Pick Temple & Ranger Hal Interview - c.1983

(Courtesy:Tom Buckley "eyeontv") Jan Thompson Goldsmith's piece from Saturday Magazine (circa 1983) recalling the popular Washington, DC kid shows hosted by Lafayette Parker "Pick" Temple, Jr. and "Ranger Hal" Shaw.

Pick Temple passed away at his home in Arizona in 1991. Hal Shaw died at his residence in North Virginia in 1999.

Hal's theme music is Mitch Miller's "Whistle Stop".

(Visit http://KaptainKidshow.com for more Pick Temple and Ranger Hal of DC facts. Or surf to http://members.cox.net/rangerhaljax for a link to a site celebrating Jacksonville's Ranger Hal, Henry Baranek.)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Pick
• Temple
• Ranger
• Hal
• Shaw

[hombre1946]

Hi all. Does anyone know where I can find any of the shows from Pick Temple?

[kaptainkidshow]

@hombre1946 To the best of my knowledge, no complete Pick Temple episodes from Washington, DC exist. His DC show aired "live" in real time, so no tapes exist. (Only one episode of Pick's Saturday and Sunday Morning Philadelphia TV show has survived.)

However, I will soon be posting various short filmed clips of his DC show on YouTube, so "don't touch that dial!"

[matrox]

Quite a few of the kids in the audience were packing heat, that would never fly today.

[kaptainkidshow]

Pick's Rangers were actually ENCOURAGED to pack heat, (although the rules were strict about leaving all "ammunition" at the door!) Rangers would be told to fire at the screen to start the next cartoon. (VERY different times!)

[prame38]

Were there two Pick Temples? I was on his show, broadcast from Philadelphia, must have been 1962 or 1963. I had written and sent a letter to the show and my mother almost fainted when the mailman came to the door with a certified letter that I was accepted as an audience member. I didn't sit on his lap, but he sat beside me on the bleachers. Sally Star was another children's show favorite in our area.

[kaptainkidshow]

Pick Temple's son, Dr. L. Parker Temple III, explains: "Dad also tried a show in the Philadelphia area after he went off the air in DC. In 1962-63, he was on WFIL-TV 6 on weekends. The show was popular, but just did not fit in with the declining market for live TV. He found that he had gotten in on the ground floor of live TV, only to outlive the phenomenon when TV converted to serials and cartoons. But it was a wonderful run - and a wonderful life."

[dennisl2008]

Wonderful memories of my childhood when I lived in Alexandria, Virginia and watched both of these shows every day. Loved them both. Thanks Mom.

[hombre1946]

@kaptainkidshow Great. You ever thought about putting a collage together on DVD and selling them. I sure take one.

[bubbamell50]

Wow...my cousin was on the Pick Temple show in the 50's. I remember watching her. She was dressed in a cowgirl outfit and had a "fake" gun and shot at a "fake" snake. This is great to see. If you grew up in the 50's it was the best time for kids to grow up I think.

[bubbamell50]

OMG! My cousin was on this show probably in 58 or 59, not sure. It was so cool watching her.

[MrBingTim]

It was a surprise to see myself in this vintage film

[larryk123]

Great to see this. Thanks. I was on both Pick Temple and Ranger Hal.

[Susan8115]

I was on that show!!!

[HappyRattieMom]

When I was 7 years old, Pick showed the serials from Gene Autry, the singing cowboy. Was his sponsor Ovaltine? Remember the pumping air "rifle" that "shot" pingpong balls at the knock-over targets? Oh how I longed to be on the show so I could try it! And lo-my parents got me on the show in my little cowgirl outfit with my red cowboy hat-Yay! But Pick chose me to be the ball-dudette instead of one of the target shooters-Yikes!