Ed McConnell 1892-1954 cantorjoeocho (View posts) Posted: 11 Aug 2008 9:45PM GMT Classification: Obituary Surnames: Connell Smilin' Ed McConnell - Smilin' Ed McConnell hosted the popular 1950s children's program SMILIN' ED'S GANG/NBC/ABC/CBS/1950-55 (originally titled SMILIN' ED McConnell AND HIS BUSTER BROWN GANG). Helping our happy grey-haired host were Grandie the talking piano, Froggy the Gremlin, a mischievous frog puppet dressed in a tuxedo, ("Plunk your magic twanger, Froggie!") and animal co-hosts Midnight the Cat and a hamster named Squeaky the Mouse. The program (which aired on radio between 1929 to 1953 as the BUSTER Brown Show) featured songs, stories and live-action filmed adventures starring Nino Marcel as both Little Fox, an American Indian boy and Gunga Ram, an Asian Indian boy. Smilin' Ed McConnell closed each program saying, "Yes, Sir, we're Pals and Pals stick together. And now, GANG don't forget church or Sunday school." When James Edwin McConnell died in 1954, the show was retitled ANDY'S GANG and starred Andy Devine, popular at the time for his role as Jingles B. Jones, the frontier sidekick on the western adventure WILD BILL HICKOK/SYN/1951. Born January 12, 1892 in Atlanta, Georgia, James Edwin McConnell died July 24, 1954 in Newport Beach, California. McConnell began broadcasting his "Hymn Time" program on the radio in 1922 and earned the nickname "Smilin' Ed McConnell." See also - Andy Devine copied from http://boards.rootsweb.com/topics.obits2/11474/mb.ashx begin 666 new.gif M1TE&.#EA" `(`-4``/_____]^_^[C/_)I?^-0O^B9/_#G/^74?^64/^&-?_. MKO_=QO^]D?_(I/_\^O^ZB_^XB?^22?^K<_]W'?_ E?_4N/^,/_^@8/_^_?^" M+__;P__1LO^P>__8O__'HO^"+O_$G/^E:?^:5_]U&?_;Q/^F:?^53O_Y]O_7 MO/^32_^:5O^22O^74O^^D_^'-_^ZC?_[^O_=Q_^M=_^$,_]\)?^G;0`````` M`````````````````````````````````"'Y! $`````+ `````(``@```8Y M0 `@-FB0A!C#Q:.H,0*+&0<T:!$J@HGEH#)]9)!1(H4@T"2:S*I0$KDV#DJD .$&*]3H! 1_! P0!!`#L` ` end begin 666 touch.aspx?a=mrkred&p=topics.obits2&m=11474 K1TE&.#EA`0`!`(#_`,# P ```"'Y! $`````+ `````!``$```("1 $`.P`` ` end begin 666 spacer.gif K1TE&.#EA`0`!`( ``````````"'Y! $`````+ `````!``$```("1 $`.P`` ` end