"Kukla, Fran and Ollie" (1947) TV series 1947-1957

Director:

Lewis Gomavitz

Seasons:

unknown

Release Date:

13 October 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Puppetry | Puppet | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Fran Allison

...

Fran (1 episode, 1953)

Runtime:

15 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

Gene Rayburn made his first network television appearance on one episode. Kukla and Ollie would later make guest appearances on a few episodes of "Match Game 73" (1973) (hosted by Rayburn) in 1979.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot' (1992) (V)

A valuable part of TV history; fun for all ages!

I remember the Kuklapolitans when they were on PBS and when they hosted the CBS Childrens Theatre back in the 70s, and my aunts and uncles watched them frequently when they were growing up. This was clearly one of the best TV puppet theatres (although I also enjoyed Garfield Goose when I was a kid... anyone growing up in Chicago during the 60s and early 70s remembers this local favorite!), and Fran Allison was an absolutely charming hostess. I was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of a Christmas special they performed in 1979(!!!) called "'Tis the Season to be Ollie", where the Kuklapolitans try to come up with a new idea for a holiday show. Ollie's idea of making it a glitzy production, complete with sequined disco outfits, mirror ball and strobe lights, is priceless! For television history buffs, the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago has this available on a wonderful DVD-R, which also includes classic 1950s holiday cartoons "Hardrock, Coco and Joe" (a/k/a "The Three Little Dwarfs"), "Suzie Snowflake" and "Frosty the Snowman".