A few weeks ago, I shared a photo of Trent Wood from his days as the host of Looney Zoo, one of the most popular children’s TV shows in Memphis history. That single image drew more than 3,500 visitors — something that makes me very happy, because I worked out a deal where I get ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS every time anybody clicks on my “Ask Vance” page. [Vance, please see me immediately — Ed.]
So you can imagine how pleased I was when reader Herman Jorgensen showed me a set of postcards from his collection, which were apparently mailed out to promote the show. This was just a very few years before the Internet, you see, so the U.S. Mail was the best way to reach viewers. Well, that and TV commercials, I guess.
The cards carry images of Trent (above), in his traditional “carnival barker” striped jacket, and also a photo of his co-host, Tiny the Clown (below), in real life drama professor Ray Hill from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College).
The message on both cards is almost identical:
“Enjoy your favorite cartoon stars: Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, Henery Hawk, Pepe Le Pew, and others. Join the Loony [yes, that's how they spelled it] Club and listen to the secret code message every day. You may win a valuable prize.”
I have to admit, however, that this is the first time I’ve heard of the Looney Zoo Club, and if they sent out any “secret code message” I never received them.
Here’s what Herman had to say about Looney Zoo:
Dear Vance: I saw your wonderful article about Trent Wood and Looney Zoo. It brought back many fond memories.
I don’t think folks nowadays appreciate how big local TV personalities were back in the 1950s and 1960s. As for Trent Wood, he was appointment TV six days a week [meaning: you never missed a show]. His after-school Looney Zoo and the Film Funnies on early Saturday morning (which you made sure you got up for!) were high-priority TV. The show had access to a bunch of Warner Bros. cartoons (which were the best cartoons by far), and the show was filled with several cartoons each day.
Attached are promotion cards that we received when I was either in the 3rd or 4th grade (1967 or 1968). Trent Wood and Tiny the Clown came to my school (Saint Louis Catholic School). We were all assembled in the gym when Trent and Tiny came out to a thunderous ovation. It was a huge thrill for us to see them in person. Trent with his trademark red-and-white striped sport coat and Tiny in his full clown outfit. We students were going crazy for them. The Beatles couldn’t have gotten a bigger response.
[WMC news anchor] Dick Hawley, who was a member of Saint Louis Church, might have played a role in getting them to appear, or it may have been the normal promotion thing. Either case, what a great thing to do at school especially rather than doing math. — Herman
Now, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll note that these card reveal that Trent and Tiny were involved with TWO shows. Looney Zoo aired at 3:30 on Channel 5 Monday through Friday, and a separate show called Film Funnies aired on Saturday at 7 a.m. So early!
Then, just a few days later, I received the wonderful photo (below) from another reader, Nancy Todd. Here’s what she had to say about it:
After your recent article about Trent Wood I went digging through my mother’s old photos looking for this photo. (That’s me on the right.) Before Looney Zoo, he had this program Storyland. I haven’t seen anyone mention it before. The autograph on the left says, "Best Wishes. Trent Wood, WMCT November 6,1953."
Notice the mailbox with the birdie on top. Dean’s milk logo. And I have a glass of milk in front of me. I thought you would be interested in this early photo of him. — Nancy Colley Todd
This is an especially rare item, because it shows Trent the very first year he was on-air. Channel 5 had created a kiddie show called Storyland, originally hosted by a fellow named Hal Mabry, who was joined by Tiny the Clown. Mabry left the show after only one year, and Trent — who was actually an accounting major, if I remember the story right — was invited to take over as host. He (or somebody at WMC-TV, changed the name of the show to Looney Zoo, gave it a much fancier set, and the rest is TV history.
I love these old images from the early days of Memphis television. Many thanks, Herman and Nancy!
