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360:. Jackson, playing the mayor of the town, featured his existing puppet character, Dirty Dragon, as well as several new ones named "Weird", "Wally Goodscout", "Mother Plumtree", and "The Old Professor". Some of the new puppet characters were based on his former Unionville neighbors, while the character "Weird" was based on a Chicago friend. He also introduced a character called "Blob" which was made of clay and could, with Jackson's ad-hoc scultping, assume any form.
333:(Sunday morning version). This show broadcast for two seasons. Jackson played the title character, Freckles the Clown; although many of the puppet characters continued to appear on later series, Jackson usually played himself (or "B.J.", as his puppet co-stars called him) throughout the remainder of his career.
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In a 2001 interview, Jackson expressed some frustration at seemingly not being able to fit into the criteria established for children's programming on network television. He said, "I am not "teachy" enough for PBS and am not considered worthy enough for
Nickelodeon." At the end of its three-year run,
381:. The show was broadcast for five years on WFLD, but ended after the station's owner, Field Communications, sold an interest to Kaiser Broadcasting, and Kaiser reduced local productions on its group of stations. The final WFLD episode (#1311) was broadcast July 27, 1973; one month later,
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was syndicated nationally, and reruns continued to air on WLS in
Chicago through 1985. Several episodes were released by Karl-Lorimar Home Video in the 1980s in a series of six volumes, one of which consisted of two holiday specials Jackson produced in California after he left Chicago:
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in 1975, which brought most of the old
Cartoon Town characters back, plus a few new creations. Produced and broadcast by WLS-TV, Chicago's ABC affiliate, the show ran for three seasons. Jackson said his inspiration for the show was
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In later years, Jackson continued living in
California with his wife and started a website to sell DVDs of his old programs online. While his shows were on the air, Jackson received two
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Jackson wrote and produced the show, performed all of the puppet characters' voices, and built and designed the sets and puppets. The show featured a variety of cartoons, including
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487:, "Saturday Morning with B.J. and Dirty Dragon: Bill Jackson, Live in Person—One Last Time", in December 2009. He indicated this would be his last time appearing as a performer.
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219:(September 15, 1935 – January 17, 2022) was an American television personality, cartoonist, and educator. He was best known for having hosted the children's programs
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375:(the early 1960s made-for-TV King Features version), "Out of the Inkwell" (the made-for-TV version produced by Hal Seeger) and
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261:'s school of journalism with a degree in television production in 1957, but did not get interested in puppetry until later.
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Silver Circle. Ten years earlier, he had donated all his original puppets to
Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications.
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1003:"B.J. and Dirty Dragon's Bill Jackson to Revisit the Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television with LIVE Performance"
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Meanwhile, Jackson began commuting between
Chicago and New York, where he produced and hosted another local show,
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that featured his
Gigglesnort Hotel characters. When the show was not picked up he left television to teach at
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1125:"Obituary: Bill Jackson, Chicago children's TV host known for 'BJ and the Dirty Dragon,' dies at 86"
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His earliest appearance in children's television was in 1960 when he hosted a program in
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for the best locally produced children's show in the United States, as well as local
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episodes were not preserved. Jackson also appeared for a presentation for the
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926:. Chicago chapter-National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 1971–1972
896:. Chicago chapter-National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 1976–1977
866:. Chicago chapter-National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 1977–1978
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Jackson greets viewers at a personal appearance at a
Chicago area mall, 1969.
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1099:"Bill Jackson, creative mind behind Dirty Dragon and the Blob, dead at 86"
479:. Jackson said in an interview when the DVD was released that many of the
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Jackson and his puppets next appeared in the educationally-themed program
385:(now in a new setting of "Carefree Corners") began a one-year run on WGN.
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983:. Chicago chapter-National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 2005
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Jackson was then hired by another
Chicago station, the then-independent
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1005:. Museum of Broadcast Communications. November 12, 2009. Archived from
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837:. National Associates of Television Program Executives. Archived from
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1077:"Bill Jackson, mainstay of Chicago children's television, dies at 86"
1030:"Bill Jackson, mainstay of Chicago children's television, dies at 86"
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based on the small town where he grew up. The show was later renamed
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421:. Jackson then developed a program in 1979–1980, his last, called
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Hi There, Boys and Girls! America's Local
Children's TV Programs
1055:"Remembering Chicago children's television legend Bill Jackson"
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In 2005, Jackson became a member of the Chicago chapter of the
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in Hollywood. It was there that he created his first puppets.
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for the School of Film/Video for 12 years, retiring in 1990.
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690:"B. J. and Dirty Dragon remembered with new DVD documentary"
350:. Jackson responded in 1968 with a program initially called
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shortly before his death, but was released. He died in
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Remembering Cartoon Town and B.J. & Dirty Dragon
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257:being his favorites. Jackson graduated from the
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585:. Toonarific. April 1, 2001. Archived from
16:American television personality (1935–2022)
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1212:Thanks to TV Party.com for the information
317:Jackson's work attracted the attention of
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815:. Illinois Entertainer. October 30, 2009
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716:"The Clown Prince of Chicago Kiddie TV"
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475:. In 2009, he produced a documentary,
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981:"Bill Jackson-Silver Circle Honorees"
951:"Bill Jackson-Silver Circle Honorees"
309:, based on a friend in Indianapolis.
243:. His father worked with a traveling
790:. TV Week-Chicago Tribune. p. 6
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461:for the shows and his role in them.
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1162:. University Press of Mississippi.
1028:Richards, Dean (January 18, 2022).
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1476:Bozo, Gar and Ray: WGN TV Classics
688:Potempa, Phillip (July 26, 2011).
485:Museum of Broadcast Communications
264:His first broadcasting job was at
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1508:American television personalities
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714:Buckner, Scott (April 28, 2010).
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291:for another three years with the
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533:Caro, Mark (October 1, 2009).
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394:The BJ & Dirty Dragon Show
383:The BJ & Dirty Dragon Show
285:Popeye and Little Rascals Club
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1523:University of Missouri alumni
1057:. WGN Radio. January 18, 2022
1469:The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show
813:"Last Chance To Gigglesnort"
616:The Only Kid on the Carnival
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473:The Only Kid on the Carnival
357:The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show
222:The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show
141:The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show
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614:Jackson, Bill, ed. (2008).
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718:. The Beachwood Reporter
583:"Bill Jackson Interview"
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440:Billy Joe's Thanksgiving
694:NorthWest Indiana Times
501:Paso Robles, California
80:Paso Robles, California
1455:Ray Rayner and Friends
283:, Indiana, called the
259:University of Missouri
1441:Kukla, Fran and Ollie
1284:Children's television
1227:BJ & Dirty Dragon
921:"Chicago Emmy Awards"
891:"Chicago Emmy Awards"
861:"Chicago Emmy Awards"
329:(weekday version) or
303:The Bill Jackson Show
235:Early life and career
121:The Bill Jackson Show
1154:Hollis, Tim (2001).
1148:General bibliography
592:on November 19, 2017
444:Salute To The Turkey
378:George of the Jungle
274:Armed Forces Network
241:Unionville, Missouri
239:Jackson was born in
117:(local-Indianapolis)
61:Unionville, Missouri
1009:on December 5, 2010
788:"Firehouse Follies"
673:, pp. 139–141.
641:, pp. 139–140.
535:"Master of puppets"
331:Here Comes Freckles
131:Here Comes Freckles
1131:. January 19, 2022
1105:. January 24, 2022
344:'s highly popular
57:September 15, 1935
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1427:Gigglesnort Hotel
1192:978-1-893-12117-1
1169:978-1-578-06396-3
625:978-0-595-51748-0
590:(Wayback Machine)
448:A Gift For Granny
435:Gigglesnort Hotel
423:Firehouse Follies
411:Gigglesnort Hotel
398:A Gift For Granny
301:), later renamed
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1174:Project MUSE
1172:– via
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1133:. Retrieved
1129:ABC7 Chicago
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1007:the original
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792:. Retrieved
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25:Bill Jackson
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1503:2022 deaths
1498:1935 births
1135:January 22,
1109:January 24,
1083:January 20,
1061:January 19,
930:January 22,
900:January 22,
870:January 22,
740:Hollis 2001
656:Hollis 2001
596:January 22,
544:January 23,
455:Iris Awards
327:Clown Alley
255:Donald Duck
126:Clown Alley
1492:Categories
1362:Ray Rayner
767:. TV Party
390:BJ's Bunch
281:Fort Wayne
250:Li'l Abner
146:BJ's Bunch
53:1935-09-15
1352:Ned Locke
1322:Roy Brown
1039:April 23,
794:April 24,
507:Citations
1347:Rich Koz
1312:Bob Bell
1243:Archived
497:COVID-19
366:Underdog
245:carnival
165:Stations
1288:Chicago
323:Chicago
319:WBBM-TV
313:Chicago
197:WNBC-TV
182:WBBM-TV
1295:Actors
1189:
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1034:WGN-TV
622:
442:--aka
372:Popeye
342:WGN-TV
202:WLS-TV
192:WGN-TV
97:Career
88:Spouse
82:, U.S.
63:, U.S.
954:(PDF)
924:(PDF)
894:(PDF)
864:(PDF)
491:Death
459:Emmys
1221:IMDb
1187:ISBN
1164:ISBN
1137:2022
1111:2022
1085:2022
1063:2022
1041:2023
1015:2011
989:2011
962:2011
932:2022
902:2022
872:2022
847:2011
821:2011
796:2015
773:2011
724:2011
701:2011
620:ISBN
598:2022
546:2021
338:WFLD
299:WTHR
266:KTVO
253:and
225:and
187:WFLD
177:WLWI
172:KTVO
103:Show
69:Died
43:Born
1286:in
1219:at
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