Sandy Becker facts for kids
George Sanford Becker (born February 19, 1922 – died April 9, 1996), known as Sandy Becker, was an American TV announcer, actor, and comedian. He was famous for hosting many popular children's shows in New York City. His most well-known show was The Sandy Becker Show, which aired from 1955 to 1968 on Channel 5 WABD-TV and WNEW-TV.
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Early Career in Radio
Sandy Becker grew up in New York City. He started his career working as a radio announcer. In 1947, he became famous for playing the main character in the radio series Young Doctor Malone. He played the role of the good doctor for ten years. Later, he was asked to bring the role to television, but he chose to focus on his own TV projects instead.
Becoming a Children's TV Host
Becker soon began working for WABD (later WNEW) TV-Channel 5. He started hosting a show called The Looney Tunes Show from 1955 to 1958. This show featured Bugs Bunny cartoons on weeknights. He also had another show on Friday nights, Bugs Bunny Theater, from 1956 to 1957.
Sandy Becker discovered his true talent for entertaining children. He was very good at doing different voices and impressions. This led him to start his own morning show in 1955. He also briefly hosted a midday program called Sandy Becker's Funhouse in 1955. From September 1955 to 1956, he hosted the first year of the children's Sunday TV show Wonderama.
The Sandy Becker Show Highlights
Becker also hosted a weekday afternoon and evening children's show called The Sandy Becker Show. On this show, he played funny characters and performed puppet skits. He also had segments where he shared information, ran contests, and interviewed guests. All of this happened between showings of cartoon reruns.
The Sandy Becker Show was on weekday afternoons and evenings from March 30, 1961, to February 16, 1968. It also aired on Saturday evenings from March 27, 1961, to September 4, 1965.
Voice Acting and Characters
Sandy Becker was very talented at doing funny voices. This led to a lot of work in animated cartoons. One of his most famous voice roles was Mr. Wizard on King Leonardo and His Short Subjects. Mr. Wizard always helped Tooter Turtle when his wishes went wrong. Becker also voiced Sergeant Okie Homa and Ruffled Feathers on Go Go Gophers.
On his children's programs, Becker created many memorable characters. These included:
- Hambone: A disc jockey who spoke in a funny, confusing way.
- Big Professor: A smart but silly character who claimed to know everything.
- K. Lastima: A rumpled kids' show host.
- Dr. Gesundheit: An incompetent mad scientist.
- Norton Nork: A simple-minded character who was always bumbling. His routines had only music and Becker's funny narration, always ending with, "That's my boy, Norton Nork — you've done it again!"
He also had a real bird in a cage named "Chipper."
Puppets and Music
Becker also used hand puppets in his show. These puppets had different accents and personalities. Some of them included Marvin Mouse, Googie, Geeba Geeba (German accent), Sir Clive Clyde (English), Wowee the Indian, Sputnik (a space creature), K. Lastima (Latino), and Danny Moran (Irish).
The Sandy Becker Show was very popular in the New York area. The theme music for his morning show was "That Happy Feeling" by Bert Kaempfert. The evening show used "Afrikaan Beat," also by Kaempfert.
News for Kids
Becker created a puppet named Henry Headline. Henry Headline would share lighter news stories with the children watching. Becker believed it was better to introduce children to news in a gentle way. He said, "They'll learn about wars and international crises soon enough. I try to keep the news as light as possible."
Sandy Becker is especially remembered for how he handled a very sad event on air. On November 22, 1963, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Becker went on TV. He spoke to his young viewers in a very touching way, trying to explain what had happened.
Later Years and Legacy
Sadly, most of Sandy Becker's programs were not saved. They were often shown live and not recorded. So, they mostly live on in the memories of the people who watched them. However, some short clips are now appearing online.
After he stopped hosting shows on camera in 1968, Becker helped other children's shows. He helped them create puppets and characters. He became known as a guide and mentor for new children's TV hosts.
Becker once said about his young viewers, "I never treated them as though they were babies. Most kid shows treat young viewers as babies. I wanted to treat them as their parents might if they were on TV."
Sandy Becker passed away in April 1996, at the age of 74, after a heart attack at his home in Remsenburg, Long Island.
Personal Life
In 1942, when he was 20 years old, Sandy Becker was working at a radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina. He met Ruth Venable there and they got married on July 20. They later moved back to New York and had three children: Joyce, Curtis, and Annelle. Sandy Becker was survived by his second wife, Cherie, whom he married in 1980, and his three children.
