''Joya's Fun School'' is a children's television series that was produced and broadcast by WPIX-TV in

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, hosted by Joya Sherrill. After an early iteration with a different title ran in 1970, the series aired weekly from January 3, 1972 until November 13, 1982. The cast also included

Luther Henderson Luther Henderson (March 14, 1919 – July 29, 2003) was an American arranger, composer, orchestrator, and pianist best known for his contributions to Broadway musicals. Early life and career Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Henderson relocated to ...

, Brumsic Brandon Jr. and a bookworm

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

named Seymour. The series featured stories, songs, and activities.

Synopsis

Host Joya Sherrill would engage viewers in games, craft-making, hobby segments, and storytelling. There were comedy skits with the puppet Seymour the Bookworm, created and manipulated by cartoonist Brumsic Brandon, Jr., a.k.a. Mr. B.B., and songs with musical accompaniment by the show's musical director, Luther Henderson a.k.a. the Professor. The series also included informational segments and interviews with guest personalities.

History

Development

In 1969, Joya Sherrill, a former vocalist with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

's Jazz Band, suggested to her manager that she was interested in pursuing her own television program. At the time, WPIX-TV in

was seeking a woman to host a children's television show. Abstract; full article requires payment.

On-air

An initial iteration of the program, ''Time For Joya'', premiered as a Sunday-morning program on March 29, 1970, and ran through October 3, 1971. One guest on a 1970 episode was bandleader

, who, in one of his final TV appearances, played music and told stories and jokes. In 1973, the half-hour educational series ''Joya's Fun School'' ran Fridays at noon from January 3 to March 30, 1973, by which time it aired at 3 p.m. After a brief hiatus, it returned on Friday, April 20, though it is unclear if the episodes beginning here were new or rerun. The show taped 26 episodes per year for an unspecified duration. It ran through at least Friday, May 22, 1981, in its original noon timeslot, and through Friday, October 1, 1982, at 2 p.m. ''Joya's Fun School'' then ran for a short time on Saturday mornings at 6 a.m., from October 9 to November 13, 1982. After accompanying her husband to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

in 1976, where he supervised construction of a residential complex, Sherrill produced and hosted a children's television show on one of the national networks, which broadcast in English. She recalled in 1979, after having returned to the U.S., that in Iran

Availability

Some footage is available on

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."''Joya's Fun School''"
published January 24, 2014
"''Time for Joya'', Joya Sherrill"
published July 20, 2010; an
"''Time for Joya'' [featuring Brandon Brumsic Jr.
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published July 20, 2010, on

References

External links

*{{IMDb title">0987795 1970s American children's television series 1980s American children's television series 1970 American television series debuts 1982 American television series endings American children's education television series American television shows featuring puppetry Local children's television programming in the United States