"P.J.'s
Club"
f.k.a.
"Funny Company"
(Photo
from 1977 by Trisha Katson, GMU)
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Aired
on WMAL-TV 7
Mondays
through Fridays
September
1963 to January 1965
(9/9/63
to 10/4/63)
Shown
as "Funny Company"
8:00
to 9:00AM |
(10/7/63
to 10/17/63)
Renamed
as "Cartoons"
8:00
to 9:00AM |
(10/18/63
to 1/1/65)
Renamed
"P.J.'s Club"
8:00
to 9:00AM |
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Host:
Pete
Jamerson as "P.J. Moneybags"
When
the show debuted in September 1964, its title was "Funny Company";
"Pete Jamerson is host for this new cartoon series that attempts to combine
education and enjoyment with examples of the value of enterprise".
But,
the ratings must have been a disappointment to station management. On 10/7,
the TV listings changed to say "Cartoons" while the show was being re-tooled.
Then, on Friday, 10/18, the show offically became "P.J.'s Club".
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Broadcast
live from WMAL-TV Connecticut
Ave./Van Ness studios
with
pre-recorded off-stage voices, sound effects from records,
animal
films, and cartoons.
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In
1977, Trisha Katson interviewed Pete Jamerson for an article titled "Whatever
Happened To Those Kiddie Show Hosts?". Katson wrote that P.J.'s character
wore a fright wig, a suit of tails, and a Walrus mustache. Jamerson told
Katson; "That was a zany, crazy program;
a real wild show.... Bumbly old P.J. and everything would fall down and
we had a lot of fun."
-
Donated
by Ralph Bull
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-
The
article states Pete Jamerson directed and produced musicals
in Fairfax
County Virginia with high schoolers for "S.T.A.G.E., Inc.".
Karen
Callen shares: "I was in those S.T.A.G.E.
shows Pete spearheaded in the late '60s. The acronym stood for "Summer
Theatre And Good Entertainment." Pete and his wife, Cornelia, were
great to all of us kids. I dated his stepson, then known as Sandy
Jamerson. Sandy's legal name is Alexander Chadwick, better known
now as Alex Chadwick of NPR and National Geographic."
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The Funny Company (Funny Co.
Prod./Ken Snyder Prod. 1963)
(Courtesy
of "The Toon Tracker")
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From
Tom
Fielding: "Hey, remember 'The
Funny Company'? Those were
shown
on P.J.'s Club and on Stu
Kerr's 'Mr. Morning' show in Baltimore."
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Hear
The
Funny Company Cartoon Theme Music at Kidshow
Klips!
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Learn
more at "TheSpaceExplorers.com"
Still
Frame Courtesy of John V.
from
Jerry Beck's Web Site
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Ralph
Bull of Alexandria recalls... "Pete
occasionally aired two cartoons in serial form with something like 25-30
episodes. One was a fantastic version of 'Beauty and the Beast' and the
other was a wonderfully animated science fiction adventure entitled 'Space
Explorers'. Both were superb and 'Space Explorers' used animation
and live action to weave the story together. I've tried unsucessfully
to locate copies of these for many years."
Learn
more at Chuck Scholtz's "TheSpaceExplorers.com"
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Pete
Jamerson in the '70s at WGMS Radio
(From
an ad in Washingtonian Magazine)
(Donated
by Dave Statter)
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In
1954, before going to work for Channel 7, Pete hosted "Peter Jamerson's
Matinee For You" for competitor WTTG-TV 5, every weekday,
1:30
to 2:30PM. Then, from 1956 to '57, he hosted
"Pete's
Place", (as well as doing other on-air work) at Channel 5.
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Pete
Jamerson (on right) in his WMAL TV-7 program "Pete & His Pals",
with
Michael Ansara of ABC-TV's "Broken Arrow" (on left).
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Jamerson
took the "Pete's Place"
concept to WMAL-TV 7 in Summer
'57
as "Pete
& His Pals". At one time or other, he also worked for
TV 7
News and as a staff announcer.
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Washingtonian
Magazine, March 1977 Ad
for
Pete Jamerson's WGMS Radio show.
(Donated
by Dave Statter)
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After
leaving Channel 7, for many years Jamerson hosted a morning program at
WGMS 103.5 FM/570 AM radio (above).
Scott
Wykoff wrote in the DCRTV Mailbag:
"In
my first job in radio I worked with Pete at WMER (1440) in Portland, Maine.
Pete hosted a morning information show on the talk & business station.
Pete retired to Maine but still had the radio bug and worked for the station
for several years. He also had a love for the water and enjoyed spending
time out on his boat in Casco Bay. I was sad to hear a few years ago that
Pete had passed away. He was a good friend and a true gentleman.
"
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Sources:
"Whatever Happened To Those Kiddie Show Hosts?" by Trisha Katson, 1977,
George Mason University's Phoebe Magazine, (provided by John Ahmad &
Jack Maier). . Basic data by "John" on 3/14/00 and Mr. Jamerson's later
history by Scott Wykoff 3/16/00 in the DCRTV Mailbag. WGMS ad (Washingtonian
, 3/77) and the blown-up picture of Pete with headphones provided by Dave
Statter.
Info
and still frame from "The
Funny Company" is courtesy "The
Toon Tracker" site.
"Space
Explorers" still frame courtesy of John V. from Jerry
Beck's Web Site
Learn
more about "Space Explorers"
at Chuck Scholtz's "TheSpaceExplorers.com"
Airtimes
confirmed from TV listings in the Evening Star and Washington Post.
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