Growing up in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area during the 1960s and 70s, I and my childhood fellows just couldn't go through a Sunday without running into Wonderama on the TV. It was three hours long, filled with a variety of games, guests, skits and you-never-knew-what-else that made a kid feel like there was always something in the show that was just for them. And you never knew when some lucky kid from a town near yours would get the chance to talk to Bob McAllister on-camera!
And yet, kids throughout the country who saw it syndicated throught the rest of the seven station Metromedia network - New York City, Boston, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Kansas City and the District of Columbia - felt the same sense of connection and intimacy with the show as we did in the show's home market. Sonny Fox was always congenial and welcoming, and Bob McAllister's sincere goodness and bubbly chemistry with kids made him a grown up that little ones across the country could like and feel comfortable with.
When the show was taken off the air in 1977, it was marked the end of the era of baby boomer kids entertainment. It nonetheless moved to the ABC network as "Kids Are People, Too" and continued to star Bob McAllister until he took a stand against ads depicting violence being shown during the show, which resulted in his being forced out of the series. He continued on as a magic performer in clubs, charity association functions and other public venues through throughout New York and the old Metromedia TV network market, and even took a post as a magic teacher in the New York City school system for a number of years. He passed on in 1998, and as years go by, more and more of my generation will sooner or later eventually come 'round to thinking of him and the show and feel a sense of gratitude for this man and his genuine concern for the children he entertained and the love that he made us feel as a result of his goodness.
Bob McAllister segments include races; tongue-twisters; household pets; off-color joke prevention; group sing along; Bob sings with his little daughter; Rodney Allen Rippey; Mel Blanc gives a "That's All, Folks!"; Bill Boggs interviews McAllister; joke films; The Jackson Five's Michael Jackson gets a kiss from the audience; tennis prodigy Tracy Austin; Mohammed Ali meets child contender & plays marbles with Joe Frazier; original cast Annie and Daddy Warbucks; Herbie the Love Bug; Helen Hayes; Dinah Shore; Mason Reese; "Kids Are People, Too" TV series opening sequence; thanks to the sponsors & the free lunch break goodies; Wonderama "Kids Are People, Too" sing along closing sequence; Evel Knievel; Laverne & Shirley's Penny Marshall & Cindy Williams; Bob's early appereance on "Ted Mack's Amateur Hour"; Marvin Hamlisch; Wonderama Good News Room; Bob's farewell to Wonderama; "Hello Dere"; Snake Can Game; Marlo Thomas with Voice Guest Mel Brooks; Olympic Wrestling Team Coach with Marty Allen; More!
Sonny Fox segments include Bad Rocket Gun; Books Better Than People & Fritos Not; Dog Trick blooper; Elephant blooper; Failed Interspecial Dating & Polynesian Punch; Kangaroo Snow Balls; King Kong Ad; Right Face, Under The Table & Wonderama Talent Search!
Metromedia TV Blooper segments Gene Rayburn Wrestling Intro; Metropolitan Memo - Where The Hell Are The Lights; Hawaiian Punch Ad Blooper; Jungle Boy; Wonder Bread Ad Blooper; The Golden Ages Blooper; Notorious Ad; Wicked Witch Of The West Isn't Unique Huh; You Bet Your Ass Ad; Schaeffer Ad - The Favor Doesn't Flade!
NOTE: Due to the age and condition of the source media, the picture quality sometimes falls below regularly accepted standards. It should nevertheless not prevent you from greatly enjoying this pioneering time in television history. Enjoy!