Leading up to the TV Guide cover!

"You're in for a pleasant surprise next week."

 Born on January 19, 1953

The first issue of TV Guide (April 3, 1953) 

featuring Desi Alberto Arnaz, Jr.

.. the youngest child of Lucille Ball ..

The back cover also included a mini version of the issue.

On April 17, 1953 just two weeks after the first edition was published, Lucy and Little Ricky were on the cover of TV Guide in a drawing by Jack Weaver.  Lucy was depicted at the top of a TV totem pole featuring Arthur Godfrey holding a ukuele, Milton Berle holding a Texaco gas pump plus Cid Caesar and Imogene Coca .. all TV pioneers.  Lucy is holding a pack of Philip Morris cigarettes and Little Ricky's rattle has a TV antenna on it!  

TV Guide magazine, a pioneer in television programming weekly guides, began as local listings magazines in the late 1940s eventually becoming a national publication in 1953. The magazine was founded in 1948 by Lee Wagner (1910-1993), circulation director for MacFadden Publications, who developed the prototype for TV Guide.  It was first based in a small office in downtown Philadelphia before moving to more spacious national headquarters in Radnor, PA in the late 1950s.

TV Guide was published in digest size which remained its printed format for 52 years. The launch as a national magazine with local listings in April 1953 became an almost instant success with TV Guide.  It became the most read and circulated magazine in the United States by the 1960s.  The initial cost of each issue was 15 cents (equivalent to $1.76 in 2024).  TV Guide was sold at the checkout counters of grocery stores, nationwide. Each week it was fun to see who made the cover of TV Guide.

Lucille Ball is the TV Guide Cover Queen with a record 39 covers to her credit!  More than any other celebrity in history!  

 

Fred McFeely Rogers

1928-2003

Fred Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer and Presbyterian minister.  He was the creator and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.  The series ran from 1968-2001.  

Born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Rogers earned a bachelor's degree in music from Rollins College in 1951.  He began his television career at NBC in New York City, returning to Pittsburgh in 1953 to work for children's programming at NET (later PBS) television station WQED.  He graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with a bachelor's degree in divinity in 1962.  In 1963, he helped develop the children's shows The Children's Corner in 1955 for WQED in Pittsburgh and Misterogers in 1963 in Canada for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  In 1968, he returned to Pittsburgh and adapted the format of his Canadian series to create isster Rogers' Neighborhood.  It ran for 33 years and was critically acclaimed for focusing on children's emotional and physical concerns such as death, sibling rivalry, school enrollment and divorce.  

Rogers work in children's television has been widely lauded and he received more than forty honorary degrees and several awards including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.  He was inducted into the Television Hall of fame in 1999.  Rogers influenced many writers and producers of children's television shows and his broadcasts provided comfort during tragic events, even after his passing.  

He met his wife, Joanne Byrd while attending Rollins College in Florida.  They married in 1952 and had two children.

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping."  To this day, especially in times of "disaster", I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers .. so many caring people in this world.

Fred Rogers

A roadside Pennsylvania Historical marker dedicated to Rogers was approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission on March 4, 2014.  It was installed on June 11, 2016 with the title "Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003)".

Won't You Be My Neighbor? director Morgan Neville's 2018 documentary about Rogers' life, grossed over $22 million and became the top-grossing biographical documentary ever produced,the highest-grossing documentary in five years and the twelfth-largest-grossing documentary ever made!  The 2019 drama film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood tells the story of Rogers and his television series with Tom Hanks portraying Rogers.

The Lifetime Achievement Emmy was awarded to Rogers "for giving generation upon generation of children confidence in themselves, for being their friend, for telling them again and again and again that they are special and that they have worth".

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest American civilian honor.  It was awarded to Rogers by President George W. Bush.

East Room of the White House

July 9, 2002

In 2008, a day known as "Sweater Day" was announced paying tribute to Rogers on what would have been his 80th birthday.  People,worldwide, were encouraged to wear a sweater honoring Rogers' legacy and the final event in a six-day celebration in Pittsburgh.

On January 8, 1998, Rogers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6600 Hollywood Blvd.  

In 2018, a First-class/Forever postage stamp was issued by the U.S. Postal Service.  It was dedicated on March 23 at WQED.

In 1984, Rogers donated a red knit cardigan sweaters to the Smithsonian Institution's permanent collection.  The symbolism behind the act of changing from a suit jacket to a sweater at the beginning of each episode symbolized a transition from the formal world of adults to the more relaxed, imaginative world of children.  This ritual helped set the tone for the show.

Sidenote:  Up until Nancy McFeely Rogers passing in 1981, she knitted all of her son, Fred's cardigans and every Christmas she would give each of her children a hand-knit sweater.  

The famous pair of sneakers worn by Fred Rogers on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood were blue low top Sperry Top-Sider sneakers with white rubber soles and canvas upper and flat cloth laces. 

RIP Mr. Rogers

Job Well Done

Bradley J. Zimmer

(1945-2022)

Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame Inductee 1986

Category:  Roller Skating

An avid and accomplished roller skater, Brad was a national skating champion.

Bradley J. Zimmer

Circa 1958

Skate Magazine Photo

Circa 1959

Bradley J. Zimmer

1964

Bradley was not only one of the top local roller skaters in the 1950s and 1960s, but also one of the top competitors in the nation.  Zimmer's father, the late Oscar Zimmer, owned the roller rink at Celoron Park and taught him to skate at the age of one.  Zimmer was  one of the youngest skaters and eventually became one of the youngest in each age group as he entered competition.  

His list of titles was impressive when he was became the Junior Men's Singles National Champion in 1959 in Lincoln, Nebraska.  He was only 14 at the time. In 1958, he and Darlene Edwards won the Eastern Regionals Junior Pairs Championship in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1959, he also won the Junior Freestyle National Championship in Boston, Massachusetts. The previous year he had begun training with Edward "Fuzzy" Bossart who was coaching in Pittsburgh.  Zimmer would go to Pittsburgh once a week and was pleased later when Bossart moved to Erie, Pennsylvania.  He was responsible for training numerous national skating champions. 

In  1960, when Zimmer was 15 and a ninth-grader at Southwestern Central School, he teamed with Darlene Edwards of Erie to win the Junior National Pairs Championship in Little Rock, Arkansas.  To reach the Nationals they won the Junior Regional Pairs Championship at Norfolk, Virginia and Pennsylvania Junior Pairs Championship.  They won the latter three times in Reading, PA and in Philadelphia, PA.  

Zimmer won the Pennsylvania State Senior Men's Singles title three times, the first time was when he was only 13. He also won the Eastern Regional Junior Singles three times.  He claimed the Eastern Regional Intermediate Men's Singles and was a runner-up in the National Intermediate Singles.  The intermediate division was a new group added between junior and senior competition.

Zimmer's last solo competition was in 1963 at Lincoln, Nebraska when he finished third in the National Senior Men's Singles.  Zimmer's last competitive action was in 1965 in Fort Worth, Texas when he and Edwards finished fourth in the National Senior Pairs Championships.  At that time, Edwards was one of the youngest competitors in the Senior Pairs.  Edwards, who is now Darlene Edwards Walters, went on to win a title at the 1975 world skating meet in Rome, Italy.  

In 1965, Zimmer graduated from Jamestown Community College and began working for the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities.  When he was a youngster he always wanted to be a teaching pro and that became his occupation in his spare time, both in Jamestown and in Erie.  He became part owner of Westlake Rink which became known as Evan's Skateland West in Erie.  Westlake Rink is where he won his first meet at the age of 12.  

Jamestown Post Journal

May 13, 1958

When interviewed by the Jamestown Post Journal in 2019 Brad recalls day of being a competitive roller skater on a national level and of spending hours at his parents' Celoron Park and Evans Skateland Roller Rink. Celoron Park was an amusement attraction attracting thrill-seekers and Brad was lucky enough to get to enjoy the park for free with his parents having owned the park. Brad recalled the Phoenix ferris wheel which used to be the largest ferris wheel and the ride on the island.  He got to enjoy them all plus sell French fries at his mother's park.  These days, couples can get married on the island which is now located behind the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel in Celoron, NewYork.  Brad told the Post Journal that he "always knew a hotel would spring up along the waterfront eventually".  To spruce up the hotel's Carousel Bar, he delivered the picture of Lucille Ball riding one of the ceramic horses during her mid-1950s visit.  

The First Lady of Comedy riding 

the

Lead Carousel Horse 

at 

Celoron Park 

 

Circa 1939

Circa 1950

A Shoe Shine Boy at the Rink

Circa 1950s

The Skateland Roller Skating Rink was built in 1939.

Russell Zimmer and Barbara J. Zimmer Cusimano

with 

Lucille Ball, the First Lady of Comedy

at

Skateland

Photo Source:  Bradley J.  Zimmer

Oscar Zimmer managed Skateland

Dorothy Zimmer managed Celeron Park 

Lucille Ball with Harry A. Illions

Circa Mid-1950s

 

"Thank you, Harry"

Lucille Ball

Celoron Park

(1894-1962)

Celoron Park Entrance

The "People's Park in Celoron" was quickly deemed the "Coney Island of Chautauqua" and became a major draw. Some referred to the park as the "Coney Island of the West". The park was modeled after Coney Island and Atlantic City.  Featuring impressive rides, sporting venues and concert halls. Summer crowds would take the railroad from Jamestown to the park and explore the offerings all of which sat against the scenic backdrop of Chautauqua Lake.  

Originally purchased in 1874, the 67 acre tract passed through several hands before being purchased by Almet N. Broadhead, President of the Celoron Amusement Company which opened the park 20 years later.  One of the main atttractions was the 125 foot or 10-story ferris wheel, "The Phoenix" seen in the black and white photo below was one of the main attractions at the amusement park. Sadly, The Phoenix was dismantled and sold in 1952.  Ten years later, the park closed in 1962.  The Phoenix (1896-1952) was purchased from the Cotton States Exposition in Atlanta, Georg9ia.  When it was dismantled and sold it was shipped to the Los Angeles County Fair Grounds in Pomona, California. 

Circa May 3, 1947

Double Panel Postcards

Circa 1908

Celoron Amusement Park had the Pier Ballroom built in 1895 though it was destroyed by fire between 1895 and 1920.

Celoron Park

Circa 1898

Circa 1911

Babe Ruth's Visit to Celoron Park

Circa 1921

Celoron Park Baseball Diamond

Perhaps Celoron Park's most cherished story with the exception of the career of ride ticket-seller and future actress, Lucille Ball was the 1921 exhibition baseball game featuring famed American slugger, Babe Ruth.  Known for his legendary hitting ability, Ruth took the 1921 off season to participate in a number of exhibition games across the Northeast.  Joined by pitcher, Bob Muesel, the "Babe Ruth All-Stars" took on the semi-pro Jamestown team beating them 14-10 in a game that saw Babe Ruth get two hits during his visits to the plate.  Exciting as the game was it was the warm-up that Ruth's famed hitting power was best demonstrated.  According to the Buffalo Times article on October 19, 1921:

In giving an exhibition of long-distance hitting, Ruth knocked a ball into the lake, a distance of over 500 feet! 

The amusement park at Celoron remained a popular tourist destination throughout the early 20th century, surviving both the impact of WWI and the Great Depression.  However, following WWII the park saw a sharp decline in attendance.  With the introduction of interstate highways and as automobiles became more popular, vacationing families began to flock to other locations and regional gems like Celoron Park began to close.  Making matters worse, in 1959, a tornado tore through the amusement park destroying many rides.  Among the rides destroyed by the tornado were a roller coaster and a toboggan water slide. There was also a theatre, a bandstand and a baseball diamond which saw the appearance of baseball legend, Babe Ruth. The all-wooden roller coaster was called the Greyhound.

In 1962, the park was purchased by a Pittsburgh-based businessman who began scrapping many of the rides and structures, ending a 68-year run for the amusement park.  Though the amusement park is no longer, the "Lucille Ball Memorial Park" commemorating one of the area's premier citizens and former park employee, now occupies the spot nearby once filled with rides and games which drew visitors.  This William G. Pomeroy Foundation marker commemorates the amusement park's history and Babe Ruth's historic visit to Celoron Park.  

Harry A. Illions Celoron Park Fair 12x18 Poster

Circa 1947

Found on ebay 

$110.00

This rare original promo poster ad for Harry A. Illions' Celoron Park Fair showcases a piece of historial memorabilia from county and state fairs in the United States.  The theme of the poster ad reflects the nostaliga and charm of fairs and expositions in the mid-20th century.  The poster ad also captures a snapshot of the entertainment and attractions featured at the fair during that time period. 

Advertisement in The Billboard

Circa November 30, 1946

Harry A. Ilions

(July 4, 1892-May 14, 1962)