The Floppy Show Read online

  IMAGES

  of America

  THE FLOPPY SHOW

  In recent years, Floppy has made periodic appearances at various film festivals and events in the Des Moines area. The most recent film festival was held at the Iowa Hall of Pride in January 2015. The author was one of many to get a picture taken at the event with a true Iowa icon. (Author’s collection.)

  ON THE COVER: As central Iowa children gathered around the television at lunchtime, Duane Ellett and Floppy provided cartoons and humor from a clubhouse-type set, which allowed other WHO personalities such as Don Warren and Bob Williams to interact with Floppy while Ellett was unseen behind the wall of the set, bringing Floppy to life. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  IMAGES

  of America

  THE FLOPPY SHOW

  Jeff Stein

  Copyright © 2018 by Jeff Stein

  ISBN 978-1-4671-2604-5

  Ebook ISBN 9781439663882

  Published by Arcadia Publishing

  Charleston, South Carolina

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2016959047

  For all general information, please contact Arcadia Publishing:

  Telephone 843-853-2070

  Fax 843-853-0044

  E-mail [email protected]

  For customer service and orders:

  Toll-Free 1-888-313-2665

  Visit us on the Internet at www.arcadiapublishing.com

  To the memory of Duane Ellett (1923–1987), whose talent and imagination delighted hundreds of thousands of Iowans of all ages

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  1. A Solo Act

  2. The Early Years

  3. Sharing the Stage

  4. Riddles and Nose Beeps

  5. Through the Years

  6. An Iconic Duo

  7. A Lasting Legacy

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The author thanks the family of Duane Ellett and the staff and management of WHO Television for their cooperation in providing support and many of the materials used in the preparation of this book.

  When Channel 13 officials asked me a decade ago to digitize their collection of videotapes and film of Duane and Floppy appearances, I could hardly have expected to have enjoyed this ongoing relationship with the station, the family, and members of “Floppy Nation.”

  From Duane & Floppy Film Festivals to reviving the legendary Floppy T-shirts, the association has brought me great satisfaction and allowed me to recall wonderful childhood memories.

  All photographs are from the family of Duane Ellett unless otherwise noted, and all are protected by appropriate copyright laws.

  INTRODUCTION

  The crowd of aging baby boomers was not deterred, despite a steady snow that fell on downtown Des Moines on a Saturday morning in early February 2014.

  After shaking the snowflakes from their coats, they entered the lobby of the Iowa Hall of Pride. And when their eyes locked on the exhibit case near the auditorium door, the expression on each of their faces showed that decades had instantly melted away. Their eyes got a far-off look, and a small smile crossed every face.

  There he was, a lasting image of their childhood. Complete with trademark red sweater and an always eager expression, there was Floppy, cohost of the television show they watched as children dating back to the 1950s. Some remembered telling Floppy riddles, while others recalled the day they beeped Floppy’s nose for luck.

  They posed for pictures next to their idol, and in a nod to today’s technology, many of these baby boomers then posted the pictures to Twitter and Facebook before taking one last, fond look at Floppy before entering the auditorium.

  Although it has been 30 years since he left the central Iowa television airwaves, that winter’s Duane & Floppy Film Festival event in Des Moines proved that Floppy was still “top dog” for thousands.

  In fact, there is now perfect symmetry for the Floppy experience. Duane Ellett’s creation first came alive in 1957 and was a regular presence in our lives for 30 years; it’s now been 30 years since his last performance. Regardless, the bond felt by those who lived through it is as strong as ever—stronger, perhaps, thanks to the virtual communities of like-minded people sharing with each other on social media.

  This book is another way for Floppy fans to connect with their own memories about three decades of television programs and personal appearances. And judging from the response of those fans over the decade that I have had the privilege of researching and presenting Floppy-related material, the conversation is just beginning.

  What is the attraction of a balsa-wood dog puppet in a red sweater to people who now have grandchildren? In the end, it is not simply a longing for a simpler time or an attempt to reclaim one’s childhood. Those elements are present, of course. But rather, it is a well-deserved recognition of a talent perhaps taken for granted at the time who in hindsight created a personality that captivated thousands of children of all ages in a way today’s society could never replicate.

  It is a thank you to Duane Ellett for giving us Floppy and everything the shows and that persona represented in our lives.

  One

  A SOLO ACT

  After serving in the Army during World War II, Des Moines native Duane Ellett began attending Drake University with the intention of becoming a lawyer. In a 1987 interview, Ellett said he took a course in radio broadcasting because he thought it would be easy.

  That course changed his life . . . and the lives of thousands of Iowa children as well.

  Ellett found he was a natural behind a microphone and soon got a part-time job at WHO radio. Plans for law school were quickly forgotten as Ellett became a staff announcer at WHO following graduation.

  He appeared weekly on the radio station’s popular Iowa Barn Dance Frolic program. The barn dance premiered on WHO’s sister station WOC in Davenport in 1931 and soon moved to Des Moines as the stations shared the same broadcast frequency.

  At its peak, WHO radio employed around 100 permanent cast members for the program, who worked at the station in other capacities when they were not handling Iowa Barn Dance Frolic duties.

  Each week, the 4,500-seat Shrine Auditorium would be filled with audience members eager to catch a glimpse of their favorite performers during the two-hour stage show.

  Ellett was easy to spot, sporting a white western outfit and black mask in the spirit of the Lone Ranger. He sang and played guitar on the shows, which were simulcast on radio and television when WHO-TV signed on in 1954.

  As live performers on the radio gave way to recorded music programs in the early 1950s, Ellett was known as one of “WHO’s Music Men” who played records on the station.

  He remained on WHO radio even after he created Floppy, hosting weekday talk programs, including the long-running Phone Forum series.

  Working as a staff announcer to help pay his way through Drake University, Duane Ellett found an outlet for his many talents.

  Recognizable personalities have always been important to success in broadcasting, not only for generating ratings and audiences but also for attracting advertisers. WHO frequently spotlighted on-air talent to support its sales pitches to business clients.

  He was not the Lone Ranger, but there is little doubt Duane Ellett’s apparel when performing on WHO’s Iowa Barn Dance Frolic was designed to capitalize on the success of the popular character. Singing and accompanying himself on air was something that continued through Ellett’s last television programs, some 40 years after he started in broadcasting at the WHO stations.

  The cast of WHO’s popular Iowa Barn Dance Frolic would pose for a photograph each season, for many years include
d in the companion program that attendees would purchase as a souvenir of a special Saturday night spent watching the performance live in downtown Des Moines. Ellett’s distinctive costume allows him to easily be found in this cast photograph from the early 1950s. (Right, author’s collection.)

  Live performances were a hallmark of radio into the 1960s. The groups that formed for those studio broadcasts would often reunite in later years at Iowa Barn Dance Frolic anniversary events, and as the remaining WHO employee, Ellett would often play a featured role.

  Publicity photographs were often taken of radio talent in a variety of roles—standing at a microphone in the role of announcer or, as seen here, seated at a desk in the role of news anchor.

  Duane Ellett’s natural gifts were a perfect fit for radio call-in programs, where spontaneity and versatility are on full display. For many years, Ellett was partnered with noted farm broadcaster Lee Kline for programs under various titles, including Phone Forum.

  Many radio programs migrated to become television programs as that medium took hold in the 1950s. Others simply were simulcast on both WHO-AM radio and WHO-TV 13. Iowa Barn Dance Frolic was aired on both radio and television in its final years, but other more basic “radio” shows—like call-in programs with Lee Kline and Duane Ellett—were also put on television to help fill programming gaps in the days before satellite delivery of network programs.

  Duane Ellett’s knowledge of the entertainment industry served him well when interviewing various figures, including actor Sebastian Cabot, well known to television audiences from the sitcom Family Affair.

  Audiences may get the impression that radio studios are spacious work areas; this photograph shows that “the theater of the mind” of radio creates a very different impression than reality.

  Duane Ellett was a fixture on central Iowa television for parts of four decades, during which time clothing and hairstyles changed greatly. This photograph from the early 1960s can be contrasted with images on the opposite page from a decade later to illustrate the point.

  The ability to perform multiple duties is a hallmark of radio broadcasting. At times, Duane Ellett would host a program; at other times, he would operate the control board from an adjacent studio while others were on the air. The control board operator would communicate with the on-air talent through a window with hand signals or signs, as needed.

  Two

  THE EARLY YEARS

  When WHO-TV went on the air in 1954, the versatile Ellett added television to his radio duties. At that time, well before the development of high-quality transmission lines or satellites, most programming was produced live. And because the model for early television was “radio with pictures,” the daily television program schedule looked a lot like the familiar radio program schedule.

  Channel 13 aired a program called Pet Corner, sponsored by the Animal Rescue League of Des Moines (ARL). Agency director Max Finch would bring stray dogs and cats into the television studio to encourage adoptions. Ellett often served as host of the program.

  Finch knew that one of Ellett’s hobbies was woodcarving, so he suggested Ellett create a puppet character for the Pet Corner show to help teach children how to properly care for their dogs.

  Ellett carved the head of a puppet out of balsa wood, while his wife, Lois, made the body out of terry cloth. (Floppy’s well-known red sweater came in the 1970s, knitted by Lois Ellett’s mother.)

  In the spring of 1957, the puppet originally called Mr. Dog made his television debut. He got the name Floppy when Finch commented on air one day about Mr. Dog’s floppy ears.

  When asked what breed of dog Floppy was, Ellett invariably replied that while he looked like a beagle, he had such a loud mouth that he was a special breed—a “bugle.”

  It was probably also no accident that Floppy was a tan-colored version of another well-known beagle—Charles Schulz’s Snoopy in the Peanuts comic strip, which debuted nationally seven years before Floppy was created.

  Floppy quickly became a favorite of children and soon had his own show. At this point, Ellett had not learned ventriloquism skills, so he provided Floppy’s “personality” and high-pitched voice as an unseen performer, behind a wall. Other station individuals would interact directly with Floppy, who would be seen leaning on top of the set designed to resemble a stone wall.

  Children were part of the in-studio audience, and cartoons were shown in between the live segments. Ellett was a part of the shows, interacting with the children, but not at the same time as Floppy.

  While the television station encouraged Duane Ellett to create the character that become known as Floppy, he himself reserved the intellectual property ownership. In order to gain the federal copyright, it was required to send a photograph of the puppet with the application, which explains this rare photograph of Floppy not only without Duane but also without his trademark box.

  In the early 1970s, Ellett’s mother-inlaw knitted a red sweater for Floppy to wear, since more television production was being done in color. That led to a renewal of the copyright, since the character’s persona had been altered. The placement of a yardstick helps show that Floppy was nearly 21 inches tall.

  In the early days, Ellett did not appear with Floppy on camera, instead crouching behind a wall, unseen. But Floppy quickly became in demand for personal appearances, and there was no way to easily carry a wall on stage to performances. Initially, Ellett had Floppy appear out of his trench coat; note the slack right arm of the coat. Soon, however, he came upon the idea of using a box from which Floppy could appear—and the secret to how Floppy came to life could be preserved for young audiences.

  Children’s show hosts in the 1950s and 1960s often played a character themselves; cowboys and riverboat captains were often portrayed. In part to capitalize on his Iowa Barn Dance Frolic fame, Ellett donned a western hat and string tie while hosting early programs featuring Floppy, as seen in this publicity photograph from 1959. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  The Cartoon Shop program allowed Ellett and Floppy to interact on air between cartoons. The cartoons that were aired depended on the contract the station had with syndicators. When Popeye cartoons were part of the fare, Ellett traded his western hat for a ship’s captain’s hat. But regardless of the headgear, he always had to keep Floppy in line. (Both, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  The Cartoon Shop also featured other Ellett puppet creations to help develop the mini story lines in between cartoons, including a puppet of the Popeye cartoon character. (Above, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  Prior to the Federal Communications Commission changing the rules for endorsements by program hosts, children’s shows were full of advertisements for various products. Hosts encouraged young audience members to persuade parents to buy whatever product—here, Flynn Dairy products and Butterfinger and Baby Ruth candy bars—was being promoted.

  The commercial endorsement publicity photographs shown here (for Peter Pan donuts) and on the previous page help demonstrate that Ellett could make Floppy convey expression and emotion far beyond the anticipated limitations of a wooden puppet. (Above, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  In the 1960s, a Sunday morning program known as the S.S. Popeye aired, featuring nothing but Popeye cartoons from a set resembling the bow of a ship. Ellett and Floppy served as hosts for the program, introducing the cartoons and providing continuity for all cartoon programs on the local channel. (Courtesy WHO-TV.)

  This sales publicity flyer testifies to the success of using WHO-TV personalities to sell Crayola crayons to young people, suggesting that this success could be translated to other products as well. Ellett and Floppy’s notoriety led to a number of successful partnerships with area businesses, such as Home Federal Saving Bank, which even produced Floppy banks to encourage children to save money.

  For decades, the midday noon news on Channel 13 lasted for 15 minutes; a movie would air after that until a network program began at 2:00 p.m. In between, Floppy would entertain children. The program would always start at 12:15 p.m., but its length depended o
n how long the movie was. The shorter the movie, the longer Floppy had to show cartoons. Typically, Ellett appeared behind the scenes, but he is present for a publicity photograph above. More commonly, Ellett would provide life to Floppy and interact with another WHO personality, such as Bob Williams, seen below in a February 1964 photograph. Other WHO radio personalities who were part of the midday program included Lee Harris, Archie Leonard, Jerry Carr, Bob Graham, and Don Warren. (Both, courtesy WHO-TV.)

  If a popular character like Floppy asks to have viewers send Christmas cards, it is wise to place the postal service on notice to add extra help. For several years in the 1960s, the normal midday clubhouse set was annually decorated with holiday cards sent by children in the viewing audience.

  Perhaps it is the simplicity of his design, or perhaps the attitude and demeanor those who watched Floppy can recall when seeing a photograph now. Regardless, he remains one of the most photogenic puppets ever created for television.

  Three

  SHARING THE STAGE

  The WHO-TV midday news was originally 15 minutes long, with Floppy appearing to fill the gap between the news and the early afternoon movie. The setting was the clubhouse, where Ellett would be behind a wall and Floppy would appear in the open clubhouse window to interact with various WHO radio and television personalities, including Bob Williams and Don Warren.