The Cinnamon Bear
Encyclopedia
- For the animal, see Cinnamon bearCinnamon bearThe Cinnamon Bear is a subspecies of the American black bear, native to Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and western Canada...
.
It was first broadcast between Friday, November 26 and Saturday December 25, 1937. Some markets like Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
jumped the gun, debuting the program on November 25, Thanksgiving Day. In the first season, Portland broadcast the program on two stations, KALE at 6:00pm and KXL at 7:00pm.
When syndication problems arose at Transco, the program was not officially broadcast in 1940, although some stations might have aired previous transcriptions. No program aired in Portland that year. In 1941, Transco programming was sold to Broadcasters Program Syndicate, and The Cinnamon Bear was on the air nationally once again. In the 1950s, syndication was taken over by Lou R. Winston, also based in Hollywood.
An original Lipman-Wolfe & Company newspaper ad from the Portland Oregon Journal
Oregon Journal
The Oregon Journal was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The Journal was founded in Portland by C. S. Jackson, the publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's East Oregonian newspaper, after a group of Portlanders convinced Jackson to help in the reorganization of the Portland...
, November 25, 1937 read:
- Introducing Paddy O'Cinnamon, Santa ClausSanta ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
's right-hand man! Meet him with Santa in Toyland at Lipman's... and don't miss his exciting adventures with Judy and Jimmy (two of the nicest playmates you could want!) over the air every night but Saturday! Early-to-bedders can listen at 6 and stay-up-laters at 7... and some nights you'll be so anxious to hear how they got the Silver Star back from the wicked Crazyquilt Dragon that you'll listen twice! And here's a secret... the Cinnamon Bear is just as excited about meeting you as he can be.
Plot
The story focused on Judy and Jimmy Barton who go to the enchanted world of Maybeland to recover their missing Silver Star that belongs on their Christmas tree. Helping on the search is the Cinnamon Bear, a stuffed bear with shoe-button eyes and a green scarf. They meet other memorable characters during their quest, including the Crazy Quilt Dragon (who repeatedly tries to take the star for himself) , the Wintergreen Witch, Fe Fo the Giant and Santa ClausSanta Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
.
Episodes began at Thanksgiving and ended at Christmas, with one episode airing each night. The show was created by a group of merchants as an advertising promotion, and was recorded in only a few weeks. It was produced by Lindsay MacHarrie, who also provided the voice of Westley the Whale and several other characters.
Cast and crew
The voice of the Cinnamon Bear was provided by Buddy Duncan, a little person and vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
comedian. Many notable radio voices lent their talents, including:
- Barbara Jean WongBarbara Jean WongBarbara Jean Wong was an American actress and primarily a radio actress.She was a fourth generation Chinese-American born in Los Angeles, California, to produce market owners Thomas and Maye Wong...
as Judy Barton - Joseph KearnsJoseph KearnsJoseph Sherrard Kearns was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson in the CBS television series Dennis the Menace from 1959 until his death in 1962.-Biography:...
as The Crazy-Quilt Dragon - Verna FeltonVerna FeltonVerna Felton was an American character actress who was best-known for providing many female voices in numerous Disney animated films, as well as voicing Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law Pearl Slaghoople for Hanna-Barbera...
as Judy & Jimmy's mother - Lou MerrillLou MerrillLou Merrill was an American actor, primarily in radio from the 1930s through the 1950s.He was with Lux Radio Theater as a utility supporting player in nearly every broadcast from 1937-1939 , also serving as an assistant director handling the crowd scenes during that time; he continued to...
as Santa Claus - Martha WentworthMartha WentworthMartha Wentworth was an American actress.Originally a radio actress, she became a film actress in the 1940s, starring in several Red Ryder Western films...
as The Wintergreen Witch - Gale GordonGale GordonGale Gordon was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy, The Lucy Show...
as Weary Willie the Stork and Oliver Ostrich - Rosa BarceloRosa BarceloRosa Barcelo was a radio actress who portrayed Joan Gregory on Magic Island and Queen Melissa on The Cinnamon Bear....
as Queen Melissa - Elvia AllmanElvia AllmanElvia Allman was a character actress and voice over performer in Hollywood films and television programs for over 50 years. She is best remembered for her semi-regular roles on The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction and for being the voice of Walt Disney's Clarabelle Cow...
as Penelope the Pelican - Joe DuVal as Fe Fo, the Giant
- Frank NelsonFrank NelsonFrank Brandon Nelson was an American comedic actor best known for playing put-upon foils on radio and television and his "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase...
as Captain Tin Top - Hanley StaffordHanley StaffordHanley Stafford . An actor principally on radio, he is remembered best for playing Lancelot Higgins on The Baby Snooks Show. He is commemorated by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-External links:...
as Snapper Snick, the Crooning Crocodile - Howard McNearHoward McNearHoward Terbell McNear was an American film, television and radio character actor. McNear is best remembered as Floyd Lawson, the barber in The Andy Griffith Show and as Doc Charles Adams in CBS Radio's Gunsmoke .-Career:McNear was born in Los Angeles, California to Luzetta M. Spencer and Franklin...
as Samuel the Seal and Slim Pickins, the Cowboy - Cy KendallCy KendallCy Kendall was an American film actor. He appeared in over 140 films between 1935 and 1950.Kendall's heavy-set, square-jawed appearance and deep voice were perfect for wiseguy roles such as policemen and police chiefs, wardens, military officers, bartenders, reporters, and mobsters.He was born...
as Captain Taffy, the Pirate, and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer (Indian Chief) - Ted OsborneTed OsborneTed Osborne was an American writer of comics, radio shows and animated films, remembered for his contributions to the creation and refinement, during the 1930s, of Walt Disney cartoon characters....
as King Blotto the Third, and Professor Whiz, the Owl - Elliott LewisElliott LewisSir Neil Elliott Lewis, KCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of Tasmania on three occasions. He was also a member of the first Australian federal ministry, led by Edmund Barton....
as Mr. Presto the Magician - Ed Max as the Inkaboo Assistant Executioner
- Dorothy Scott as Fraidy Cat
- Lindsay MacHarrie as Westley the Wailing Whale, the Grand Wonkey, and others
The actor who played Jimmy Barton remains unidentified (although some fans of the serial believe it was Walter Tetley
Walter Tetley
Walter Tetley , an American voice actor, was a child impersonator in radio's classic era, with regular roles on The Great Gildersleeve and The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, as well as continuing as a voice-over artist in animated cartoons, commercials, and spoken-word record albums...
). Radio announcer Bud Heistand served as the narrator. Lindsay MacHarrie was also the producer of the show.
The story and all the songs were written in six weeks time by Glan Heisch, aided by his wife, Elisabeth A. Heisch (1908-2003). He was specifically directed to create something in the style of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
.
Public reception
The radio show proved to be so popular that it is said to be broadcast by a station somewhere in the world every year during the holidays, even today. Many malls had a Cinnamon Bear that children would tell what they wanted for gifts instead of a Santa, and he would show up in Christmas parades. The Cinnamon Bear remained popular especially in the Northwest, with PortlandPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
often cited as a "Cinnamon Bear hotspot."
Television
In 1951, for a Cinnamon Bear television series, the characters were hand puppets, and the radio program provided the soundtrack.Rights
Copyright protection apparently remains on the Cinnamon Bear, and thus the posting of the episodes on the internet may be an infringement of US copyright law. The copyright is now held by the eldest child of Glan and Elisabeth Heisch, Catherine Borchmann of Rockford, Illinois. Catherine inherited the property following the death of Elisabeth Heisch in 2003. There was a lengthy legal battle in the early 2000s in which the heirs of Glanville Heisch (who died in 1986) prevailed, and the copyright of the radio play was returned to the family.The above referenced "copyright" is questionable to many notable sources. Recordings of the original radio series are deemed to be in public domain, and have been since the lack of renewal of copyright in 1963, according to copyright law.
A federal trademark for the Portland Spirit Cinnamon Bear was filed and registered in 2004.
Books and publications
In 1987, upon the 50th anniversary of The Cinnamon Bear, a fan of the show started an annual newsletter called "Bear Facts" and put out by "The Cinnamon Bear Brigade," which ran for five years.The Cinnamon Bear in the Adventure of the Silver Star (2007) by Rick Lewis and Veronica Marzilli was published during the 70th anniversary of The Cinnamon Bear. Jerrel McQueen and Timothy Holmes provided the illustrations.
Influence
Timothy John, a proposed radio serial by Carlton E. MorseCarlton E. Morse
Carlton Errol Morse was a Louisiana-born producer/journalist best known for his creation of the radio serial One Man's Family, which debuted in 1932 and ran until 1959 as one of the most popular as well as long-running radio soap operas of the time. He also was responsible for the radio serial I...
, featured a teddy bear who spoke with an Irish accent. As noted by Martin Grams, Jr.
Martin Grams, Jr.
Martin Grams, Jr. is a radio historian who has written extensively on radio, television and films. The son of magician Martin Grams, Sr. and librarian Mary Pat Grams, he was educated at South Eastern School District in York County, Pennsylvania and graduated from Kennard Dale High School in Fawn...
, Morse's unused plot synopsis was obviously inspired by The Cinnamon Bear.
Portland Spirit Cruises developed the first Cinnamon Bear Cruise in 2005, based on the radio show by Glanville and Elizabeth Heisch's memorable characters and the radio show. Becoming a family tradition in Portland, Oregon, the cruise entering its 5th year in 2009, sells out to thousands of family members during the month of December. On board, children of all ages meet Queen Melissa, Cinnamon Bear, Crazy Quilt Dragon, Presto the Magician, Captain Taffy and the Candy Buccaneers and numerous other magical characters from the radio series.
See also
- Jerry of the CircusJerry of the CircusJerry of the Circus was a 1937 syndicated radio serial broadcast for a juvenile audience. It was presented in 130 15-minute episodes of which 128 are in existence today. The series followed the adventures of Jerry Dougan and his dog Rags with the Randall Brothers Circus from the time of his...
- Land of the LostLand of the Lost (radio)Land of the Lost was a 1940s radio fantasy adventure, written and narrated by Isabel Manning Hewson, about the adventures of two children who traveled underwater with the fatherly fish Red Lantern...
- Magic IslandMagic Island (radio)Magic Island was a science-fantasy radio serial syndicated in 1935. The series had 130 15-minute episodes, and all episodes have survived.The storyline followed wealthy Patricia Gregory as she ended her 14-year search in the South Pacific for her long lost daughter Joan. When Joan was one-year-old,...