Kukla, Fran and Ollie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kukla, Fran and Ollie |
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Left to right: Kukla, Ollie and Fran
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| Created by | Burr Tillstrom |
| Directed by | Lewis Gomavitz |
| Starring | Burr Tillstrom Fran Allison |
| Theme music composer | Jack Fascinato Burr Tillstrom |
| Opening theme | "Here We Are" |
| Composer(s) | Jack Fascinato |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Beulah Zachary |
| Running time | 30 minutes (1947–51; 1952–54) 15 minutes (1951–52; 1954–57) |
| Release | |
| Picture format | Black & White |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | 1947 – 1957 |
Kukla, Fran and Ollie was an old American TV show that used puppets. It was made for kids, but soon lots of grown-ups loved watching it too! The amazing thing was, it didn't have a script. Everything was made up on the spot.
The show aired from Chicago between 1947 and 1957. A funny lady named Fran Allison was the human star. She talked with the puppets, Kukla and Ollie, who were brought to life by the show's creator, Burr Tillstrom. Even after the main show ended, the team kept appearing in other TV shows and specials for many years.
Contents
The Original TV Show
Burr Tillstrom was the person who created the show. He was also the only puppeteer. The show first started in Chicago, Illinois, on October 13, 1947. It was called Junior Jamboree at first. Later, it was renamed Kukla, Fran and Ollie.
The show began to be shown across the country on the NBC network in January 1949. It aired every weekday evening.
Fran Allison was a radio comedian and singer. She was usually the only human on the screen. She acted like a friendly big sister. She was often the calm voice of reason when the puppets got into funny situations. The puppets looked like characters from old-style puppet shows. But their personalities were not over-the-top.
Meet the Puppet Characters
The puppet cast included many fun characters:
- Kukla: He was the kind and serious leader of the puppet group.
- Ollie: Also known as "Oliver J. Dragon," he was a mischievous dragon with one tooth. He would sometimes slam his chin on the stage when he was frustrated.
- Madame Oglepuss: A retired opera singer.
- Buelah Witch: A modern and independent witch.
- Fletcher Rabbit: The group's mailman and a bit of a worrier. He also worked at "The Egg Plant," which was a funny play on words.
- Cecil Bill: The stagehand for the puppet group. He spoke in a special "tooie talk" that was hard to understand.
- Colonel Crackie: A polite gentleman from the Southern United States.
- Dolores Dragon: Ollie's younger cousin.
There were many other puppets too!
The music for the show was created and played by Jack Fascinato. He started by playing the piano. Later, he led a small orchestra for the show.
The humor in Kukla, Fran and Ollie was gentle. It built up over time as viewers got to know the characters. The show didn't have many big jokes that made you laugh out loud. Instead, it relied on the comfort of familiar characters. Fans loved the show so much that they felt a strong connection to the puppets. When the show's time was cut shorter in 1951, many angry letters were sent to NBC and The New York Times.
The show aired on Sundays for a while. Then, it moved to the ABC network. It returned to a shorter daily format until its last regular show on August 30, 1957. This was a continuous run of almost ten years!
During its run, KFO was very popular. Many famous adults watched it, like Orson Welles and John Steinbeck. Big companies like Life magazine and Ford Motor Co. sponsored the show. This showed they were trying to reach adults, not just kids. The writer James Thurber once said that Burr Tillstrom was "helping to save the sanity of the nation."
Awards and Special Shows
Kukla, Fran, and Ollie won a Peabody Award in 1949. This award recognized its "whimsy and gentle satire." It also won two Emmy Awards. One was in 1954 for Best Children's Program. The other was in 1971 for Outstanding Children's Programming.
The Ford 50th Anniversary Show
In 1953, Kukla and Ollie were special hosts for The Ford 50th Anniversary Show. This show was broadcast live on both NBC and CBS. The puppets introduced different acts and artists. They even had a part in a sketch about the history of the Ford Model T car. They also showed a collection of news clips featuring "Oliver J. Dragon."
After singers Ethel Merman and Mary Martin performed, Kukla and Ollie joked about having to follow them. Ollie said, "There's no business like television, either." Kukla replied, "Well, it's so young." Ollie then said, "Yes. Whenever will it grow up? Maybe tonight. Maybe tonight." About 60 million people watched this show. A TV critic later called it "a landmark in television."
Later Appearances
After the main show ended in 1957, Burr Tillstrom kept finding ways for the Kuklapolitans (the puppet characters) to appear. They had a short daily show on NBC. They even appeared on Broadway! Tillstrom and his puppets returned to NBC in the early 1960s for Burr Tillstrom's Kukla and Ollie show.
In 1967, KFO started hosting the CBS Children's Film Festival. Here, their talks were short. They would introduce films, appear during commercials, and summarize the movie. This was just a small hint of how popular they used to be. Many people today only know the puppets from this show or their later series for NET in 1970. Burr also brought the puppets to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago for live shows in the early 1980s.
KFO was involved in some television firsts. This included the first TV broadcast from a ship to the shore. Also, an episode of Kukla, Fran and Ollie was the first public network broadcast using the new "compatible color" TV system in 1953. Burr Tillstrom was honored in the Television Hall of Fame in 1986. He helped and inspired many other puppeteers, like Shari Lewis and Jim Henson.
Kukla and Ollie also appeared on The Carpenters' 1977 TV special. They were also panelists on episodes of Match Game in 1979.
Digital Media and Stamp
Kukla, Fran, and Ollie episodes were first released on DVD in 2009. Five color episodes from 1969 to 1971 were in a box set.
On the same day, August 11, 2009, the United States Postal Service released a special stamp. This stamp honored Kukla, Fran and Ollie. A big event was held in Hollywood to celebrate the stamp and the show's 60th anniversary.
More DVDs of the original series were released later. These included many old episodes that were recorded on film. DVD sales ended in 2020.
However, in February 2020, the Kukla, Fran and Ollie Youtube channel started posting episodes online for free. They plan to make all the surviving episodes from the original series available to watch.
