''The Lorenzo Show'', also called ''Lorenzo and Friends'' and ''Lorenzo's Cartoon Festival'', was a children's television program starring Gerry Wheeler (1926-2013) that ran in several different

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

markets from the 1950s until the mid-1970s.

Background and broadcast history

Wheeler, a native of

Salado, Arkansas Salado is an Incorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Independence County, Arkansas, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 472. The Goff Petroglyph Site is located here. The sp ...

debuted the character of Lorenzo on KARK-TV in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, initially playing opposite hostess Pat Fontaine before getting his own program. He then moved on to KOTV in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

and in 1961 on KTVI in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He achieved his greatest fame, perhaps, at WJZ-TV in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

where he starred from 1962 until 1966, before moving on to

KYW-TV KYW-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside CW affiliate WPSG (channel 57 ...

in Philadelphia, where he stayed until the mid-1970s before retiring from television.Whatever happened to... Lorenzo the Tramp - Rugby League, California, Richard Gere - baltimoresun.com
/ref> The time in Philadelphia also saw the show being syndicated nationally, including Baltimore. While in Philadelphia, Bud Smith joined the show. Bud Smith played characters, Smythe the Magician, Pancho Villa and others. Away from Lorenzo and Friends, Smith was best known for his character, Rex Nern, the movie person.

Synopsis

A typical program always began the same way: Wheeler, in his street clothes, would speak directly to the audience as he sat in front of a makeup table and put on his costume and makeup to transform himself into the show's title character, Lorenzo. The crowning touch would be a battered

fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

which Wheeler would later claim to have worn on the show for 17 years. Lorenzo, a mute character similar to Emmett Kelly or Don Sandburg's Sandy the Tramp from

Bozo's Circus ''The Bozo Show'' was a locally produced children's television program that aired on WGN-TV in Chicago and nationally on what is now NewsNation. It was based on a children's record-book series, ''Bozo the Clown'' by Capitol Records. The serie ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, would then have his daily adventure, which usually revolved around him attempting to get a lollipop. In the rare instances when he got one, he would happily respond by dancing to

Yakety Sax "Yakety Sax" is a pop novelty instrumental jointly composed by James Q. "Spider" Rich and Boots Randolph. Saxophonist Randolph popularized the selection in his 1963 recording, which reached number 35 on the pop charts. Comedian Benny Hill later ...

Boots Randolph Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit "Yakety Sax" (which became Benny Hill's signature tune). Randolph was a major part of the "Nashville sound" for most o ...

. (This became known as the "Lorenzo Stomp"). Through the years, Wheeler also created other characters in speaking roles—Clarence the Country Boy (with his trademark "overbite" teeth, a sunflower corsage and a straw hat); Nevada Ned, (an Old West prospector type who sported a gray, handle-bar mustache with a blue bandanna tied around his neck); and Percy the Pirate.

References

External links

Profiled at Baltimore's CrabCityKidsTV.com

Lorenzo's Cartoon Festival - Open/Promo/Close/Epilogue (Video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorenzo Show 1950s American children's television series 1960s American children's television series 1970s American children's television series Local children's television programming in the United States