''Pixanne'' was a children's television program, created and hosted by singer-actress
Jane Norman
Jane Norman was a United Kingdom-based women's clothing retailer, owned by Edinburgh Woollen Mill, it is also the sister company of fashion chain Peacocks
History
The company was founded by Norman Freed in 1952, a descendant of the Compton fam ...
, that ran from 1960 to 1969 on
WCAU-TV in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. It was then syndicated nationally, and ran for another seven years.
During the show's run, Norman also wrote and performed in special, holiday-themed shows featuring Pixanne and her Enchanted Forest friends. ''Pixanne'' also became the first local children's television show to be filmed at major world events, including at the World's Fair in New York and at Expo '67 in Canada.
Beginning
The show began when Norman, a onetime child prodigy who had been playing and composing music since she was 3 years of age, contacted one of her professors from
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
, where Norman was majoring in Early Childhood Education and minoring in Radio, TV and Theatre. In addition to being a member of Temple's faculty, her professor was also working at what was then WFIL and later became
WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV (channel 6), branded on-air as 6 ABC, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station ...
. Norman, who had taught kindergarten at the Shoemaker School in
Cheltenham Township
Cheltenham Township is a home rule township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Cheltenham's population density ranges from over 10,000 per square mile (25,900 per square kilometer) in rowhouses and high-rise apartments along Chelte ...
after graduating from Temple, pitched a possible children's program featuring a
Peter Pan-like character to her former professor. Knowing there were no openings available at WFIL, he suggested that she approach the management of the then-
CBS-owned-and-operated station WCAU-TV. Norman walked in with no appointment, described the show to the program director, and, within three weeks, was on the air with her new show, which quickly achieved a loyal following of children and their parents.
Features
Norman appeared on the show as a "pixie" with a green outfit, tights and a hat with a feather. She worked out a method of "flying" using a similar apparatus to that which
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...
had used as Peter Pan, but with only one wire supporting her instead of the several that had harnessed Martin on stage. Producers of Norman's show, in fact, actually hired theatrical flight specialist Peter Foy, who had designed the "flying" technology for Martin and other Broadway actresses, in order to build Norman's rigging for television. When interviewed about the experience later in life, Norman recalled that perfecting the technique was quite painful, but proved so effective as to be maintained for the entire run of the program.
Taped before a live audience of children on Friday evenings, beginning at 7:30 p.m., the show aired on Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m. The show became so popular that admission to the set was by ticket only. Each show opened with Norman "flying" onto and off the set, which was designed to appear to young viewers as an enchanted forest with a stepping-stone path meandering through the forest's flowers, Spanish moss-draped trees and toadstools.
The supporting cast of
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 ...
s included Oggie Owl, Fliffy Butterfly, Herkimer, Tearesa, Galumpagus, Dandy Lion, and the puppets of Addis Williams. Pixanne had at least two alter-egos as well — one was a witch called Windy, whom Norman also acted out. Guest appearances included singer
Tiny Tim.
Songs Norman sang on the show included "
Swinging on a Star," "
If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake," "I've Gotta Crow" from the 1954 musical ''
Peter Pan'', "Look at That Face" from the musical ''
The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,'' and "Beautiful Things" from the 1967 movie ''
Doctor Dolittle''. The show's background music included
Maurice Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...
's ''
Le Tombeau de Couperin
''Le Tombeau de Couperin'' (''The Couperin's Grave'') is a suite for solo piano by Maurice Ravel, composed between 1914 and 1917. The piece is in six movements, based on those of a traditional Baroque suite. Each movement is dedicated to the me ...
'' and a selection from
Carl Orff's ''Music for Children,'' the theme of Pixanne's daily cartoon introduction with her march with a magical flag. On the show, Norman also introduced adventure films and made children's crafts, such as puppets and hats.
Initially broadcast in black and white, the program began airing in color, six days every week, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, November 21, 1966.
Norman also wrote and performed in special, holiday-themed shows that featured Pixanne and her Enchanted Forest friends, including "Pixanne's Christmas Fantasy," which aired at 5:30 p.m. on WCAU on December 23, 1967. Skits involved Pixanne's time travel back to Philadelphia during colonial times, where she visited a toymaker's shop with antique dolls and toy soldiers, a blacksmith's shop where horses were being shoed, a tailor's shop where period clothing was being sewn, and the shops of a butcher, baker and candlestick maker. ''Pixanne'' also became the first local children's television show to be filmed at major world events, including at the World's Fair in New York and at Expo '67 in Canada, and gave children the opportunity to watch segments about the
Ice Capades
The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Winter Olympic Games, Olympic and United States Figure Skating Championships, US National Champion figure skating, figur ...
and the Moscow Circus, both of which were filmed on location while the groups were on tour on the East Coast
''Pixanne'' received ratings of 10-12 and a 62% share of audience near the end of its run.
Cancellation and syndication
When WCAU management changed in 1969, the new management took ''Pixanne'' off the air, despite it still being the television network's second most popular daytime program (second only to the nationally syndicated soap opera, ''
As the World Turns'') and despite the protests of millions of viewers. The show's cancellation resulted in a negative letter writing campaign, directed at the television station, by parents of children who still regularly watched the program. Sensitive to the emotions of the children who were saddened by the loss of her television show, Norman wrote and sang a new song for the final episode of the series, "I'll Always Love You, No Matter Where I Go."
The show quickly returned when it came back in syndication. Relocating to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, it found a new home there with
WNEW-TV
WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship ...
as the flagship station, and was watched by children across the United States, including on television stations in:
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
,
,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, and
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
.
The show then finally went off the air in 1976.
Civic affairs and public service activities
In 1974, Norman, in character as Pixanne, became a goodwill ambassador for
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. ...
. After signing a contract with Earl Clark to promote
Dutch Wonderland
Dutch Wonderland is a theme park just east of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in East Lampeter Township, appealing primarily to families with small children. The park's theme is a "Kingdom for Kids." The entrance to the park has a stone imitation castl ...
and other family-friendly or historical sites throughout the county and boost county tourism, "Pixanne" became an official spokesperson for Dutch Wonderland, playing a key role in the theme park's annual Memorial Day re-opening ceremonies that year. She also toured the United States, speaking about county attractions and tourism issues on local news and talk show programs in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and other towns and major metropolitan areas. She then continued her ambassador work in subsequent years.
Norman's later career
Jane Norman went on to produce family-oriented network television shows, including ''The National Kids’ Quiz,'' which
Michael Landon
Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...
moderated on NBC. She also wrote a 1981 book with Dr. Myron Harris, ''The Private Life of the American Teenager'', and appeared on more than 95 radio and television talk shows to promote it.
[Lauer-Williams, "Sally & Other Early TV Stars," ''The Morning Call'', February 23, 2013, p. Life 2.]
The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Norman into their Hall of Fame 2005.
Norman died at her home in
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania on May 13, 2017, at the age of eighty-three.
References
{{reflist
External links
Jane Norman's official websiteClip of program on YouTubeBroadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia website
1960s American children's television series
1960 American television series debuts
1969 American television series endings
Local children's television programming in the United States
Television in Philadelphia
American television shows featuring puppetry