Howdy Doody Drama: Buffalo Bob & Captain Kangaroo's Feud

0:00On March 24th, a recent chat on the nostalgia tonight podcast revealed some tense behind the scenes drama from the classic kid show Howdy Duty. Television producer Bert Dubrow, who managed the road for host Buffalo Bob Smith, shared details about a big clash between Smith and Bob Kishon, the man who played Clare Bell the clown and later became Captain Kangaroo. It all stemmed from a group of cast and crew members pushing for better pay through what was then called Collective Bargaining. Kishon and others, including puppeteers and voice actors like Rufus Rose and Dayton Allen, teamed up with an agent to challenge NBC, claiming they were underpaid. Producers Smith and Roger Muir weren't having in. On Christmas Eve, they called everyone into the studio and fired the whole group in one go, ending those roles abruptly. Even after the fallout, Kishon always saw Smith as a key mentor, almost like a father figure in his early TV days.

1:00That was speclinger despite the bad blood. Years later, the two cross paths, again, at a Disney event honoring children's television, giving Kishon a chance to express his gratitude and mend. Some fences from the past. I'm Cory with the story, and you've been listening to Entertainment and Celebrity News today, AI-powered pop culture coverage.