Does anyone have any news of or photos of Major Mudd or Willie Whistle?? I loved/hated these show as a kid! And I want to re-live my New England childhood. Thanks

Does anyone have any news of or photos of Major Mudd or Willie Whistle?? I loved/hated these show as a kid! And I want to re-live my New England childhood. Thanks


I knew you were New England when I saw Major Mudds name.  I loved Major Mudd and made a point of
being home to watch it.  Major Mudd and his trained fleas Ricky and Tony ;D ;D .  His spaceship was the
Nervous One.  Remember Rex Trailer?  I believe he is still alive and well.  He used to bank where a
friend of mine worked and he said that he was a real gentleman, I guess he practised all those manners
he tried to instill on all the pardners in Boomtown.

OF course I remember Rex!!!! :D He came to a store parking lot with Santa Claus, and when he came around to me... he called me by my name!!! (He must have heard my Mother call me) but I thought he knew me through the TV!!! I always said hi to him (on TV) after that! And I was very cautious to not "do anything embarassing" in front of him.
His website is fun, though they don't mention the song "Hoofbeats, hoofbeats, hoofbeats..."

I hear Major Mudd died a few years back! >:(  Gotta love Boston television!  ::)

Before the days of cable and Japaname, we had shows and cartoons that brought us in from outside.  We watched them intently and they reflected upon our lives in a positive manner... with the exception of Willie Whistle to me.  Yes, I remember Major Mudd well.  At the time in the sixtys, cartoons and activity shows were in great demand.  My cousins were on Major Mudd when I was young and I was so jealous. Watching Rex Trailer was the coolest thing to do as an adolescent.  Does anyone remember when Rex and his crew visited the North Shore mall in Peabody Mass. around the late seventies?  I met Rex and SGT Billy.  They were everything they appeared to be on TV. They were real gentlemen.  A little something about Major Mudd to those of you who remember the show.  He died in the seventies of a dibilitating disease that caused his show to be short lived.  God rest his peaceful soul. Thankyou, Major Mudd for leaving me with a smile on my face since I was 6.  Everytime I think of you I still smile.

Does anyone have any news of or photos of Major Mudd or Willie Whistle?? I loved/hated these show as a kid! And I want to re-live my New England childhood. Thanks




Was/is Willie Whistle the clown who communicated by whistling instead of talking to puppets?? It was on local Boston television around 1979 -- 1980??

He used to scare the sheesh out of me when I was 3.

Never heard of Major Mudd and Willie. In Atlanta we had the Popye Club with Officer Don.

I loved Willie Whistle, he was the best....Love New England TV....

"Rex Trailer," "Willie Whistle," "Major Mudd"!!!!! All names that people remember who were blessed enough to be born in/near Boston in the late 50's and early 60's!!!! What about "Captain Boston,"(a fighter pilot with a German Shepherd sidekick) or "Bunker Hill" (a train conductor) or even "Bob Glover?!? (He took over when Bunker Hill died, "The Bob Glover Show" was educational for kids and he was the first African-American host of his time.),All great kids shows. I loved them and miss them all!!!! And let's not forget Boston's own version of "Bozo the Clown," Frank Avruch who went on to host channel 5's "The Great Entertainment." Thanks for the memories.

anyone ever find a willy whistle picture?


Does anyone have any news of or photos of Major Mudd or Willie Whistle?? I loved/hated these show as a kid! And I want to re-live my New England childhood. Thanks

He was on in the late 1970's on at the time what was Boston 25 now Fox 25, I think he had a companion dog which he would put in outfits, I think he was on Saturday mornings and possible Week Day mornings as well, he would be on before Star Blazers and I think Force Five possible as well, all I got to say is REMEMBER WILLIE

As a long time clown, I knew Willie Whistle, and I believe I have a group shot of us clowns and Willie is in that group shot. He was the programing manager for channel 38 years ago!

Does anyone have any news of or photos of Major Mudd or Willie Whistle?? I loved/hated these show as a kid! And I want to re-live my New England childhood. Thanks

For any people who were wondering about the man who was Willie Whistle: His real name is Dick Beach, and he lives in a small town in Kentucky where I live. I've been friends with him for a long time. A long time ago when we moved to Kentucky we started going to church, and one of the reasons we stayed at this specific church was because of an extremely friendly older gentleman who would always greet us as we came in on sundays and make jokes with us as kids. That man is Dick Beach, the former Willie Whistle. Thirteen years later (being just recently) I began to look at his life a little more. Never realizing how popular he was I was quite surprised to search on google and find a message board with ppl discussing him. Just know that he is alive and well and is still one of the friendliest and positive people I have ever met.

My Father is good buds with him! He just retired from TV38.  I have lots of pictures of Willie Whistle!  I dont know how to get them up here though.  He was at my first birthday party!  I even have pictures of me playing in his backyard!  I am waiting for my parents  to send me my baby book so I can work on getting them up here.  My cousins and I were on one of his christmas specials.  I was only 9 months old, so that was in December of 1979.  I cant believe there are still people talking about him!  I am sure he will be pleased!

WHATS GOIN ON PPL,I JUST RECENTLY HEARD ABOUT WILLIE WHISTLE AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME PICTURES OF HIM,I TRIED TO SEARCH THE NET AND IT'S SO HARD,CANT FIND ANY PICS OF HIM,SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY PICS IF HIM CAN YOU PLEASE SEND THEM TO "mustangcbra69@yahoo.com" thank

Does anyone have any news of or photos of Major Mudd or Willie Whistle?? I loved/hated these show as a kid! And I want to re-live my New England childhood. Thanks


How about this??  I was on the Major
Mudd show also.... my cousin worked for
the tv station at the time...my sister got
to blow the horns at the beginning of the show
I have an autographed picture that maybe
someone would be interested in buying???

I am thinking about putting it on Ebay.

Hey hi Ya'll Just a note to say Rex is alive and well in Boston soon he has a web site selling the documentary and memorabilia about boomtown. its http://www.rextrailer.tv/ its great los more about rex and here a news clip about major mudd too http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/11233569/index.htm. as for willie whistle um i don' have anything on him i my sel would love to have stuf about hm too. ty and any more great stuff bout being a kid in boston in 60's and 70's By the way  I oved to texas where Rex grew up. funny how life goes. anything new e-mail me at disneycrazy637@aol.com

I grew up in Massachusetts from 1951 to 1970 and lived in the Bay State again from 1975 to 1980. I think Willie Whistle was after my time, but my sister and I met Pablo (Richard Kilbride), Rex Trailer's first sidekick, at the Spencer (Mass.) Fair in about 1965 or 1966 which would have been a year or two before he died. Rex didn't make that one, but he made a LOT of personal appearances. I just saw the documentary about "Boom Town," Rex's show on WBZ-TV from 1956 to about 1980. Documentary seems vague about exactly what year the show stopped, but it went off because NBC wanted to start using those morning hours when "Boom Town" aired. Otherwise it probably could have gone on a little longer. Instead, Rex Trailer became a teacher, teaching radio and television courses to college students, and some of his students even went on to run children's shows!

But as to Major Mudd, I remember him, too. His real name, I think, was Ed O'Donnell. People remember him making them smile. Those who never saw his show might not realize that that is because he was very funny. I don't remember any of his jokes, but I have the feeling that if I heard them now, I would groan. He was a punster. But kids like that sort of humor. I remember that when John Glenn became the first American astronaut to circle the globe, Major Mudd basically covered the news and made what was happening understandable to kids--but we were already interested! The thing that surprises me is that no one seems to remember that Ed O'Donnell had another show and another character besides Major Mudd. In this other show he was a big game hunter in Africa. I don't remember the name of the character. It was a little hard to believe him as a hunter. He would have gotten eaten by a lion, I thought. Both of his characters were always a little clueless, though. That was part of the humor. The theme song of this show was a chant of "Mm-by-oh, mm-by-oh." It would play and then he would appear and join in the chant but the recording always stopped before he did. This show probably preceeded "Major Mudd" putting it in the late '50s or very early '60s.

I also remember Boston's Bozo the Clown as played by Frank Avruch (did I spell that right?). I remember when he had a serious operation and kids were so worried about him that he sat up in his hospital bed, put on his clown make up, and had them turn the cameras on so he could tell kids that he had only been sick and he was going to be OK. Years later, I watched Frank Avruch host the late movie. He clearly walked with a limp, which I guess had to do with his health problems dating back to that memorable image of Bozo in the hospital bed. (I never knew what disease he had, but I believe he has since passed away(?). There is a great story on the "Boom Town" video about the time Rex Trailer and Bozo were flying to a personal appearance in Rex's helicopter, and Rex had to make an emergency landing in a field. In no time, they were surrounded by kids who were thrilled to see TWO television icons at the same time in their rural community. (BTW, yes, Rex could fly a helicopter, and an airplane, and ride a horse, do rope tricks, bullwhip tricks, play the guitar, sing and write his own songs.)

The thing that surprises me is that no one seems to remember that Ed O'Donnell had another show and another character besides Major Mudd. In this other show he was a big game hunter in Africa. I don't remember the name of the character. It was a little hard to believe him as a hunter. He would have gotten eaten by a lion, I thought.



I remember that.  He had a boa constrictor named Beaulah, she was pregnant and had a lot of babies that he named Carla, Charlene, Charles, etc all derivatives of Charles except the last one, and I can't rmember what that was.  ;D  WAIT..... ANTONIA  ;D ;D ;D

OH!OH!OH!  LORD HAROLD HARVEY BUMBLEBROOK!  ;D ;D ;D

Does anyone have any news of or photos of Major Mudd or Willie Whistle?? I loved/hated these show as a kid! And I want to re-live my New England childhood. Thanks

Believe it or not, my father-in-law is Willie Whistle and he is standing right next to me.......I tell everyone that my wife's Dad is a clown and they think I am disrespecting her.  Quite the opposite.  He's a fine man and did a lot of unsung work for the children of the New England area.  He is retired now and living in Kentucky.  But his heart will always be that of his work as Willie Whistle.

I remember all the shows as I lived in Boston (Dorchester) from '62 to '68 and visited relatives a few times a year after '68. I think I was 4 or 5 years old and my Grandmother yelling from the second floor porch that Bozo was on. I would drop everything and run home. I remember Boomtown, Major Mudd and Willie Whistle too.

The thing that surprises me is that no one seems to remember that Ed O'Donnell had another show and another character besides Major Mudd. In this other show he was a big game hunter in Africa. I don't remember the name of the character. It was a little hard to believe him as a hunter. He would have gotten eaten by a lion, I thought.


I think the name of the show and Ed's character as I recall was "B'wana Don".  What I do remember from Major Mudd is the "SkyBar" commercial he made for the Cambridge, MA Necco Company (Necco Wafers) and the Stingray Marionette series and DODO cartoons that used to run on his show! 

The thing that surprises me is that no one seems to remember that Ed O'Donnell had another show and another character besides Major Mudd. In this other show he was a big game hunter in Africa. I don't remember the name of the character. It was a little hard to believe him as a hunter. He would have gotten eaten by a lion, I thought.

 




I remember that.  He had a boa constrictor named Beaulah, she was pregnant and had a lot of babies that he named Carla, Charlene, Charles, etc all derivatives of Charles except the last one, and I can't rmember what that was.  ;D  WAIT..... ANTONIA  ;D ;D ;D

OH!OH!OH!  LORD HAROLD HARVEY BUMBLEBROOK!  ;D ;D ;D

Hi
I would really love to see if I could get a picture of Mr. Willie Whisle if  possible.  I always talk about seeing him on tv when I was a kid and everyone I talk to has never heard of him.  I loved him.  Is there any way i could get one from you as I can not find one on the internet.  Please email me at slchapman_34668@yahoo.com and in the subject line just put something about him so I will not erase it.  This would mean everything to me.
thanks so much,
sarah chapman

Willie Whistle?

Two generations of hungover parents brewed coffee and gritted their teeth over that annoying sibilant shriek!  Yeeesh!

And Bozo was just downright ornery telling the kids to "shut-up" and whatnot!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/08/rainfro.gif

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-2-pwuDSsA

http://www.tvparty.com/lostboston.html

Couple of link for you, just copy n paste in your browser.

Don't remember Willie Whistle, do remember Mjr Mudd & his alter ego (on another show called Jungle Adventures, I think), Lord Harold Harvey Bumblebrook, wore a safari outfit, pith helmet, shorts, big moustache.  He introduced movies - lots of Tarzan & the like).  There was another show called, I think, The Buster Brown Show - "My name is Buster Brown & I live in a shoe, this is my dog, Tighe, & he lives here too (I have a friend who remembers the whole spiel).  It showed shorts of something called "Gunga, the Jungle Boy", abt a kid in India & his elephant, plus there were characters named Midnight the Cat, Froggy the Gremlin - "Twang your magic twanger, Froggy"...Bo-oi-ng! -  &  magician whose name I can't recall who used to pull scarves out of his coat & then a watermelon - "Ladadadeedee...wow!".  This may have been part of the Jungle Adventure show, but I think it was a separate one.  Anyone recall this?

Don't remember Willie Whistle, do remember Mjr Mudd & his alter ego (on another show called Jungle Adventures, I think), Lord Harold Harvey Bumblebrook, wore a safari outfit, pith helmet, shorts, big moustache.  He introduced movies - lots of Tarzan & the like).  There was another show called, I think, The Buster Brown Show - "My name is Buster Brown & I live in a shoe, this is my dog, Tighe, & he lives here too (I have a friend who remembers the whole spiel).  It showed shorts of something called "Gunga, the Jungle Boy", abt a kid in India & his elephant, plus there were characters named Midnight the Cat, Froggy the Gremlin - "Twang your magic twanger, Froggy"...Bo-oi-ng! -  &  magician whose name I can't recall who used to pull scarves out of his coat & then a watermelon - "Ladadadeedee...wow!".  This may have been part of the Jungle Adventure show, but I think it was a separate one.  Anyone recall this?


Willie Whistle was a Boston thing.  I think Willie Whistle -- a clown who spoke in a high-pitched whistle voice -- was played by Dick Beach, the manager of WSBK channel 38.  His schtick ran from about 1962 to 1982 or so.  Then Dick retired and moved out west.

Hi please visit this website: http://www.boomtownmemories.com/ for more Rex information.  This is first hand information from Rex himself!!
Enjoy!




OF course I remember Rex!!!! :D He came to a store parking lot with Santa Claus, and when he came around to me... he called me by my name!!! (He must have heard my Mother call me) but I thought he knew me through the TV!!! I always said hi to him (on TV) after that! And I was very cautious to not "do anything embarassing" in front of him.
His website is fun, though they don't mention the song "Hoofbeats, hoofbeats, hoofbeats..."

I hear Major Mudd died a few years back! >:(  Gotta love Boston television!   ::)
::)

i remember major mudd &, even more so, his alter ego lord harold harvey bumblebrook - "hi kids, lord harold harvey bumblebrook here & u of course r there!", who introduced old tarzan movies & the like...at noon on saturdays on cape cod. the buster brown show, aka andy's gang after andy devine took over the tv show (originally a radio show), had a movie short called gunga the jungle boy abt an indian boy & his elephant; & of course froggy the gremlin - "hiya kids, hiya hiya!", midnite the cat - "nice!"; & the magician guy (whose name escapes me), who would pull long scarves out of his coat, followed by something like a watermelon - "ladadadididi...WOW!"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Brown

Rex Trailer RIP.  :\'( :\'(


http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/01/10/rex-trailer-host-boomtown-show-dies/LFjejyLVQ3pbPIH7Soh3dP/story.html