Monday, March 10, 2003
J. P. Patches: Northwest Icon
I live in Seattle, but I'm not crazy about it. I'd much rather be living in Chicago, the area wherein I was born and raised. There are a few things in the area, however, which I must concede surpass anything similar in the Windy City. One of those is the legacy of J. P. Patches, a kid's show which ran in Seattle from 1958 to 1981. The people who were kids out here during that era are nuts about it. My wife, a Northwest native, would rave about him. In the past few years I've been able to see J. P. in person, as well as on some of the few tapes that exist of the show. The adulation he receives is well deserved--this man is funny. Funnier than Bozo, Garfield Goose or Ray Rayner, even. (All the Chicago kids now think I'm a traitor and hate my guts.) Anyway, now there's a book about him, which gives a behind the scenes look at the show. It was a very entertaining read, reminiscent of some of the Marx Bros. biographies I've read. J.P. came on the scene when TV was young. Those pioneers of the medium were worked to death... and seemed to have a hell of a lot of fun in the process. Once again, I was wish I had talent and was born in a different era. Oh, well. I don't know if someone who doesn't know J. P. will enjoy this book like I did, but you should still risk checking it out. Or just go to www.jppatches.com and get a taste of what you're missing.
Labels: CheckItOut
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