Popeye Playhouse facts for kids

Popeye Playhouse was a fun children's TV show. It aired on weekday mornings in South Florida on the American TV station WTVJ. The show ran for many years, from 1957 until 1979. It was hosted by its producer and announcer, Chuck Zink, who was known as Skipper Chuck.

The show took place in the "Playhouse." Skipper Chuck would tell exciting stories, welcome special guests, and do silly stunts. He was joined by other characters, both people and puppets. This local children's show first aired live in January 1957. At first, it was shown in the afternoon from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

Popeye Playhouse was very popular with children from schools in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in Florida. Skipper Chuck would announce children's birthdays on air. He and his co-hosts also often visited elementary schools to teach about "Safety and Manners."

After 1958, the show started being recorded on videotape. Popeye Playhouse was taped at 4:00 PM at the WTVJ Studios in downtown Miami. It would then be broadcast the next weekday morning at 7:00 AM. Skipper Chuck, who was from the northern U.S., made an important change to the show. He noticed that children were booked from schools that were not mixed (integrated). He insisted that all children, regardless of their background, should be allowed on his program together. This happened in the late 1950s, even before it became a national movement.

When a child asked Skipper Chuck about the two-finger peace sign, he created a new symbol. He used three fingers to represent "Peace, Love, and Happiness." This symbol even led to a song that would play at the end of the show. The show finally ended in 1979.

Meet the Cast of Popeye Playhouse

Many interesting characters joined Skipper Chuck on the show.

Richard 'Scrubby' Andrews

Richard Andrews played Skipper Chuck's main helper, Scrubby. Scrubby was a funny character, a bit like Gilligan from Gilligan's Island. He even wore a white sailor's cap. Scrubby was often the target of Skipper Chuck's jokes and silly pranks. Sometimes, children from the audience would even get to throw a pie in Scrubby's face!

Scrubby was great at physical comedy. He also provided the voices for many puppets on the show. These included Limbo the lion, Squeesix the mouse, Sunshine Crow, Moonshine Crow, Mr. Dragon, and Blooper the dog. After retiring, Richard moved to Key West. There, he gave tours to visitors on the Conch Train.

First Mate Ellen

Ellen Kimball was Skipper Chuck's first co-host. She was on the show from January 1957 to October 1958. Ellen was a freshman at the University of Miami when she was chosen in December 1956. Her job was to look after the children in the audience.

Skipper Chuck and First Mate Ellen both wore light blue turtleneck shirts and dark pants. An artist at WTVJ made special Popeye patches that were sewn onto their shirts. Ellen also spoke for different local and national companies that sponsored the show. The show first featured Popeye cartoons with short breaks for commercials. It was broadcast LIVE from 5 PM to 6 PM every weekday from Studio B at WTVJ (CBS) Channel 4 in Miami, Florida.

Glumbo Despair

Richard "Dick" McMurry worked behind the scenes at WTVJ. He played a sad clown character named Glumbo. The audience helped choose his name. Glumbo was a silent clown. He only "spoke" by using a bicycle horn on his belt. Richard McMurry later left television and moved to North Carolina.

Annie Orphanic

Annie was the show's longest-running co-host. Her character was called ANNIE ORPHANIC, a name that sounded like Little Orphan Annie. She played an orphan who Skipper Chuck adopted. Annie appeared on the show every day, performing in skits and singing.

"Annie Orphanic" was played by Doreen Bernhard (Ernst). She was the daughter of one of the show's producers, Ms. Doris Bernhard. Doreen was on the show from 1959 to 1973. After Doreen got married, her sister Darla Bernhard (Olson) took over the role. Later, their cousin Cheryl Sweeney (Henry) played Annie. Another cousin, Renee L. Sweeney, hosted and produced a weekly part of the show from 1968 to 1970.

Irene "Miss Irene" Yelton Sweeney was the producer of the Skipper Chuck Show from 1959 to 1972. She was the first female television producer in the U.S.! After leaving the show, Irene became an independent Executive Producer for many award-winning TV shows. Once Irene left, Annie's (Doreen's) mother, Doris Bernhard, started producing the show. Many family members were involved, with a group called THE MOD BODS performing regularly. This group included Darla Bernhard, Chick Bernhard, Renee L. Sweeney, and Cheryl Sweeney. Chick Bernhard later became a stunt performer in movies. Renee L. Sweeney hosted and produced a children's TV show called "Getting Ready" from 1978-1980. She also appeared in commercials, movies, and TV shows.

Ed Odell

Ed Odell is now a news reporter for WTVJ. But he started his career as a visitor on Popeye's Playhouse!

Tommy Gannon

Tommy Gannon was the show's Musical Director in its later years. He was introduced at the beginning of each show.

Uncle Don

Uncle Don was Skipper Chuck's first musical helper. He played the Hammond Organ and wore bright Hawaiian shirts. He also helped Skipper Chuck with his jokes. Don Sebastian Pesce was a local musician. He, Chuck, and Annie wrote many of the original songs for the show.

Popeye Cartoons on TV

The show was first created to introduce Popeye cartoons. Many TV markets had similar children's shows. Each area created its own unique children's television programs.

Special Guests on the Show

Many famous people visited Popeye Playhouse. These guests included Miami Dolphins football coach Don Shula and the famous entertainer Jackie Gleason. Almost every star who was in town was invited on the show. Some of the well-known guests over the years were Sylvester Stallone, Muhammad Ali, Art Linkletter, several astronauts, Barbara Feldon, Carlos Montoya, and Van Cliburn.

Fun Regular Features

The show had many fun parts. One was the "Word of the Day," which was later made fun of in Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Another popular feature was choosing a lucky child to throw a pie into Scrubby's face.

The "balloon drop" was also a favorite. Balloons would fall from the ceiling, and children would shake them to find the one with vitamins inside. In later shows, children would pop the balloons until one found a piece of paper. This paper meant they won a bunch of board games!

Skipper Chuck would always give his special three-fingered "Peace, Love, and Happiness" salute.

Show History and Schedule

Popeye Playhouse ran for 22 years. This made it one of the longest-running local original TV shows in South Florida.