Say Kids! What Time is It? Notes From the Peanut Gallery [Hardcover]

Stephen Davis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The documentation of popular TV programs from the 1950s and '60s has become something of a growth area in publishing, with monographs on shows as diverse as The Honeymooners and The Outer Limits . Say Kids! is an insider's account of another such program, The Howdy Doody Show , which the author's father directed between 1952 and 1956. (The author appeared as part of the Peanut Gallery during those years.) Liberally illustrated, the book is a funny, well-written portrait of that era's live television and of a type of children's programming seldom seen today. Recommended for all media collections. A.J. Wright, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (October 30, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316176621
• ISBN-13: 978-0316176620
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Davis is America's preeminent rock journalist and biographer, having written numerous bestsellers on rock bands, including the smash hit Hammer of the Gods. He lives in Boston.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything that (and MORE than) you wanted to know!, September 5, 2001

By 

Joel L. Gandelman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Say Kids! What Time is It? Notes From the Peanut Gallery (Hardcover)

Fun, factual and no-holds-barred. Not only does this book trace the history, creation, long run and bittersweet ending of the Howdy Doody Show but it goes into behind the scenes politics, personality problems, and sometimes adult-oriented rehearsals. There are lots of valentine-like books about this wonderful baby-boomer show (which still is FUNNY on videotape if you can get the right episodes!). But those usually gloss over the time the show fired most of its cast, the frustrations of some cast members, and the extent to which the show became a corporate money-machine for NBC. In the end it's demise had little to do with ratings or show quality but production costs. If you liked Howdy Doody, are interested in the show from a nostalgic standpoint, a show biz standpoint, a puppetry standpoint, or are simply interested in solid show biz history this is a CRUCIAL book since you won't find a lot of this info elswhere. Yes, it's lovingly written in parts...but it doesn't cover the warts. And it's a GREAT read!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the money!, August 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Say Kids! What Time is It? Notes From the Peanut Gallery (Hardcover)

Everything you ever wanted to know about the back stage activities of the Howdy Doody show.

Well written, entertaining and authoritative. This book is a MUST if you want to know about the program.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE book for Doodyville fans, November 21, 2002

By 

Thomas Carten (Wilkes-Barre PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Say Kids! What Time is It? Notes From the Peanut Gallery (Hardcover)

It's THE definitive, honest look at the operation. A thorough trip through the show's run and the personalities involved. My only criticism, which pales in insignifcance, is that I would have liked a lot more photos.

One even less important event the author missed was the day the Princess Summerfallwinterspring puppet changed *poof* into a real person and was introduced to the whole Doodyville cast, including the cameramen.

Buffalo Bob had that rare ability to look through the camera, past the picture tube and right into your eyes. When I buy toothpaste, it's still Colgate. I think that ability comes through in this book.

I'm still ticked off that the Buffalo backtimed the show so well that we didn't know until Monday what he unveiled in front of the Peanut Gallery on Friday: There was a new circus. I complained to my mother about that and I'm still right. But in my later years as a broadcaster, I still marvel at how he timed it out right to the second. Bob Keeshan makes reference to that ability near the back of the book.