Be the First to See Howdy Doody!

This fall, the Center for Puppetry Arts invites you back to Doodyville. Join us as we unveil a special new feature in the Global Collection featuring artifacts from Howdy Doody (1947–1960), one of the most beloved programs in the history of American television.

The new installation opens at a perfect moment. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary and the 80th anniversary of Howdy Doody’s premiere broadcast approaches, these iconic objects bring a beloved piece of American childhood back to life. On view will be Clarabell’s costume and clarinet, Buffalo Bob’s fringed Western wear, a Howdy Doody created for photo opportunities, and of course, a Howdy Doody marionette.

The evening begins with stories, photos, and video from our special guest, Burt Dubrow, a lifelong friend of Buffalo Bob Smith and devoted steward of the show’s legacy. Burt’s extraordinary personal connection to the show and its beloved host inspired a lifetime of collecting, and he’s bringing those memories and artifacts to share with you. You may also know Burt as the television producer behind two of America’s most iconic talk shows, The Sally Jessy Raphael Show and The Jerry Springer Show. Tonight, however, he joins us first and foremost as a Howdy Doody fan.

Whether you remember rushing home to watch the show on a snowy black-and-white television or are discovering these characters for the first time, this is an evening of nostalgia, community, and a celebration of television history.

Doors open at 6 PM. Program Begins at 7 PM.

Producer

Burt Dubrow

Burt Dubrow has changed the face of television. Before Oprah, Ellen, “The View”, or even reality TV, the daytime talk show space was a male dominated market with primarily female viewers at home. Burt Dubrow had the courage and the vision to change the landscape by putting the first female talk show host on air. Her iconic red glasses, her desire to ask the controversial questions viewers were thinking and the fact that women at home saw themselves in Sally made way for female talk show hosts to dominate the arena today. Multiple Emmy Award, Cable Ace Award and Peabody winning producer, praised by industry leaders and the media for having “an intuitive sense of what people want to watch,” Burt developed and consistently reinvented the genre of daytime talk, producing many of television’s most successful shows. When examining Dubrow’s career, Burt was destined to transform television due to his fascination and downright obsession with the medium dating back to his youth in the 1950s. A career that has spanned 5 decades and counting, Burt Dubrow is television pioneer and legend.