Actually the program was called "Lunchtime Little Theatre" and I and thousands of other grade school children were devoted to watching Johnnie Jellybean during our lunch hour at home. He was the wackiest, most imaginative person and had a great crew to support him. Another character on the show was Toomie the Duck played by Bill Merrill, who later became Vice-President of Programming at CFCF TV in Montreal. There was the "Squawk Box" that Johnnie would whack with a wooden mallet and most days destroy. He would receive mail that sometimes would get thrown at him and one day unknown and unseen by the viewers when he opened the door there was a woman without a top on. We only ever saw his expressions which were a riot ( and now we know why ). My favorite part of the show ( besides him ) was when he had these contraptions where he would drop a ball bearing and it would go through flippers and sand buckets etc. to get to the bottom of the maze. They were fascinating. We all loved Johnnie Jellybean and his whirly hat and striped jacket. We wish now that the TV station had saved the episodes so that we could have enjoyed them in later years. I was very saddened to hear of his passing and still wish that I could have thanked him for the many hours of enjoyment he gave to us over the years!!
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
12 comments:
hi. i remember when i first saw Jim Carrey on In Living Color and some of the characters he had and i said this guy reminds me of Johnny Jellybean. I guess he was ahead of his time. sorry to ehar of his passing.
One of my favorites, I watched at lunch time, enjoyed the Our Gang episodes too! Amazing who you run into in business today, when asked what shows they watched as a kid, watched Johnnie Jellybean. Three Stooges after school was another great one. George
Ahh I remember him well!!
Hi, thanks for the pics. My dad hung an old radio from a beam in our basement that we used as a squack box. I used to go home for lunch everyday and give it a wack. Who remembers what he used to say before hitting it, something like "when the lands", that's all I can remember of it. Wendy
Biography for
Ted Zeigler Date of Birth3 June 1926, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Date of Death12 December 1999, Northridge, California, USA (pneumonia)
Birth NameTheodore Lee Zeigler
Mini Biography Ted Zeigler played the character "Johnny Jellybean" on Canadian television in the mid 1960s. It was on CFCF Tv out of Montreal, Quebec. After school and for a period of time it also aired at lunchtime. It was a huge hit for children. Ted Zeigler became the third and the last performer to play Johnny Jellybean. He did the show for Canadian kids only. The two classic routines that Ted Zeigler did on "The Johnny Jellybean Show" were: The "Squawk Box" which he continually hit with a hammer and a wooden birdhouse, that was hanging on a rope. He did this in many episodes until each time it was literally smashed to a few splinters and left hanging. Every time the "Squawk Box" was hit you'd hear sounds of gasping, screeches or hacking. Every episode would start off with a new "Squawk Box". "Toomey the Duck", Johnny Jellybean would talk & talk to him and Toomey would quack away like crazy, but you couldn't understand what it was saying at all. You could tell though, by the way the fake feet were moving, that he was rocking back and forth in a rocking chair. Bill Britten was the first children's TV host to play "Johnny Jellybean". He was this character on a show in the United States called "Time For Fun". Keith Hefner (Hugh Hefner's Brother) became the second performer to play "Johnny Jellybean" on the same show. Ted Zeigler was a regular on "The Sonny & Cher Comdey Hour" from 1971-1974 and then again on "The Sonny & Cher Show" from 1976-1977. Unfortunately Ted Ziegler passed away on December 12, 1999. He will be sorely missed by all who grew up with him.
Wow - Thanks for the memories.... I was on the Johnny Jellybean Show once (and Magic Tom twice). It was a real hoot. I felt like a TV star. They can have thier Commander Tom here in Toronto, Johnny Jelly bean and his Cliffhanger Theatre will be remembered for a long time in my mind. I rushed home a lunchtime to see him.
Hello All, Was it "When the bands come marching home" ? George
I remember Ted Zeigler as Johnny Jellybean as well. I was really young, under 10, when the show was airing and I remember he came to Verdun to do a show live. It was on the boardwalk in Crawford Park area. My mom brought me - many many moons ago!! Thanks for the pictures and the memories.
Joanne
wow i remember jonny jellybean .i went to see him on my byke at the dairy queen in ville emard.i was maybe 10 years old. great memories
carol richer
Every day I would run down Godin from Riverview School to see Johnny Jellybean at lunchtime. My mom would let me eat my soup and sandwich on a TV table so I could watch him!
Ther must be some photos around of his visits to Verdun. Guy
Hi Guy ,I don't Remember JohnnyJellybean coming to Verdun, but I do recall a time when Magic Tom came to the Natatorium,and did his show live from there,.He was set up just outside the Mens side exit doors ,in front of the shallow pool ,but closest to the building looking towards the length of the Natatorium,.& the poolside,.( meaninf the Deep End would be behind him,.......and of course being a Sunny Afternoon,where all the kids were running around & screaming ( almost like a bunch of kids would do.........hahahaha ) and of course the exciement of Magic Tom at their pool,....I happenned to walk behind them the Camera crew & magic Tom,.and heard him utter the words "Listen to the little Bastards'.............hahahahah I'm not sure who was with me ,it could have been ,.KenCM,.or DannyB,.or one of our other friends,.we thought that was quite funny to hear,...............( sort of like ,inadvertently hearing your own Dad swear for the first time ,.when they don't know your within earshot)...................hahahahahah Ruined me for life hahahahahahah HF&RV
Post a Comment