5 thoughts on “KQED made its mark by making programs

  1. I and a few other kids appeared on a KQED children’s educational show in the 50s. I only recall the topic of the day was the Roanoke colony and that we sang a theme song about a cowboy named Bob. Does anyone know more about that show?

    • Though I never saw the show (no TV in the early 50s) I did sing on that show as well, with other girls from my sixth -grade (I think)class at Saratoga Grammar School, where Cowboy Bob had been our fifth-grade teacher. His real name was Leslie Landin. Both in the classroom and on TV, he taught American history accompanied by cartoons on the blackboard. In our class, he would delight and/or embarrass us by incorporating us into the story. (I remember getting to eat crickets in the Southwestern desert. ) He may have accompanied the stories with folk songs and a guitar. In later life he founded a South Bay country/folk band called the Skillet Lickers. His obituary in the Mercury News, August 2, 2010, tells even more about him.

  2. In 1969 KQED commissioned a quirky semi-documentary about controversial SF Public Health Director Joel Fort, entitled “Or: The Unreasonable Man.” The late Blair Stapp produced the film, which featured the SF improvisational group The Pitschel Players.
    Does this ring anybody’s bell?
    I was a member of the group, and would love to have a DVD copy of the film. Several of us have since died, and not all carried on to have careers in film and TV; so it would be wonderful to see my friendly ghosts, or ghostly friends, cavorting once more in the flesh.
    Any information at all would be welcome.
    Thanks so much.

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