 -
"Pick
Temple"
Choose
From
6
Pages:
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From
The Photo Album of Pick Temple
(Courtesy
of Dr. L. Parker Temple III)
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Various
Show Names, Airtimes, and Channels;
On DC
Television from 1950 to 1961, as shown:
Aired
on WTOP-TV 9:
"Cowboy
Playhouse" (No Host Shown)
(September
4, 1950- ??):
5:15
to 6:15PM Monday-Friday
5:00
to 6:00PM Saturday & Sunday |
(Early
1951):
5:15
to 6:15PM Monday-Friday
5:00
to 6:00PM Saturday |
(Fall
1951):
5:00
to 6:00PM Monday-Saturday |
Until
1952, this show aired old western
films
without
Pick Temple's participation.
|
"Sagebrush
Theatre"
(January
1951 - May 1951):
12:00
Noon to 1:30PM Sunday |
Pick's
first kid show hosting job was this
Sunday
program which drew rave reviews.
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"Cactus
Corner w/Pick Temple"
| (March
1951 - May 1951):
6:00
to 6:30PM Mon-Wed-Fri Only
|
Pick's
immediate popularity from Sunday's
"Sagebrush
Theatre" led to this 30-minute
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
spin-off.
|
"Pick
Temple at Old Sagebrush"
(May
7, 1951 - November 31, 1951):
6:00
to 6:30PM Monday-Friday. |
(July
1, 1951 - Dec. 29, 1951):
12:00
to 1:30PM Sunday |
(Jan.
6, 1952 - Dec. 29, 1951)
1:00
to 2:30PM Sunday |
(May
4, 1952 - October 26, 1952
2:00
to 3:30PM Sunday |
(Nov
2, 1952 - February 1955)
11:00AM
to 12:30PM Sunday |
Popular
demand led WTOP to add Tuesday
and
Thursday airings to the weekday show.
|
"Pick
Temple's Cowboy Playhouse"
(December
3, 1951 - March 28, 1952):
5:00
to 6:00PM Monday-Saturday |
(March
31, 1952 - July 1952):
4:00
to 5:30PM Monday-Friday
4:30
to 6:00PM Saturday |
(August
1952 - March 1953):
4:00
to 5:30PM Monday-Saturday |
Saturday's
airtimes bounced-around when
WTOP
ran "Armed Forces Football" games.
|
"Pick
Temple's Giant Ranch"
(April
1953 - February 1955):
4:00
to 5:30PM Monday-Saturday |
(March
1955 - September 1955):
5:00
to 6:00PM Monday-Friday
4:30
to 6:00PM Saturday |
(October
1955):
4:00
to 5:00PM Monday-Friday
3:30
to 5:00PM Saturday |
(November
1955 - December 1955):
4:00
to 5:00PM Monday-Friday
4:00
to 6:00PM Saturday |
(January
1956 - March 1956):
4:00
to 5:00PM Monday-Friday
4:30
to 6:00PM Saturday |
(April
1956 - September 1956):
4:00
to 5:00PM Monday-Friday
4:00
to 5:30PM Saturday |
(October
1956 - December 1956):
4:00
to 5:00PM Monday-Friday
5:00
to 6:30PM Saturday |
(January
1957 - February 22 1958):
4:00
to 5:00PM Monday-Friday
4:00
to 5:30PM Saturday |
Saturday's
airtimes varied whenever WTOP
ran
"Horse Racing" or other sporting events.
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Aired
on WTTG-TV 5:
"Pick
Temple's Giant Ranch"
(February
25, 1958 - August 19, 1960)
4:00
to 5:00PM Monday - Friday
4:30
to 6:00PM Saturday |
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Aired
on WMAL-TV 7:
"Pick
Temple's Giant Ranch"
(September
19 1960 - December 29, 1961)
5:30
to 6:00PM Monday-Friday Only |
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-
Pick's
son, Dr. L. Parker Temple III, adds: "Dad
also tried a show in the Philadelphia area after he went off the air here.
In 1962-63, he was on WFIL-TV 6 on weekends. The show was popular,
but just did not fit in with the declining market for live TV. He
found that he had gotten in on the ground floor of live TV, only to outlive
the phenomenon when TV converted to serials and cartoons. But it
was a
wonderful
run - and a wonderful life."
-
Will
Hill of Dresher, PA says Pick's WFIL show opened with
him
riding his horse through Philly's Fairmount Park as
the
"Wagon Train" theme played in the background.
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"Ralph
F." wrote to TVParty.Com:
"It was the only show I was actually on. (...about
1962). ...a singing cowboy who played
the
guitar, sang western songs, & introduced cartoons..."
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-
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-Pick
Strums A Tune
(Donated
by Dick Dyszel).
|
Host:
Pick
Temple with his collie, "Lady", and "Piccolo" the pony.
Bob
Dalton would play substitute host "Bob
Dandy" when
Pick
took a day off during the WTOP-TV 9
years. On
occasion,
the WTOP fill-in host would be "Sunshine
Sue".
Broadcast
live from local studios. In-studio audience participation, old Western
films, games, puppets, songs & cartoons; (such as "Popeye"). Lots of
plugs for Giant Food.
|
Pick
Temple's first show "Cowboy Playhouse" had many sponsors. Dr. L.
Parker Temple III (Pick's son) recalls: "Before
Dad had Giant as a sponsor, his major (though not exclusive) sponsor was
Morton Department Stores here in Washington. That would have put
the show in the 1950-51 timeframe, I think. No earlier, and perhaps
as late as 1952. Mr. Morton was also the owner of Grandfather Mountain
in NC."
Will
Ravenel of Austin, TX knows the lowdown on Mr Morton:
"His
name was Hugh Morton, Sr.. His sons Hugh and Jimmy went to boarding school
with me at Episcopal High School in Alexandria. For many years I went to
Camp Yonahnoka in Linville, NC, (which Hugh Senior and Charlie Tompkins,
a chemistry professor at Episcopal, owned jointly) that had a fantastic
view of Grandfather Mountain. Mr. Morton was a professional photographer
and took individual photos of all the campers for the nicely-done paperback
ANNUAL every camper received at Christmas. He also owned the USS North
Carolina, a WW2 battleship he saved from being scuttled, turning it into
a Carolina tourist attraction. I think there were a couple of other mountains
near Grandfather that other Mortons owned."
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Pick
Temple and Lady in a 1950s Parade (at 12th & PA Ave, N.W.)
(Donated
by Jack Maier)
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Pick's
son, Dr. L. Parker Temple III shares more TV history:
"In
November 1950, the Federal Communications Commission approved the first
color television system. It was developed by Columbia Broadcasting
System, and was based on rotating 'color wheels" in both the sending and
receiving units. The system failed because it could only receive
signals broadcast with the color wheel system, and was not 'compatible'
color - that is, it had no true black or white. Obviously, the National
Broadcasting Company's 'color dot' system was the one that proved successful.
Nevertheless, the CBS folks used the most colorful show they had available
to sell their system to the FCC. You guessed it - they used my Dad's
show. By the way, the system did eventually achieve some measure
of prominence - the color wheel system was used to broadcast color pictures
from the surface of the Moon on the Apollo landings." |
Tom
Fielding, who donated the images of the buttons shown below, vividly
remembers being a Giant Ranger:
"I was
on the Pick Temple show in July of 1960. My mom applied for both my brother
and me to be on the show. The application cards were available at Giant
Food Stores. Everyone who sent one in got a badge and Giant Ranch membership
card. The application cards then went into that big hand-cranked drum.
Pick would then fill his cowboy hat with cards chosen at random. The kids
whose cards were chosen got to be on the show. My card was chosen, but
my brother didn't make it."
-
-
(Donated
by Tom Buckley, WUSA-TV)
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"When
that special day came I put on my cowboy hat, gloves and boots, and wore
my favorite Roy Rogers shootin' irons. I was ready to head out to the Giant
Ranch. Imagine my surprise when we drove to a hotel instead of a ranch!
The opening shot of Pick Temple's show was of Pick riding hard on horseback
to the Giant Ranch, where he would jump off the horse & run up to the
kids & yell, 'Heidi, boys & girls!'. I was wondering how he was
going to ride his horse through the hotel. As we walked to the Giant Ranch
set, I was able to catch sight of Capt. Tugg's Channel Queen set in a different
area, and dancing teens on the Milt Grant set."
"After
they got all the kids properly seated, a fellow came over and explained
that there were many secrets about television, and that all things were
not always what the appeared to be. He showed us that Pick's ranch house
was merely the front of a ranch house. A monitor was facing the 'peanut
gallery', I suppose it was so we could all see how we looked on TV."
-
--
(Photo
Donated by Dick Dyszel)
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"At
that time, I noticed Pick standing to the side talking to a technician.
Just then the taped opening began. I was dumb- founded! Pick was standing
there, and yet I could see him on the monitor riding fast and furious on
horseback! On cue, he ran out onto the set with arms waving and a cheerful,
'Heidi, boys and girls!'. Well, I was somewhat disappointed, but still
intrigued by the monitor and spent the whole show just watching myself."
=-
Pick
& Lady Birthday Card
(Donated
by Jack Maier)
.
"When
the show was over, I got a big bag of Giant Food goodies and a six pack
of Dad's Root Beer, which I absolutely refused to share with my brother.
For two years afterwards I received the Pick Temple and Lady birthday card
by mail."
.
..
.
Shown
on this page are four different Pick Temple Buttons distributed by Giant:
A green one ("Ranch Hand"), a yellow one ("Range Boss") and two orange
ones ("Cowhand" and "Giant Ranger"). The back of the "Cowhand" button contained
an insert: "ST LOUIS BUTTON CO. MFRS, ST LOUIS, MO."
(below,
enlarged to show detail).
 -
(Donated
by Jim "Lazymoon" Gscheidle)
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Forward
To
Page
Two of
"Pick
Temple"
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Additional
Sources: Jack Maier, Park Temple, Will Ravenel, Skip McCloskey, Pat McKenna,
Tom Fielding, Tom Buckley, Tim Hollis, Dave Statter, Jimmy Gscheidle, K.J.
Armstrong & Bob Benedik (Rifleman tape).
Airtimes
from the Evening Star and Washington Post papers.
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"Pick
Temple"
Choose
From
6
Pages:
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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All
Shows Originated From Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Studios
|
..
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Outstanding Sites
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Kaptain
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Saluting
Vintage TV Kid Shows
Produced
In Washington, DC
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Page
Revised: 8/26/04
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