Chuck McCann's warmth and enthusiasm comes through in both the photos and his recollections of his early days on live Children's TV. As a child growing up in that era it brought me back to a pleasant time and stirred warm memories of Chuck on WPIX and WNEW. The DVD is an added bonus and the Paul Ashely puppets are given their due. This book is a must for anyone who grew up in New York the early 1960s.

I grew up in New York City in the 1950s and 60s, and have wonderful memories of the morning and afternoon "Kiddie Shows" hosted by such classic individuals as Sandy Becker, "Officer" Joe Bolton, "The Merry Mailman" - Ray Heatherton, Bozo The Clown, and the man who I regard as the master of kiddie comedy, Chuck McCann!

My finding out that Chuck had written this book was pure serendipity. And once I found out, I knew that I must have a copy. And boy oh boy, kids, I was not the least bit disappointed!

This book is a combination of Scrapbook that is chock-full of wonderful nostalgic photos from Chuck's kiddie show career, as well as a collection of stories throughout the progression of Chuck's career, and those who helped shape it - including master puppeteer, Paul Ashley, who made all of Chuck's wonderful and lovable puppet sidekicks!

The 60s were still considered the early days of TV, and because these shows were done live, lots of things happened that weren't quite supposed to, and somehow, some foods turned out to be Chuck's nemesis! Chuck includes some well written, hysterically funny accounts of these misadventures, including his first stint before the camera: The disastrous first day when he was filling-in for the vacationing Sandy Becker. It was purely Murphy's Law on steroids! Now some of these things that went awry over the years flew way over the heads if the kids, but as Chuck relates, the studio crew had all they could do to keep from losing it completely! I would guess that any moms watching along with the kids at home got a good laugh as well. Chuck relates these stories so well it is as though you were there in the studio with them.

This book features many photos of Chuck as himself, as well as pictures of Chuck in costume depicting all of the lovable, crazy characters he portrayed on his TV shows. There are plenty of behind the scenes photos to boot, and lots of background stories on how these zany characters he played came to be. You won't find yourself bored by any of this, even if you did not grow up watching Chuck as I did.

But wait! There's more!!! The book included a bonus DVD with a wonderful collection of Kinescope clips from Chucks shows: "Let's Have Fun," and "The Chuck McCann Show." There also is a message from Chuck to his fans, as well as a bonus video that provides a wonderful story about puppets from around the world. Now don't expect the Kinescopes to be of top video quality. Remember that Kinescopes were the only way (aside from live-filming a show) to preserve that show for re-broadcast, or for archival purposes. A Kinescope is nothing more than putting a movie camera in front of a special monitor and filming that image while also capturing the sound. Still, the results are very good, and that exactly is how many TV shows were shared for re-broadcast by other TV stations back then. Videotape came along years later.

So if you Baby Boomers would like to take a walk down memory lane and re-live your childhood memories, or you younger folks would like to experience what your parents had for entertainment when they were kids, Chuck's book and DVD are an excellent vehicle to take you there!

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This book is a pictorial tribute to one of the earliest pioneers of classic children's television in the NY tri-state area, the funny and wonderful Chuck McCann, and is filled with many funny stories and annotations written by Mr. McCann. The book contains vintage photos of Chuck portraying many of his most famous characters, many in clear, vivid color. Even if you aren't old enough to have seen Chuck on television or didn't live in the NY area, you'll enjoy reading this book and laugh at the humor and wacky characters Chuck brought to life back in a time when kids and adults lived in simpler times. The book includes a touching introduction by Billy Crystal who grew up watching Chuck's shows and was inspired by Chuck's comedic talent and ability. The book also includes a bonus DVD, with extras, that contains digitally restored videos and kinescopes of some of Chuck's classic shows. The skits and characters presented are hilarious! In the book and introduction to the DVD, Chuck pays warm tribute to Paul Ashley, the puppeteer who created many of the wonderful puppets Chuck gave voice to on his shows. The quality of the book and DVD are outstanding. I highly recommended it.

Ready to purchase?

$30 plus $3.99 shipping

Ready to purchase?

$30 plus $3.99 shipping