Comments for Jim's Brain Online

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Jim

Jim — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:30:50 +0000

I was on Bozo once, and in the process of exploring the station (I was trying to find the bathroom), I managed to walk into his dressing room.

He was in the middle of the “person to Bozo” transformation. All the clothes were on, but the make-up was only halfway there.

It was an awkward moment for my 9 year old self, and I closed the door quickly.

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Drew Prosch-Jensen

Drew Prosch-Jensen — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:01:34 +0000

Though never on C3C, I was on Buck Berry’s Buckaroo Rodeo once. Heck, I actually was the winner of the Schwinn Stingray one year for earning the most money for MD by hosting a carnival. A great story and a treasured picture (my folks were photo-journalists when I was a kid and my childhood is well recorded).

Since they worked freelance for all the TV stations, I often walked thru the sets in the back of the stations with my folks when they were delivering film at all hours of the night.

Bozo in real life was a well-known personality at the station but he was supposed to keep his real identity a secret. After my youngest child was born 25 years ago, I took my wife’s clothes and stuff out to the car in the lot at Butterworth hospital to get ready to leave. Parked right next to me, getting stuff out of his trunk, was Bozo. I just turned and said “Hi XXXX” and went back for more stuff. His jaw hit the floor! LOL!!!

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Drew Prosch-Jensen

Drew Prosch-Jensen — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:52:33 +0000

Yes, Don Bonovitch did the puppets on C3C. He was an actor and also did a puppet show every Saturday at the Red Barn Theatre in Saugatuck. I was in “The King and I” with him…he was the king. They would do a show with lots of kids from the area every summer. They also had a theatre class every summer which gave those of us who attended that a leg-up on the rest of the locals. I’d love to know if he is still around…I have a wonderful memory of opening night of that show where he ad-libbed something wonderful that I’d love to remind him of.

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Bob

Bob — Sun, 16 May 2010 08:08:11 +0000

Hay all,
I remember my Baby sitter taking me, my sister and all her Kids over to be on the Channel 3 Clubhouse around 1975 or so. Just as the cameras came on our baby sitter’s son, got up off the colored blocks we were supposed to sit on, boldly walked over and tugged on the hosts jacket saying “When are you gonna come over and talk to us?” in almost a huff because he thought he thought she had spent enough time with the kids on the other side.

Boy do I ever wish I could find that video to show my kids now.

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Amy Colwell

Amy Colwell — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:25:49 +0000

I too was on Channel 3 Clubhouse. I feel lucky, my mother has/is an employee of WWMT and she passed some information on; Channel 3 back when Clubhouse appeared was owned by Fetzer. You can try to contact Fetzer Center on WMU’s campus and they should have old archives of tapes etc. on hand there. Since everything was Fetzer’s they are the ones with any/all information. Unfortunately WWMT has been bought out several times and that information was not theirs.

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Anita

Anita — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:16:53 +0000

Check out the Facebook group…. “channel 3 clubhouse” kalamazoo….for more memories.

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Debra McKinney

Debra McKinney — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:55:12 +0000

What a trip!! I’ve lived as an expat for 37 years, but did watch during the late fifties and early sixties…and remember Beanie Brown! Was on the show once for someone’s birthday. Mine? I remember getting a yo-yo, from a wall of drawers, so I must have been in about the third grade, during the yo-yo craze. Anyone remember channel 8 (Grand Rapids)? My little sisters loved Miss Jean and her magic mirror! This really hit a chord, since I almost never post comments like this.

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Teresa

Teresa — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:51:36 +0000

I was on Channel 3 clubhouse in the mid 70’s. What fun! I am thinking that a bunch of the kids from my neighborhood were all on at the same time. I don’t remember much about it, except for waiting to go on and my Mom telling me it looked like I was going to eat the mic!

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Bridget

Bridget — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:25:57 +0000

I made my debut on Channel 3 clubhouse!!!! My sister and I were on it together. Wow-what memories. Wish there was footage to watch.

Comment on Channel 3 Clubhouse and West Michigan Children’s TV Programming by Andy Sherrod

Andy Sherrod — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:53:11 +0000

Yay, Channel 3 Clubhouse! What a great thing to recall…

I was on in the late 70s, and I know the puppets at that time were done by a man named Don Bonovitch — he played Salieri in the Kalamazoo Civic Players production of AMADEUS back in ‘83 or so, not sure if he’s still around, but I’m sure he’d know what happened to the puppets.

I have no idea why or how I remember this, but I do