Larry Smith (puppeteer)
Encyclopedia
Larry Smith is a puppeteer
and producer of children's programming in the Cincinnati area since 1957. His most notable work was a popular afternoon puppet/cartoon show airing on WXIX Television.
Smith was raised in Dayton, Ohio
, 60 miles north of Cincinnati. At the age of five he began a lifelong fascination with puppets, learning to make them at home using items around the house as store-bought materials were expensive. He made his television debut in 1952, and he began his professional career two years later at WHIO
television. After high school Smith attended Ohio State University
and the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. In 1955 Smith met Burr Tillstrom
, creator of the Kukla, Fran and Ollie
show. Then in 1957 Smith auditioned for, and won a part on the Uncle Al Show; officially he served on WCPO's art department, but he performed (and created) puppets for Uncle Al. Smith was with the Uncle Al Show for six years.
Smith achieved his greatest fame by the late 1960s, when he went to then-new TV station WXIX in Cincinnati to host an afternoon puppet/cartoon show which came to be called Larry Smith's Cartoon Club, which he hosted throughout the 70s. Smith and his puppets were the first stars of WXIX when they performed on the station's sign-on ceremony in August of 1968.
Some of the puppets/characters he created include:
Larry ostensibly retired in 2000, but still makes occasional appearances with his puppets, due to popular demand.
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
and producer of children's programming in the Cincinnati area since 1957. His most notable work was a popular afternoon puppet/cartoon show airing on WXIX Television.
Smith was raised in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, 60 miles north of Cincinnati. At the age of five he began a lifelong fascination with puppets, learning to make them at home using items around the house as store-bought materials were expensive. He made his television debut in 1952, and he began his professional career two years later at WHIO
WHIO-TV
WHIO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Dayton, Ohio, serving that state's Miami Valley area. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from its transmitter on Germantown Street in western Dayton....
television. After high school Smith attended Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. In 1955 Smith met Burr Tillstrom
Burr Tillstrom
Franklin Burr Tillstrom was a puppeteer and the creator of Kukla, Fran and Ollie....
, creator of the Kukla, Fran and Ollie
Kukla, Fran and Ollie
Kukla, Fran and Ollie is an early American television show using puppets, originally created for children but soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed...
show. Then in 1957 Smith auditioned for, and won a part on the Uncle Al Show; officially he served on WCPO's art department, but he performed (and created) puppets for Uncle Al. Smith was with the Uncle Al Show for six years.
Smith achieved his greatest fame by the late 1960s, when he went to then-new TV station WXIX in Cincinnati to host an afternoon puppet/cartoon show which came to be called Larry Smith's Cartoon Club, which he hosted throughout the 70s. Smith and his puppets were the first stars of WXIX when they performed on the station's sign-on ceremony in August of 1968.
Some of the puppets/characters he created include:
- Hattie the Witch (also called "Battie Hattie From Cincinnati")
- Snarfie the Dog (a.k.a. Snarfie R. Dog)
- Big Red the Red Rock-Eater (who lived in "The Dirty Dingy Dungeon")
- Teaser the Mouse
- Rudy the Rooster
Larry ostensibly retired in 2000, but still makes occasional appearances with his puppets, due to popular demand.