Marijane Louise Landis ( Frey; August 3, 1928 – December 22, 2015) was an American television broadcaster, producer,

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

television personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, and children's television series creator, known for her work with

WGAL-TV WGAL (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States, serving the Susquehanna Valley region as an affiliate of NBC. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on Columbia Avenue ( PA 462) in ...

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

. Considered a pioneer in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

television broadcasting A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid-1 ...

, Landis created and produced two children's series: ''Percy Platypus and His Friends'', which aired from 1955 until 1974, and ''Sunshine Corners'' from 1974 to 1979. Landis, who joined the staff of WGAL in October 1952, was originally hired from her previous job at a small theater to host programming focused on women. She was one of the station's first on-air personalities, as well as one of the first women to work in television in Pennsylvania. In 1978, Landis transitioned from on-air to behind-the-scenes when she became the

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

s manager and personnel director at WGAL. She produced and oversaw much of the station's public service announcements and community outreach efforts during the 1980s and early 1990s. Landis retired in 1993 after 41 years with WGAL. Landis and Freed's puppets were donated to the State Museum of Pennsylvania in the 1990s. The puppets which Landis and puppeteer Jim Freed used in ''Percy Platypus and His Friends'' were donated to the collection of the State Museum of Pennsylvania during the 1990s. In 1998, Landis was inducted into the

Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, commonly referred to as PAB, represents radio and television broadcasters across the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the National Association of Broadcasters The National Asso ...

Hall of Fame. Among the honors she collected during her lifetime were a national U.S. Air Force American Spirit Award in 1984 and the Muscular Dystrophy Association Award for ''Sunshine Corners''.

Personal info

Landis was born Marijane Louise Frey on August 3, 1928, in

. The daughter of Earle W. Frey and Miriam K. (Sauer) Grey, Landis' husband, Harry L. Landis, died in 1986. The couple's twin sons died shortly after birth in December 1950. She was survived by her daughter, Louise Cynthia "Cindy" Bonham; son-in-law, John; and a grandson, Michael. A resident of

Millersville, Pennsylvania Millersville is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 7,629 and in 2021 it was estimated at 7,593. Geography Millersville is located in central Lancaster County at (40.006148, -76.35134 ...

, Landis died on December 22, 2015, from undisclosed causes, aged 87.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Landis, Marijane 1928 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American women American television hosts American women television producers Television producers from Pennsylvania People from Millersville, Pennsylvania American women television presenters