WONDERAMA

I grew up with this show. Before there was Nickelodeon, there was this. It was perhaps the longest running kids' game show on TV. I remember when Bob McAllister left the show (on amicable terms, although there were rumors of a contract dispute) the year before it went off the air.

Wow...Wonderama. The Disco Kid....Guess Your Best...Snake Can game....Kids are people too...wacka doo wacka doo.. Sunday morning....8am? Right after "Elementary News"

The info about "Wonderama"is wrong.


The show actually debuted on WABD TV Ch.5 in NYC

on Sunday Afternoon September 25,1955.not 1971

and Sonny Fox was not the program's first host.


Sandy Becker was the show's first mc.

Sandy and his regulars:Pat(rica)Meikle,"Capt.Video"

(Al Hodge) and Magician:Melbourne Christopher

would entertain and inform their viewers with

games,informational segments,craftmaking,hobbies,

magic tricks,drawing and cooking lessions,comedy and

puppet skits,interviews with guest performers and per-

sonalities and reruns of movie serials,comedies,westerns

and cartoons.


After hosting the show for one season..Sandy Becker

left the series.


He was replaced by Herb Sheldon..Mr.Sheldon mc'd

the show solo on Sunday mornings from September 16,

1956 to August,1958.


(Sheldon left the show following a creative dispute

with station management)


Bill Britten became the show's third host/performer

..who would entertain and imform both his viewers

and a studio audience of kids with games,comedy and

puppet skits,songs,craftmaking,hobbies,PSA's and interviews

with guests inbetween the reuns of films from Sunday

morning August 8,1958 to Sunday December 28,1958.


(Britten's version of "Wonderama"was the first edtion of

the program to be pre taped before a live audience

and was soon being produced by WNEW Metromedia

TV Inc.)


Sonny Fox became the show's fourth and most memorable

host on Sunday January 4,1959.


His version of the show differed from his predicesors

in that he engaged his viewers and studio audiences in

educational demonstrations,dance lessions,dramatatzaitons

of plays,trips to places and events of interest to the kids.


Fox also did interviews with the kids and with the guests

on his shows.

His version of"Wonderama"was highly rated and earned

some Emmy nominations.


(Fox' version of the show was taped on Thursday

afternoons for Sunday Morning broadcasts)


He also had some kids do news stories for the viewers

and he did recreations of trips to parts of the world.


Fox left "Wonderama"in August,1967 and Bob McAllister

became the program's fifth and last adult mc.


McAllister returned the show to it's comedy/variety

format..where he performed magic tricks,comedy and

puppet skits,engage their studio audiences in games

and interview guest performers and personalities.


McAllister would host the show for ten years..

before he was forced to leave the program following

creative disputes with the management of WNEW TV.


McAllister left the show in late December,1977.

His version of the show was rerunned for three

years.

When "Wonderama"returned in October of 1980.

..the show's format was changed to an hour long

newsmagazine and travelogue hosted by a group

of kids.


Laura Condon,Alana Brown,Dwight Williams

and Bobby Clark were the prorgam's first mc's.


When they outgrew their roles..they were

replaced by Pam Potillo,Claude Brooks,Laura

McDonald,Emilio Estevez(Not to be confused with

the son of Martin Sheen) and future kids tv game

show host and producer:J.D.Roth.


The running time of"Wonderama!"was cut from

an hour to 30 minutes and the show soon moved

to Saturday morning reruns in October of 1983.


Where it remained..until the program was

finally cancelled in October,1987 and replaced

by "The DJ Kat Show".


I hope that you might add this corrected info

to the synopsis page of "Wonderama!"?


BozoFG.