I've written before about Trent Wood, one of our city's best-known TV personalities. He first gained fame as the genial — and very dapper — host of a children's show called Storyland, which began airing in 1952. But it was as the host of Looney Zoo, (with his sidekick, Tiny the Clown — played by theatre professor Ray Hill) that he gained everlasting fame with generations of Memphians.
Trent passed away in Oklahoma in 2014, after a long career as an investment banker.
My pal Felix Bean was fortunate enough to have appeared as a guest on Trent's very first show, Storyland, and he provided the wonderful image you see here. Felix is the kid at far right, wearing the bow tie. He believes the photo was taken in 1953, and judging from the carton of eggnog on the table, we can presume this was taken around the holidays. Who drinks eggnog at any other time of the year.
I wanted to share this photo with my half-dozen readers, not only to show you Trent as he was just beginning his long career on television, but also to see if anybody recognizes any of the other children in the photo.
Thanks for sharing this, Felix.
