Andy's Gang

Andy's Gang was a popular kid's Tv show that ran from 1955 to 1960 out of NBC's New York affiliate station. It was nationally networked in 1957/8. This show had an ancestry that started with the risqu Buster Brown newspaper comic strips of 1902, through Ed McConnell's radio and Tv shows of the 1940's and 1950's leading to Andy's Gang from 1955.

Imagine a Saturday morning and you are about 9 years old. You skip around to one of the neighbours who are lucky enough to have a television and a rabble of about ten kids crowd around the Tv to get a look at Andy Devine and Froggy the Gremlin. Children's television was not plentiful nor was it particularly sophisticated in those days - and most of it was viewed in black and white. It was not uncommon for the Tv to break down or for a show to be pulled at the last moment due to technical difficulties.

Andy's Gang was a rag-bag of story-reading, short (actually, not so short) drama films, and comedy skits, punctuated by an array of oddball characters such as Midnight the Cat, Squeaky the Mouse and the mischievous Froggy the Gremlin. Guest would often appear giving mock lectures to the children as Froggy teased them.

Andy Devine was 50 when, after the death of Ed McConnell, he turned Smilin' Ed McConnell and his Gang into Andy's Gang. He picked up left off where McConnell had left off, keeping most of the characters. Andy's Gang did not feature a live audience, although there was always a recorded audience edited into each finished show (usually the same footage, week in and week out!). As always, the main sponsor was the Buster Brown Shoe Company. The whole of their advertising budget was spent on this one show and they prospered as a result (and presumably because they sold good shoes). Devine has already had a solid Hollywood career behind (and ahead of) him. His gravely but high pitched voice and rubber face meant that he was a character role waiting to happen and fitted comfortably into sidekick or clown parts. He was particularly popular with casting directors of westerns as he tended to bring some light relief against the serious work of a hero or villain. Towards the end of his time on Andy's Gang he carved out a role for which he became even more well known - as Deputy Marshal Jingles P. Jones in Adventure s of Wild Bill Hickok.

Another great actor who was a regular on Andy's Gang was Vito Scotti. His family moved from Naples, Italy to New York in 1925 when Vito was seven. It was not long before he followed his mother's example and started appearing in Italian stage productions in NY. This grounding stood him in good stead as he learned how to be a magician, comedian and a versatile actor. By the time Andy's Gang had come along, Scotti had already landed some small television parts and the title role in Life with Luigi. He landed the part of Rama in Rhama of the Jungle, the filmed segments of Smilin' Ed McConnell and his Gang (and later in Andy's Gang). This also led to a feature film version called Sabaka. Scotti was often a guest in the studio of Andy's Gang. He would play an expert in this or that subject, only to be mocked and made to do silly things by Froggy.

Andy's Gang finished its run by 1960. Froggy the Gremlin toys and merchandise continued to sell for s ome time after - bringing some income to the estate of Ed McConnell, Froggy's creator.

Andy's Gang was much loved and remembered - even to this day, although, the likely reason why it gets more credit than Ed McConnell's original show is because many more of the Ed McConnell fans have sadly have passed on . It wasn't the most polished of Tv shows but it was great fun and just a little irreverent.

Vernon Stent is the content writer for http://www.bygoneTv.com where you can see more about Andy's Gang.

Author:: Vernon Stent
Keywords:: old Tv shows
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