Kukla, Fran and Ollie was an early American television show using puppets . It was created for children, but was soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed . It was broadcast from Chicago between October 13, 1947, and August 30, 1957. Comedienne Fran Allison starred, interacting with puppets, Kukla and Ollie (and sometimes other puppets) whose puppeteer was the show's creator, Burr Tillstrom . After the original run, the team appeared in other productions over several decades.
32-711: Franklin Burr Tillstrom (October 13, 1917 – December 6, 1985) was a puppeteer and the creator of Kukla, Fran and Ollie . Tillstrom was born in Chicago, Illinois , to Bert and Alice Burr Tillstrom. He attended Senn High School in Chicago and later the University of Chicago . While still a freshman, he accepted a job offer from the WPA -Chicago Parks District Theatre to set up a marionette theater. Tillstrom turned his attention to puppetry in
64-602: A creation of the Artist-in-Residence program at Hope College . In 1978, Kukla, Burr and Ollie joined the Broadway cast of Side by Side by Sondheim , a revue of Stephen Sondheim songs. Tillstrom continued to perform with his Kuklapolitan Players until his death at age 68 in Palm Springs, California on December 6, 1985. He was found sitting in a chair near his swimming pool and appeared to have died from natural causes. He
96-793: A few exceptions, all of the shows were improvised. After the original series ended in 1957, Tillstrom continued to work with the Kuklapolitans. Early in 1958, Tillstrom appeared with the puppets on Polly Bergen 's short-lived NBC variety show , The Polly Bergen Show . Tillstrom, Kukla and Ollie reunited with Fran Allison to host the CBS Children's Film Festival from 1967 to 1977. In 1970, Kukla, Fran and Ollie appeared on National Educational Television , taped at WTTW in Chicago, for two seasons. In 1975, Kukla, Fran and Ollie began another run on television with 13 new episodes. In 1977, The Kukla and Ollie Retrospective Stage Show tours began,
128-660: A member of Alpha Gamma Delta . She was a fourth-grade teacher for four years in Schleswig and Pocahontas (both in Iowa), before beginning her broadcasting career at WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa . (Another source describes WMT as " Waterloo radio station WMT." It moved to Cedar Rapids in 1935.) In 1934, Allison was among "14 sectional winners in the Hollywood Hotel radio contest." She moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1937, where she
160-671: A profile in the Freeport Journal-Standard , "For mental health, she will travel anywhere, anytime." Allison was on the board of Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters . In later life, Allison lived in Van Nuys, California . She died on June 13, 1989, aged 81. from myelodysplasia in Sherman Oaks, California , She was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa . She was survived by her brother, James "Lynn" Allison,
192-738: A program that was broadcast live on both NBC and CBS . The puppets introduced various sketches and artists, were featured in a sketch about the history of the Ford Model T , and presented a multi-part "Oliver J. Dragon" compilation of newsreel scenes. Following a song medley by Ethel Merman and Mary Martin , Kukla and Ollie complain about having to follow the two singers performing "There's No Business Like Show Business". Ollie says, "There's no business like television, either." Kukla replies, "Well, it's so young." Ollie says, "Yes. Whenever will it grow up? Maybe tonight. Maybe tonight." The program attracted an audience of 60 million viewers. Forty years after
224-595: The ABC network and returned to the 15-minute daily format (7:00–7:15 p.m. ET) until the last regular program aired on August 30, 1957, a continuous run of nearly ten years. During that time, KFO was a hugely successful show that counted Orson Welles , John Steinbeck , Tallulah Bankhead , Ben Grauer , Milton Caniff and Adlai Stevenson among its many adult fans. The show had sponsors like Life magazine, RCA , Nabisco and Ford Motor Co. , who surely weren't trying to reach children. James Thurber once wrote that Tillstrom
256-625: The Chicago History Museum . In 2013 Tillstrom was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame . Kukla, Fran and Ollie Burr Tillstrom was the creator and only puppeteer on the show, which premiered as the hour-long Junior Jamboree locally on WBKB in Chicago , Illinois , on October 13, 1947. The program was renamed Kukla, Fran and Ollie ( KFO ) and transferred to WNBQ (the predecessor of Chicago's WMAQ-TV ) on November 29, 1948. The first NBC network broadcast of
288-449: The Kukla, Fran and Ollie YouTube channel started posting digital transfers of KFO kinescopes on a regular schedule, beginning with the earliest surviving episode. The stated goal is to eventually make all of the surviving episodes from the original series available and free to view online. Fran Allison Frances Helen Allison (November 20, 1907 – June 13, 1989)
320-452: The slapstick , but their personalities were less caricatured. The puppet cast included "Kukla", the earnest leader of the troupe; "Ollie", or "Oliver J. Dragon", a roguish one-toothed dragon (who would slam his flat chin on the stage in frustration or roll on his back to be endearing); Madame Ooglepuss, a retired opera diva; Buelah Witch, a brash, madcap witch ; Fletcher Rabbit, the troupe's mailman and resident fussbudget (who worked at
352-558: The 1980s, she hosted Prime Time , a show for senior citizens, on KHJ-TV in Los Angeles. Allison made records for the RCA Victor label. She had two minor pop hits. In 1950 her recording of " Peter Cottontail " charted at #26 around Easter of 1950. The next year her recording of " Too Young " achieved position #20. In both recordings she is backed by Jack Fascinato , who was the orchestra leader of Kukla, Fran and Ollie. In 1950, Allison
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#1732852067104384-460: The ABC-TV series, Ozark Jubilee , during the late 1950s. While in Chicago, she was also heard on Those Websters . In 1947, the director of WBKB-TV in Chicago asked Burr Tillstrom if he could put together a puppet show for children, and he asked Allison, whom he had met during a World War II war bond tour, to join the show. The show was an early American television show using puppets . It
416-543: The Easter Bunny's Egg Plant during the Easter season); Cecil Bill, the troupe's union stagehand who spoke in an unintelligible "tooie talk"; Colonel Crackie, a Southern gentleman; Doloras Dragon, Ollie's younger cousin; Mercedes, a bratty grade schooler, Ollie's mother Olivia, and a number of others. The series' music was written and performed by Jack Fascinato, who first accompanied the troupe on solo piano and later conducted
448-410: The broadcast, television critic Tom Shales recalled the broadcast as both "a landmark in television" and "a milestone in the cultural life of the '50s". After the original series ended in 1957, Tillstrom continued to search for a place for the Kuklapolitans, doing a daily five-minute show for NBC, and even appearing on Broadway . Tillstrom and his puppets returned to NBC television without Allison in
480-574: The early 1930s and created Kukla in 1936. Kukla remained nameless until the Russian ballerina Tamara Toumanova referred to him as kukla , the Russian word for "doll". Other famous puppets from Tillstrom's group included Ollie (Oliver J. Dragon), Beulah Witch, Goultar, Cecil Bill, and Fletcher Rabbit. In 1939, Tillstrom was invited to present his Kuklapolitan Players at the New York World's Fair . The following year, RCA sent him to Bermuda to perform on
512-451: The early 1960s for Burr Tillstrom's Kukla and Ollie show that aired weekdays. In 1967, KFO began hosting CBS Children's Film Festival . In this context, their conversations were restricted to a brief introduction, commercial segues and a summary of the film, and could only provide a hint of what had made KFO so popular. Many people know the troupe only from this filmed show and their later taped series for NET in 1970. Burr also brought
544-450: The first ship-to-shore broadcast. From 1947 to 1957, Tillstrom was involved with the Kukla, Fran and Ollie show, which starred his puppets and Fran Allison . It is widely regarded as being the first children's show to appeal to both children and adults, and counted Orson Welles , John Steinbeck , Tallulah Bankhead , Adlai Stevenson , and James Thurber among its many adult fans. With only
576-454: The initial run of Kukla, Fran and Ollie : in the late 1950s, she hosted The Fran Allison Show, a panel discussion TV program in Chicago; and appeared in television musical specials displaying her singing abilities, including Many Moons (1954), Pinocchio with Mickey Rooney (1957), Damn Yankees (1967) with Phil Silvers and lastly Miss Pickerell (1972). She had her own program, The Fran Allison Show on WGN-TV (1958–1960). In
608-433: The medium. Tillstrom influenced and mentored many later puppeteers, including Shari Lewis and Jim Henson . Kukla and Ollie made an appearance on The Carpenters ' 1977 television special for ABC, The Carpenters at Christmas , along with Harvey Korman and Kristy McNichol . Kukla and Ollie also appeared as panelists on a 1979 episode of Match Game PM and on two episodes of Match Game '79 . Kukla, Fran, and Ollie
640-454: The show took place on January 12, 1949. It aired from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday from Chicago. "Fran" was Fran Allison , a radio comedian and singer who was typically the only human to appear on screen, filling the role of big sister and cheery voice of reason as the puppets engaged each other concerning their foibles. The design style of puppets was that of Neapolitan puppet shows, or Punch and Judy without
672-419: The show's small orchestra. KFO' s humor relied on building a relationship between its characters and the audience over time. The humor was quite tame by the standards of later comedy. There were few laugh-out-loud jokes per show; KFO relied on the humor of familiarity. KFO evoked not only loyalty but also a deep belief in its characters from regular viewers. Fans became so attached to the show that, when it
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#1732852067104704-628: The troupe to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago for a series of live performances in the early 1980s. KFO can claim a number of television firsts, including the first ship-to-shore telecast. The first publicly announced network broadcast of a program using the NTSC "compatible color" system was an episode of Kukla, Fran and Ollie on August 30, 1953. Burr was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1986 for his many contributions to
736-488: Was "helping to save the sanity of the nation and to improve, if not even to invent, the quality of television." Kukla, Fran, and Ollie won a Peabody Award in 1949 for its "whimsy and gentle satire of the James Barrie – Lewis Carroll sort," and two Emmy Awards : in 1954 for Best Children's Program, and in 1971 for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 1953, Kukla and Ollie co-hosted The Ford 50th Anniversary Show ,
768-410: Was an American television and radio comedienne, personality, and singer. She is best known for her starring role on the weekday NBC -TV puppet show Kukla, Fran and Ollie , which ran from 1947 to 1957, occasionally returning to the air until the mid-1980s. The trio also hosted The CBS Children's Film Festival , introducing international children's films, from 1967 to 1977. Frances Helen Allison
800-510: Was born to Jesse Louis Allison and Anna M. "Nan" (née Halpin) Allison in La Porte City, Iowa , where her father worked as a clerk in a grocery store until his stroke in 1913. They then moved in with her paternal grandparents, David Allison, a Civil War veteran, and Susan (née Booth) Allison. Their house still stands on Sycamore Street in LaPorte City. A 1927 graduate of Coe College , she was
832-564: Was buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago. His papers are held at the Chicago History Museum. On March 23, 1986, Burr Tillstrom was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame for his creativity and innovation in the medium. The Saugatuck Douglas Art Club in Saugatuck, Michigan (the location of Tillstrom's longtime summer home) dedicated a memorial to Tillstrom in 1988. The Burr Tillstrom Collection and Archives are maintained at
864-425: Was created for children, but was soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed . It was broadcast from Chicago between October 13, 1947, and August 30, 1957. Comedienne Fran Allison starred, interacting with hand puppets Kukla and Ollie (and sometimes other puppets) whose puppeteer was the show's creator, Burr Tillstrom . Her television career continued after
896-511: Was cut back to 15 minutes in November 1951, letters of outrage poured into NBC and The New York Times . The Bob & Ray Show was the replacement 15-minute program and received considerable vitriol by angry KFO viewers. From August 1952 to June 1954, KFO ran as a weekly program on Sundays (3:00–3:30 p.m. CT). They also began a weekday radio show in October 1952. It was then picked up by
928-575: Was first released on DVD on August 11, 2009. Five episodes that were shot in color between 1969 and 1971 were released in a box set. On the same day, August 11, 2009, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp to honor Kukla, Fran and Ollie . A Hollywood gala was scheduled to celebrate both the stamp and the 60th anniversary at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Kukla, Fran and Ollie – The First Episodes: 1949–54
960-509: Was hired as a staff singer and personality on NBC Radio . A July 26, 1937, newspaper item reported, "Fran Allison, singer of WMT, Waterloo, Ia., makes her network debut in the WJZ-NBC club matinee at 3." Beginning in 1937, she was a regular performer on The Breakfast Club , a popular Chicago originating national radio show, and was a fixture for 25 years as "Aunt Fanny", a gossipy small-town spinster. Her Aunt Fanny character also appeared on
992-639: Was nominated for an Emmy Award as Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality. In 1959, she won two Chicago Emmy awards. In 2002, she was a Silver Circle honoree of the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences . In 1967, Iowa Wesleyan University awarded her an honorary doctorate of letters. Fran Allison was married to music publisher Archie Levington from 1940 until his death in 1978. In her free time, she devoted her efforts to promoting mental health. From
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1024-464: Was released on Fran's birthday, November 20, 2010, by The Burr Tillstrom Copyright Trust. It was the first release of the original series, and contains 20 kinescopes . A second volume, featuring 22 additional programs, was released on December 15, 2011. Volume 3 of the series, a 24 episode set, was eventually released in December 2013. DVD sales officially ended on January 31, 2020. On February 24, 2020,
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