Howdy Doody - Actors

Actors

There also were several human characters, most notably the mute Clarabell the Clown, who communicated by honking horns on his belt and squirting seltzer, J. Cornelius Cobb and Chief Thunderthud, head of the Ooragnak tribe of Native Americans (kangaroo spelled backward). Edward Kean originated Thunderthud's greeting "Kowabonga!" Princess Summerfall Winterspring was originally played by actress Judy Tyler. The characters inhabited the fictional town of Doodyville. Several characters (including Ugly Sam, the world's worst wrestler, and Pierre the Chef) were also voiced by comedian and voice actor Dayton Allen, who later went on to become a cast regular on NBC's primetime The Steve Allen Show. The Howdy show's non-televised rehearsals were renowned for including considerable double-entendre dialogue between the cast members (particularly the witty Dayton Allen) and the puppet characters.

Late in life, Bob Smith befriended New York-based fan Jack Roth, who was already quite familiar with Smith's gallery of puppet characters. Since Smith's death in 1998, both Roth and actor/puppeteer Alan Semok (who was tasked by Smith to re-create the marionnette) have provided the voice for Howdy Doody in some TV appearances and live venues.

Clarabell was first played by Bob Keeshan, who continued in that role until 1952. Keeshan was fired after a salary dispute and later became Captain Kangaroo at CBS. At the end of the final episode, telecast on September 24, 1960, Clarabell (then played by jazz musician Lew Anderson) broke his series-long silence to say the final words of the final broadcast: "Goodbye, kids." Lew Anderson followed Nick Nicholson, who also played Doodyville's J. Cornelius Cobb.