| ED GOLICK THE FAYGO KID |
| AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PREMIER COLLECTOR OF DETROIT 50s & 60s TELEVISION ARTIFACTS |
I met Ed Golick at Northern High School in Detroit where I taught for two
years. Ed has worked there for almost thirty years as an audio-visual
specialist. At the time his office was in a large auditorium which was no
longer in use. Ed was an ally at Northern to be sure, and he had a body of
knowledge about the historic school that was unmatched.
I’m a student of pop culture and a collector of space age toys, radios and
advertising ephemera. Soon our lunch hours became Platonic dialogues
devoted to transistor radios, tin robots and his specialty, Detroit television.
Oh how I wish I had written some of that down. The next best thing was to
interview Ed.
This interview does not even scratch the surface of Ed Golick’s pop culture
knowledge, but it will get you started. After this, click over to his website.
Take a look there at his fascinating articles on early television. Be sure to
check out the Faygo Kid article and watch the original Faygo soda TV
commercial from 1953.You can also purchase “From Soupy to Nuts,” a book
on Detroit Kid's TV that Ed contributed to; it is available at his website:
Detroit Kid Show Web Page. --Craig Campbell
The focus of your collecting is 1950s Detroit television. Why?
As a kid, television was my pabulum. The people I saw on TV every
morning were my friends. They visited me in my living room every day,
entertaining me as I sat on the floor in my underwear eating my Rice
Krispies. As an adult it shocked me that nothing was being done locally to
preserve the rich heritage of early Detroit television.
Can you tell me about some of the artifacts in your
collection?
I collect anything and everything having to do with Detroit TV history, but the
focus of my collection is on the original kid's TV shows done in Detroit.
Soupy Sales started his career as a children's show host in Detroit in the mid
1950s. I own the original puppets (White Fang, Black Tooth and Pookie)
used on Soupy's show, along with scripts, photos and other memorabilia that
belonged to the late Clyde Adler, Soupy's puppeteer. My collection also
features photographs, promotional material and props from early Detroit
kid's shows like Milky the Clown, Wixie's Wonderland, Ricky the Clown,
Captain Jolly and many more Detroit TV icons.
Do you remember the first piece you acquired?
As a kid I sent away for every premium that required mailing in a proof
of purchase from the show's sponsor in a S.A.S.E. Of course, Mom threw
everything away (as all moms do). I managed to reacquire a Sagebrush
Shorty Rider's Club card; my original one was eaten by my little brother 40
years ago.
What is your favorite piece?
It would have to be a 16mm kinescope of the Sagebrush Shorty show from
1959. No other copies of the show have survived.
You’re disappointed that, up until lately, not much has been done to
preserve Detroit’s television history. Why do you think that is?
TV stations are in business for one reason only. To make money. There
really is no reason for the stations to keep any of the old stuff around if it
doesn't create income. In the late 1950s when reel to reel video tape first
came into use, its main selling point wasn't to archive and save programs, it
was to record a program on Monday morning, air it on Monday afternoon,
erase the tape and reuse it for Tuesday's show. All early video tapes came
boxed with a log sheet. Every time a tape was used it was recorded on the
log sheet. After 25 uses the tape was tossed. A lot of people don’t realize
that most of the broadcasts weren’t preserved, that videotape didn’t exist at
that time.
Is this why owning the props from the shows is so important to you?
I feel it is important to archive and preserve anything and everything
having to do with early television It's a part of popular culture that is on the
verge of being lost forever. All of the surviving television pioneers on both
local and nation levels are getting up there in age. Their stories need to be
recorded; their work needs to be preserved, before it is gone forever.
How did it feel to have the actual puppets for a show you watched as
a kid?
Like being reunited with an old, dear friend.
I know you have gone to great lengths to track down television
personalities and get their stories. Who have you met? What was
their reaction to your interest in their work?
Unfortunately many have passed away, but I have tracked down and
interviewed nearly every Detroit television personality I've set out to find.
Most are very surprised that they still have fans who remember them. A
couple of people were moved to tears. One highlight was talking to Soupy
Sales and giving him photographs from his Detroit TV days that he didn't
have. Another was reuniting Harry Jarkey, a 1950s kid's show host, with a big
band songstress he hadn't seen since 1933.
Please tell me about your contribution to the new book about Detroit
television, “Soupy to Nuts.”
Tim Kiska, the book's author, found me on the internet about four years ago
when he was looking for information on Sagebrush Shorty, a cowboy kid's
show host who was very popular in Detroit from the mid 50s to the mid 60s. I
had just acquired quite a bit of Sagebrush Shorty's photographs, props and
personal papers. When Tim saw my passion regarding Detroit television,
especially kid's programming, he asked me to assist him as researcher for
the book.
Do you find many people come across your website and are
interested in Detroit TV, but didn’t “live it” like you did?
I get lots of email from people who were too young to experience the
"TV friends" I grew up with. Maybe they are interested from a historical
standpoint, maybe they've heard stories from their parents. For whatever
reason, I'm glad they enjoy the site.
There is a renewed interest in 60s garage rock right now, what did
you listen to as a teen in Detroit the 60s?
CKLW was an amazing top 30 rock and roll station in Windsor, Canada. At
night their signal was so strong that it could be picked up across most of the
U.S. CK was one of the first stations to play the Garage rock anthem 96
Tears by Saginaw, MI natives ? and the Mysterians. It was a regional hit in
Detroit before it hit nationally. I spent thousands of hours listening to CKLW
on my little Imperial Six transistor radio.
DetroitKidShow.com
years. Ed has worked there for almost thirty years as an audio-visual
specialist. At the time his office was in a large auditorium which was no
longer in use. Ed was an ally at Northern to be sure, and he had a body of
knowledge about the historic school that was unmatched.
I’m a student of pop culture and a collector of space age toys, radios and
advertising ephemera. Soon our lunch hours became Platonic dialogues
devoted to transistor radios, tin robots and his specialty, Detroit television.
Oh how I wish I had written some of that down. The next best thing was to
interview Ed.
This interview does not even scratch the surface of Ed Golick’s pop culture
knowledge, but it will get you started. After this, click over to his website.
Take a look there at his fascinating articles on early television. Be sure to
check out the Faygo Kid article and watch the original Faygo soda TV
commercial from 1953.You can also purchase “From Soupy to Nuts,” a book
on Detroit Kid's TV that Ed contributed to; it is available at his website:
Detroit Kid Show Web Page. --Craig Campbell
The focus of your collecting is 1950s Detroit television. Why?
As a kid, television was my pabulum. The people I saw on TV every
morning were my friends. They visited me in my living room every day,
entertaining me as I sat on the floor in my underwear eating my Rice
Krispies. As an adult it shocked me that nothing was being done locally to
preserve the rich heritage of early Detroit television.
Can you tell me about some of the artifacts in your
collection?
I collect anything and everything having to do with Detroit TV history, but the
focus of my collection is on the original kid's TV shows done in Detroit.
Soupy Sales started his career as a children's show host in Detroit in the mid
1950s. I own the original puppets (White Fang, Black Tooth and Pookie)
used on Soupy's show, along with scripts, photos and other memorabilia that
belonged to the late Clyde Adler, Soupy's puppeteer. My collection also
features photographs, promotional material and props from early Detroit
kid's shows like Milky the Clown, Wixie's Wonderland, Ricky the Clown,
Captain Jolly and many more Detroit TV icons.
Do you remember the first piece you acquired?
As a kid I sent away for every premium that required mailing in a proof
of purchase from the show's sponsor in a S.A.S.E. Of course, Mom threw
everything away (as all moms do). I managed to reacquire a Sagebrush
Shorty Rider's Club card; my original one was eaten by my little brother 40
years ago.
What is your favorite piece?
It would have to be a 16mm kinescope of the Sagebrush Shorty show from
1959. No other copies of the show have survived.
You’re disappointed that, up until lately, not much has been done to
preserve Detroit’s television history. Why do you think that is?
TV stations are in business for one reason only. To make money. There
really is no reason for the stations to keep any of the old stuff around if it
doesn't create income. In the late 1950s when reel to reel video tape first
came into use, its main selling point wasn't to archive and save programs, it
was to record a program on Monday morning, air it on Monday afternoon,
erase the tape and reuse it for Tuesday's show. All early video tapes came
boxed with a log sheet. Every time a tape was used it was recorded on the
log sheet. After 25 uses the tape was tossed. A lot of people don’t realize
that most of the broadcasts weren’t preserved, that videotape didn’t exist at
that time.
Is this why owning the props from the shows is so important to you?
I feel it is important to archive and preserve anything and everything
having to do with early television It's a part of popular culture that is on the
verge of being lost forever. All of the surviving television pioneers on both
local and nation levels are getting up there in age. Their stories need to be
recorded; their work needs to be preserved, before it is gone forever.
How did it feel to have the actual puppets for a show you watched as
a kid?
Like being reunited with an old, dear friend.
I know you have gone to great lengths to track down television
personalities and get their stories. Who have you met? What was
their reaction to your interest in their work?
Unfortunately many have passed away, but I have tracked down and
interviewed nearly every Detroit television personality I've set out to find.
Most are very surprised that they still have fans who remember them. A
couple of people were moved to tears. One highlight was talking to Soupy
Sales and giving him photographs from his Detroit TV days that he didn't
have. Another was reuniting Harry Jarkey, a 1950s kid's show host, with a big
band songstress he hadn't seen since 1933.
Please tell me about your contribution to the new book about Detroit
television, “Soupy to Nuts.”
Tim Kiska, the book's author, found me on the internet about four years ago
when he was looking for information on Sagebrush Shorty, a cowboy kid's
show host who was very popular in Detroit from the mid 50s to the mid 60s. I
had just acquired quite a bit of Sagebrush Shorty's photographs, props and
personal papers. When Tim saw my passion regarding Detroit television,
especially kid's programming, he asked me to assist him as researcher for
the book.
Do you find many people come across your website and are
interested in Detroit TV, but didn’t “live it” like you did?
I get lots of email from people who were too young to experience the
"TV friends" I grew up with. Maybe they are interested from a historical
standpoint, maybe they've heard stories from their parents. For whatever
reason, I'm glad they enjoy the site.
There is a renewed interest in 60s garage rock right now, what did
you listen to as a teen in Detroit the 60s?
CKLW was an amazing top 30 rock and roll station in Windsor, Canada. At
night their signal was so strong that it could be picked up across most of the
U.S. CK was one of the first stations to play the Garage rock anthem 96
Tears by Saginaw, MI natives ? and the Mysterians. It was a regional hit in
Detroit before it hit nationally. I spent thousands of hours listening to CKLW
on my little Imperial Six transistor radio.
DetroitKidShow.com
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