Advert, "Remember the Golden Days of Radio, Volume 1", SY-5183, Longines Symphonette Society, Larchmont, New York, circa 1970. assassination of President John F. Kennedy, "Sandy Becker, 74, Radio Announcer And TV Show Host", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sandy_Becker&oldid=961755991, Television personalities from New York City, Find a Grave template with ID not in Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 10 June 2020, at 07:15.

He also hosted the first year of the syndicated children's Sunday TV show Wonderama, from its six-hour premiere in September 1955, until 1956.[4]. This led him to his morning show beginning in 1955, and he added a noontime program Sandy Becker's Funhouse briefly in 1955. [1] After he withdrew from on-camera hosting in 1968, Becker helped other children's shows create puppets and characters, and he became known as a mentor to new generations of children's hosts. Most aired live and were not kinescoped or videotaped; they live on only in the memories of those who watched them. Mr. Becker, who wrote some of the material for his shows and ad-libbed the rest, was not afraid to tell his audience there was more to life than television.

It features an original Flexitoon video explaining the project with Flexitoon characters Harried Harry and Lucky Jack and is designed to unabashedly pry pledges ranging from $10 to $500 from enthusiastic backers.

[7], Becker's show was so popular in the New York area, that when he began using a version of the Hambone theme music from an old 78 rpm record by Red Saunders, which was recorded in 1952, Okeh Records re-released the song on a 45 rpm record; it reached survey position #22 on local rock radio station WMCA in March 1963. ", In April 1996, seven weeks past his 74th birthday, Becker died following a heart attack at his home in the Long Island hamlet of Remsenburg. I try to keep the news as light as possible. In between cartoon shorts, Becker entertained his preschool-aged audience with puppets Geeba Geeba (an elderly man), Marvin Mouse, Henry Headline (who offered kid-friendly items of news) and others, along with Becker’s real family dog, Schatzie.

"I never treated them as though they were in swaddling clothes," he said many years later of his young viewers.

Most went out live and were not kinescoped or videotaped, they live on only in the memories of those fortunate enough to have watched them.

It was a puppet show with games and prizes for studio audience. Originally a pre-medical student at New York University in the 1930s, Becker played the good doctor on the radio for a decade, after having been the show's announcer.

I try to keep the news as light as possible. The best known of these was The Sandy Becker Show, which ran from 1955 to 1968 on Channel 5 WABD-TV and WNEW-TV. Becker would also host a weekday evening & afternoon children's wraparound show..which had him playing comedic characters, In between cartoon shorts, Becker entertained his preschool-aged audience with puppets Geeba Geeba (an elderly man), Marvin Mouse, Henry Headline (who offered kid-friendly items of news) and others, along with Becker’s real family dog, Schatzie. performing puppet skits and engaging his viewers in informational segments,contests and interview guest performers [8] (The evening show used "Afrikaan Beat" also by Kaempfert.

Soon he was being heard coast to coast on network radio, first as the announcer who introduced a CBS soap opera called "Young Dr. Malone," later as young Dr. Malone himself. Todd Russell hosted TV's "Rootie Kazootie" for NBC Dec 50-Nov 52 (Sat) and on ABC (weekdays) to May of 54. With Pat Meikle, Sonny Fox, Brianna Dotson, Corianna Dotson.

Soon, he started working for Channel 5 and became the host of a program featuring Bugs Bunny cartoons, The Looney Tunes Show on weeknights from 1955 to 1958. That led to this letter from a 9-year-old fan in Montclair, N.J.: "I heard you say that I should get a library card and read books and I did get a library card and borrowed some books and now that I read the books I don't have time to watch your TV show any more.". In spite of this view — or perhaps because of it — Becker is warmly remembered for the manner in which he handled one of America's deepest tragedies on the air. He also hosted the first year of the syndicated children's Sunday TV show Wonderama, from its six-hour premiere in September 1955, until 1956.[4]. Later, with "The Sandy Becker Show" and "Sandy Becker's Fun House," he kept up a rigorous on-the-air schedule, appearing live from 8 to 9:30 A.M. and from 6:30 to 7 P.M. To fill the time he invented characters to catch the imagination of his viewers.

To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. He also provided the voices for Sergeant Okie Homa and Ruffled Feathers on Go Go Gophers. Reach out to the author: contact and available social following information is listed in the top-right of all news releases. In spite of this view — or perhaps because of it — Becker is warmly remembered for the manner in which he handled one of America's deepest tragedies on the air. After withdrawing from on-camera hosting in 1968, Becker helped other children's shows create puppets and characters, and he became known as a mentor to new generations of children's hosts. [1], Becker's propensity for doing comic voices brought him much work in animation; his best known work there was perhaps as Mr. Wizard on King Leonardo and His Short Subjects — "Drizzle, drazzle, drozzle, drone / Time for this one to come home" — who was always indulging and then rescuing Tudor Turtle from his outlandish wishes. It had a live children's audience and it was on Channel 5 in New York, which was WNEW, a local station before FOX. Then came Sonny Fox. Sandy Becker, an announcer on network radio in the 40's and a creator of puppets, characters and skits for children's television shows on which he was the host in the 50's and 60's, died on Tuesday at his home in Remsenburg, L.I. Articles with unsourced statements from November 2009, Articles with invalid date parameter in template, assassination of President John F. Kennedy, "Sandy Becker, 74, Radio Announcer And TV Show Host", https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Sandy_Becker?oldid=50310. However, some clips are surfacing on the Internet.[9]. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. It was a children's variety show on every Sunday.

"The impact of a major news story might be lost to them or it might even frighten them," he told the Long Island Press. “To millions of Baby Boomers who grew up in the Metro NY area, the name SANDY BECKER is magic!”.

"I never treated them as though they were in swaddling clothes," he said many years later of his young viewers. He met Charlotte native Ruth Venable when she visited the station and married her on July 20. For more information please visit: http://www.flexitoon.com. He did radio spots for Crisco, as well. Almost 50 years after it’s original airing, and now lost to the ages (as were many early TV shows from the 1950’s and 60’s), Flexitoon – one of the premiere puppet production companies in the country – has signed up to ‘re-imagine’ the original production of "Sandy Becker’s Christmas Carol" with production costs backed by members of the crowd-funding Web site kickstarter.com.

He is survived by his wife, Cherie, and three children from his marriage to Ruth Becker: Joyce Sexton of Batavia, Ill., and Annelle D'Addio and Curt Becker, both of North Granby, Conn. See the article in its original context from. In the early years of television, he was the announcer for a program on WNBC-TV called "Ask the Camera," with Barbara Walters, and was the host of "Armstrong Circle Theater." In spite of that view — or perhaps because of it — Becker is warmly remembered for the manner in which he handled one of America's deepest tragedies on the air. They'll learn about wars and international crises soon enough. I wanted to treat them as their parents might if they were on TV.".

"They'll learn about wars and international crises soon enough. His best-known work there was perhaps Mr. Wizard on King Leonardo and His Short Subjects — "Drizzle, drazzle, druzzle, drome / Time for this one to come home" — who was always indulging, then rescuing Tooter Turtle from his outlandish wishes. A second Friday night program called Bugs Bunny Theater ran from 1956 to 1957.

[5] Becker also provided the voices for Sergeant Okie Homa and Ruffled Feathers on Go Go Gophers. Sandy Becker's Christmas Carol to be brought back to life using all the puppets from the original 1961 production. Mr. Becker was a pre-medical student at New York University in the late 1930's when he decided to try broadcasting.