacts and Mr. Sheldon was at the top of my list. If he can read this my father, mother and especially I would like to thank you for the good man, good spirit, and humanitarian that you are. So I have read further about who you really were to the world. If more people were like this man I know for a fact the world world NOT be in such a mess that it is currently in. I would love to have him call me and I can also hook him up with my father. Oh yes, if Mr. Sheldon reads this, my father's name is William F. Gray, II. We all moved from Cleveland to southern California in 1959 for better job opportunities. I was 8 years old when we left, I'm 54 years old, now. My Dad and Mom are close to Linn's age. I think my Mom is 88 or 87 and my Dad is 85 or something. Since the time of writing this letter my Mother passed away February 2006, after 4 long battles with cancer she tired...everyone including she was prepared for the inevitable. So she finally just let go. She died in Flagstaff, AZ with my brothers by her side. Sadly I couldn't be there but I arrived after she passed on and did her eulogy, it was heart-wrenching. My brothers brought her there for her final days, for her comfort and peace. Before she died I showed her my letter and the article on the website regarding Children's TV in Cleveland 1950's, and the photos of the Mr. Sheldon's book cover. She clearly remembers him too. I sent the same things to my father who is still alive in California. I still miss my childhood in Ohio. My Dad married to Olivia M. Gray (Gentile), my Mom, My brothers are Billy Gray Jr and Mike Gray. My Mom, and brothers live in Flagstaff Arizona I live in Utah and my Dad, sadly is still in California in a Seniors home, alone. Not sure if Mr. Sheldon remembers my mother's brother Pete Gentile, he has passed way a few years back long after he retired from Lincoln Electric, in Cleveland.

Mr. Sheldon, God Bless you and your family. You will always have a place in my heart for the good deed that you did for me and for all those who's lives you touched. You are most certainly loved by all of us, forever.

Sincerely forever your friend,

James Gray (Utah)
JGrayUtah@yahoo.com