Gigglesnort Hotel is a syndicated children's television program which ran for 78 episodes between 1975 and 1978. It was hosted by Bill Jackson, previously the host of several Chicago-based children's programs including Clown Alley and The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show. The program was set, as the title implies, at an old hotel, where Jackson's role was a desk clerk.[1] The program featured many of the characters from the previous show, including Dirty Dragon, the Old Professor, Weird, Old Mother Plumtree, and several others who were created just for the program, such as the hotel's owner, Old Man Gigglesnort.[2][3][4][5]
| Gigglesnort Hotel | |
|---|---|
 Desk clerk Bill Jackson and Dirty Dragon at the front desk of the Gigglesnort Hotel | |
| Genre | Children's program |
| Created by | Bill Jackson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Original release | |
| Network | WLS-TV |
| Release | 1975 – 1978 |
The show was widely praised by critics, and it became one of the highest-rated children's shows in WLS-TV history.[1][6][7] It was syndicated in 1978, airing in several markets nationwide as well as Canada, Italy, and Saudi Arabia.[8]
Jackson made a final appearance for a presentation for the Museum of Broadcast Communications, "Saturday Morning with B.J. and Dirty Dragon: Bill Jackson, Live in Person—One Last Time", in December 2009, saying this would be his last time appearing as a performer.[9][10] In 1995, he donated all his original puppets to Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Bill Jackson Interview". Toonarific. 1 April 2001. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ Caro, Mark (1 October 2009). "Catching up with local children's TV legend Bill Jackson". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ Okuda & Mulqueen 2004, p. 149.
- ^ a b Hollis 2001, p. 105.
- ^ Blecha, Karen Rugen (August 20, 1978). "Sunday Morning a World Apart From Saturday Kid Shows". TV Week-Chicago Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- ^ "Chicago Emmy Awards" (PDF). Chicago chapter-National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 1977–1978. Retrieved 13 February 2011.(PDF)
- ^ "Chicago Emmy Awards" (PDF). Chicago chapter-National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 1976–1977. Retrieved 13 February 2011.(PDF)
- ^ "Cartoon Town, BJ and Dirty Dragon". Chicago Television. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- ^ "Last Chance To Gigglesnort". Illinois Entertainer. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- ^ "B.J. and Dirty Dragon's Bill Jackson to Revisit the Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television with LIVE Performance". Museum of Broadcast Communications. 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
Bibliography
edit- Hollis, Tim (2001). Hi There, Boys and Girls! America's Local Children's TV Programs. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-578-06396-3. via Project MUSE (subscription required)
- Okuda, Ted; Mulqueen, Jack (2004). The Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television. Lake Claremont Press. ISBN 978-1-893-12117-1.
External links
edit- Gigglesnort Hotel at IMDb
- DirtyDragon.com
- Gigglesnort Hotel at TVParty!
- RealLans.com—Blog entries from one of the puppeteers
- BJ & Dirty Dragon Photo Gallery Chicago Tribune