Andy's Gang, a Kid's TV Show from the mid-1950s

This was one of my favorite Saturday morning shows in the mid-1950s. The original host was Smilin' Ed O'Connell, and the show's name was Smilin' Ed's Gang. He died in 1954 - I think. I can barely remember him, but I remember Andy Devine's version of the show pretty well.

As you can see from the clip, Buster Brown Shoes was the sponsor. (I wore Buster Brown Shoes. I can remember buying them at a shoe store in Rosenberg.) Jerry Maren, a midget, played Buster Brown and did the ads in live-action with his dog, Tige. (You can see Maren in the introduction.)

The show had skits with puppets, like Midnight the Cat and Froggie The Gremlin. He always appeared or disappeared when he 'plunked his magic twanger.' The show usually had a serial in it. The only one I can remember was one involving a young boy in India who had all types of adventures.

What impressed me most back then was the audience. They had a theater full of kids who appeared to be unsupervised. They went ape all through the show. You could always hear them screaming, yelling, and laughing to beat the band. Sometime the camera would pan the theater and kids seemed to be everywhere, jumping up and down in their seats. You get a sense of the mayhem at the end of this clip, although I recall seeing scenes where they were much rowdier. Maybe it's just my imagination.