Skipper Chuck

"Skipper Chuck" was the host of a popular local children's television series called "Popeye Playhouse", which aired weekday mornings on the American television station WTVJ in South Florida from 1957 until 1979. The show was produced and the title character played by announcer and television personality Chuck Zink.

The show was built around life in the Playhouse, where the Skipper would tell stories, meet guests, and indulge in silly stunts with regular characters, both humans and puppets. This local children's show went on the air live in January 1957. Originally, the show was aired in an afternoon time slot from 5:00PM to 6:00PM. Popeye Playhouse had an audience of local children who were primarily from Dade and Broward County schools. Skipper Chuck announced birthdays of children, and he and his co-hosts frequently did a "Safety and Manners" program at regional elementary schools.

The show moved to a taped format sometime after 1958. Popeye Playhouse was then recorded at 4:00PM at the WTVJ Studios in downtown Miami, and broadcast the next weekday morning at 7:00AM. His show was radically impacted by the fact that Chuck was from the north. Born in Indiana, with radio and TV experience in Pennsylvania, he rejected the separation of the races on the program when he found out children were booked in groups from schools which were not integrated. Chuck demanded that management allow integration on his program. That happened in the late 1950s (possibly as early as 1958), and was prior to the 1960s when race relations became a national movement.

When a child asked him what the two fingers up meant (the peace sign), he came up with a new symbol with three fingers up, to represent "Peace, Love, and Happiness". The symbol led to a song that would close the show. The show was cancelled in 1979 in order to make room for the network morning news program the Today Show

Cast

Other characters in the show included:

Richard 'Scrubby' Andrews

Richard Andrews played the Captain's main sidekick "Scrubby," a character very similar to Gilligan of Gilligan's Island. He even wore the same white sailor's cap. Scrubby would be the straight man for the Skipper's jokes, and the victim of slapstick comedy from both the Skipper and the children in the audience. One highlight of the show would be to find out which child in the audience was picked to throw a pie into Scrubby's face. Scrubby would also do the voice of Limbo the Lion

First Mate Ellen

Skipper's first co-host from January 1957 to October 1958

Ellen Kimball was a freshman at the University of Miami. She was chosen in December 1956 to take care of the children in the audience of a new children's program, "Popeye Playhouse." Skipper Chuck and First Mate Ellen wore light blue turtleneck shirts and dark pants. An artist at WTVJ made felt-backed Popeye appliques that were sewn on the shirts.

Ellen also became a spokesperson for several local and national commercial sponsors on the show. The original program format highlighted cartoons from the Popeye package, with local cut-ins for commercials. At its outset, the program was broadcast LIVE from 5 PM to 6 PM each weekday from the original Studio B at WTVJ (CBS) Channel 4. The station was located at 316 North Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida.

Glumbo Despair

Richard "Dick" McMurry worked in production at WTVJ. His sad clown character's name was one of hundreds submitted by the audience. Glumbo was a mute clown, and he only "spoke" with the use of a bicycle horn on his belt. According to his sister, Frances McMurry Robinson, who posted at another site, Richard McMurry left television, move to North Carolina, and passed away in 1992.

Annie

Skipper's longest running co-host.Her character was called ANNIE ORFNIK a play on words homage to LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE.

Ed Odell

Now a news reporter for WTVJ, Ed started out as a visitor on "Popeye's Playhouse".

Tommy Gannon

Musical Director who was introduced at the beginning of the show during the later years. Gannon, along with Skipper Chuck and Scrubby, comprised the final cast of the show.

Uncle Don

Skipper Chuck's first musical sidekick who played the Hammond Organ and wore loud Hawaiian shirts....he also served as a straight comic foil for Skipper Chuck's often droll jokes.

Cartoons

The show was originally created to allow for introductions to the Popeye cartoons. This type of show was typical in other markets, and each TV market originated its own children's television shows.

Special guests

Among the special guests who made periodic appearances were Miami Dolphins football coach Don Shula and Jackie Gleason.

Regular features

Regular features included the "Word of the Day" that was later parodied in "Pee-Wee's Playhouse", and the selection of one lucky child to throw a pie into Scrubby's face.

Skipper Chuck's three fingered Peace, Love, and Happiness salute was parodied on the Pinky and The Brain Show. On an episode where Pinky and The Brain hosted a kiddie show, they would sign off with the saying "Love, Luck, and Lollipops".

Schedule history

The show had a 22-year run, making it one of the longest running local South Florida original program series.