Bob Smith

In his nearly three-hour Archive interview, “Buffalo” Bob Smith talks about his early years and interest in music, which eventually led to his vocal group, the High Hatters Trio, being discovered by Kate Smith and brought to New York City to be on radio. He describes his vaudeville act, and his career as a radio announcer when he was known as “Smilin’” Bob Smith. He chronicles the creation and development of the character of “Howdy Doody” from the “Triple B Ranch” on radio, to Puppet Playhouse, and eventually Howdy Doody on NBC television. Smith recounts the creation of the “Howdy Doody” puppet, and discusses the many side characters of the show including “Clarabell the Clown” (first portrayed by Bob Keeshan), Phineas T. Bluster, Dilly Dally, and John J. Fadozzle. He outlines the popularity of the show, the show converting to color in 1955, and the final episode of the show, where “Clarabell” finally spoke. He concludes by talking about his book “Howdy and Me,” and he sings a song written specially for Howdy Doody’s 50^th anniversary. Michael Rosen conducted the interview on April 30, 1998 in Flat Rock, North Carolina.