The Magic Cottage (TV series)

The Magic Cottage
Presented by Pat Meikle
Don Hastings
Country of origin United States
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Release
Original network DuMont
Picture format Black-and-white
Audio format Monaural
Original release July 18, 1949 (1949-07-18) – September 12, 1952 (1952-09-12)
Chronology
Related shows Your Television Babysitter

The Magic Cottage was an American children's program broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network from 1949 to 1952.

Broadcast history

The Magic Cottage was hosted by Pat (Mary Patricia) Meikle. In each episode, Meikle would tell a story using her "magic chalkboard", from which colorful fairy-tale characters would appear, including Maxwell the Mouse. The series was produced by Hal Cooper (February 23, 1923 - April 11, 2014[1]), Pat Meikle's husband. The married on December 21, 1944, had two children Bethami (b. August 16, 1954) and Pamela. Meikle and Cooper divorced in 1970.[2]

The Magic Cottage was a spin-off of Meikle and Cooper's Your Television Babysitter which aired in daytime 8:30 to 9 am ET Monday through Friday on DuMont beginning November 1, 1948. However, The Magic Cottage was aimed at slightly older children who had just entered school, and aired on weekday evenings from 6:30 to 7 pm ET.[2]

It was a very low-tech show, consisting largely of Meikle telling stories about Wilmer The Pigeon while drawing elementary pictures on a large pad, and chatting with visitors like Oogie The Ogre. The basic set - the interior of a cottage with a window and Dutch half-door at the rear, may have influenced similar sets of later shows like Soupy Sales and PeeWee Herman.

According to the book The Forgotten Network, both series were well received by television critics at the time. Meikle was described by Variety as "the answer to a mother's prayers. She's already being touted as a new TV star." The Magic Cottage continued on DuMont's flagship station WABD until 1955. Meikle continued to work at WABD after both series had finished their runs.

Other cast members included Don Hastings, who is perhaps best remembered as the Video Ranger on DuMont's popular children's series Captain Video and as Dr. Bob Hughes (from 1960-2010) on the long-running CBS daytime drama As the World Turns. Guest actors included several Broadway veterans including Ruth White who appeared regularly as librarian "Bessie Bookbinder".

Episode status

A kinescope of one episode is held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, with another kinescope (dating from December 28, 1950) held by the Paley Center for Media. An additional episode may survive as part of the Peabody Award collection.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ IMDB entry
  2. 1 2 Davis, Jeffery (1995). Children's Television, 1947-1990. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 163. ISBN 0-89950-911-8.
  3. ↑ Peabody Award site at DBS/University of Georgia

Bibliography

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