Sleepless in Nostalgia

I consider myself lucky in that I usually have no problem sleeping. Last night was an exception. I've been up since 3am. With less than 4 hours in the arms of Morpheus, I do feel a little punch-drunk. Thanks to caffeine, and up-coming weekend adrenaline, I endeavor to persevere.  

 Not wanting to wake my partner, I went downstairs to ruminate and contemplate. Sitting in the predawn darkness, my thoughts went not to the metaphysical nor the aesthetic, but to the inane. I reminisced about an obscure puppet show of my youth, Bertie the Bunyip. 

A bunyip is an Australian aboriginal mythological creature. This children's show puppet was created by Lee Dexter. He described the bunyip as a creature made with God's leftovers - the bill of a platypus, the ears of a kangaroo, the nose and fur of a dingo. My favorite character of course was the sly villain, Sir Guy de Guy. Even at an early age my sartorial sense showed. I just loved the fox's grey top hat, cape and Western bow tie.

Bertie first appeared on the Lunch with Uncle Pete kids' show on Channel 3 in Philadelphia. Uncle Pete was Francis Xavier Boyle, a cartoonist/artist and early TV personality. His son is actor, Peter Boyle. As Chuck Wagon Pete, he hosted a Western show, Six Gun Cinema.

Twas on this show I first experienced the old Gene Autry movie serial, The Phantom Empire. Thus began my proclivity for Scully shirts and singing cowboys.

By the early 60s, cartoons like Popeye and Tom Terrific paired with Three Stooges reruns replaced home-grown offerings like Bertie. These needed no production; ergo, they were cheaper for the stations. But on my rare sleepless nights, memories of Bertie, Fussy and Gussy and Sir Guy de Guy maintain my mental meditations. Plus, they provide fodder for my blog. As ever - BB

"But three, now, Christ, three A.M.! Doctors say the body’s at low tide then. The soul is out. The blood moves slow." - Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes