The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour facts for kids
The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour (later known as The Children's Hour) was a popular variety show. It featured many talented children as performers. Some of these young stars later became famous adults! The show was on the air for more than 30 years. It was sponsored by Horn & Hardart. This company owned restaurants, bakeshops, and automats in New York City and Philadelphia.
On the Radio
The show first aired on Halloween, October 31, 1927. It started on WCAU Radio in Philadelphia. Stan Lee Broza was the host in Philadelphia. Later, the show was also broadcast on NBC Radio in New York City. This happened during the 1940s and 1950s.
In New York, the hosts included Paul Douglas, Ralph Edwards, and Ed Herlihy.
Horn and Hardart had a special song for their show. Part of it went like this:
- Less work for mother; let's lend her a hand.
- Less work for mother so she'll understand.
- She's your greatest treasure;
- Let's make her life a pleasure.
- Less work for mother dear.
On Television
The program later moved to television. It was shown on both radio and TV at the same time. The TV show began on WCAU-TV in Philadelphia in 1948. Then, it started on WNBT in New York in 1949. These shows were telecast on Sunday mornings. Stan Broza hosted in Philadelphia, and Ed Herlihy hosted in New York.
Many young performers from the Philadelphia TV show became very successful. These included Frankie Avalon, Rosemary Clooney, Eddie Fisher, and Connie Francis. Other famous names were Bernadette Peters and Arnold Stang. Al Alberts later created his own children's show. It was similar to the Horn & Hardart show where he had performed as a child.
Fred Rogers, who later created Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, worked behind the scenes on the show.
The show ended with a special closing song. It was sung to the tune of "A Bicycle Built for Two":
- Childhood, childhood
- Sweetest days of all
- Children playing hide and seek and ball
- Tripping to school so merry
- The Golden Rule to study
- Oh, how we'll miss, the years of bliss
- When our childhood days are gone.
The series finished in the summer of 1958. Stan Broza, one of the main hosts, passed away on December 15, 1970.
