Winchell-Mahoney Time

When I was growing up in New Jersey, WNEW-TV (now Fox 5) aired a kids show that was syndicated by it's parent company Metromedia titled Winchell-Mahoney Time. The show starred Paul Winchell and featured his dummies Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff as well as a lesser known dummy named Tessie.

It was a very funny and entertaining show that showed why Winchell was one of the top ventriloquists of that era. I especially remember the opening theme song that went "Hooray hurrah. It's winchell-Mahoney Time, it's Winchell-Mahoney Time. Time for fun." Near the end of the song someone would ask "What's the secret password?" The answer: "Scotty wotty doo doo>" But unfortunately, most of the episodes are gone, because Metromedia erased them, prompting Winchell to sue the company and he won his case. The memories will live on, especially in the closing song "Friends friends friends. Friends we'll always be."

This was the kind of show that I wish still existed today. When I was a kid in the 1950s, this was one of the most exciting television moments in those Saturday mornings when I practically raced to the television to watch Paul Winchell manipulate those fabulous characters of Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. It made me want to become a ventriloquist myself, but, sadly, I never pursued this at that time. Now, many years later, I am doing just that and building my own figure. Paul Winchell was a magnificent practicioner of the art and made people believe that these guys were real. This also shows how remarkable an actor he was as well. It says here that Paul was awarded $17 million in his suit from the company that callously erased those great shows, but no amount of money can ever undo the damage they have done to scores of thousands of people who have been robbed of the opportunity to see these gems of television history.