Research Catalog

Details

Description

1. .75 linear ft. (2 boxes)

Summary

1. Bolstad’s collection includes correspondence consisting of internal documents and memos, telegrams, notes and letters (including correspondence between Bolstad and Tillstrom), Bolstad’s writings - published and unpublished, press releases, promotional material, a photograph and ephemera on Burr Tillstrom, Fran Allison and the Kukla, Fran and Ollie television show, as well as clippings from magazines and newspapers. Many examples of drafts Bolstad prepared for publications are included and demonstrate her editing process--sometimes with documentation of input from Tillstrom from her editor at Radio and TV Mirror magazine. Her playfully written articles convey the essence of the characters that Tillstrom crafted.

Subject

1. Bolstad, Helen C., 1908-1983
2. Tillstrom, Burr, 1917-1985
3. Allison, Fran, 1907-1989
4. Zachary, Beulah, 1911-1959
5. WNBQ (Television station : Chicago, Ill.)
6. Kukla, Fran and Ollie (Television program)
7. Children’s television programs -- United States
8. Puppets.
9. Theater -- Production and direction

Genre/Form

1. Correspondence.
2. Clippings.
3. Notes (documents).
4. Printed ephemera.
5. Typescripts.

Call number

1. *T-Mss 2024-003

Source (note)

1. Helen C. Bolstad;

Biography (note)

1. Kukla, Fran and Ollie was an American television series airing primarily from 1947-1957. Puppeteer Burr Tillstrom created an hour-long television show called Junior Jamboree, which aired on local network WBKB Chicago in 1947. In 1948, the show moved to WNBQ Chicago (later known as WMAQ-TV) and the name changed to Kukla, Fran and Ollie. The show won a Peabody Award in 1949. It centered mainly around Kukla, which means “doll” in Russian, the head of the tight-knit group known as the ‘Kuklapolitans’; Ollie, a precocious dragon; and Fran, the gentle big sister-type and human character of the troupe. There were other characters in the group: Beulah Witch, Fletcher Rabbit, Madame Ooglepus, Cecil Bill, Colonel Crackie, Dolores Dragon, Mercedes and a few others. The show was just as popular with adults as it was with children. It had a brief re-airing in the late 1960s and again in the late 1970s - each time for a season or so but was eventually canceled indefinitely. Tillstrom took his show’s characters to Broadway in the late 1970s and did some touring before his death in 1985. The concept of having puppets playing against a human was novel and the improvisational style of the show was a unique format at the time. It became a national phenomenon beyond children’s television programming, garnering popularity from Hollywood celebrities to politicians.

Author

1. Bolstad, Helen Cambria.

Title

1. Helen C. Bolstad papers on Burr Tillstrom, 1948-1962.

Biography

1. Helen Cambria Bolstad (1908-1983) was born in Minnesota. Bolstad was an American journalist, active primarily from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s. Bolstad mostly chronicled figures in entertainment. She was a copyeditor for Radio and TV Mirror magazine. She covered the press surrounding the popular television program Kukla, Fran and Ollie, which ran from 1947-1957 on NBC and ABC, although her precise affiliation with the NBC and ABC TV and radio networks is not clear. In 1960, she wrote a book titled The Golden Skates: The Story of Carol Heiss, Teen-age Champion.
2. Burr Tillstrom (né Franklin Burr Tillstrom) (1917-1985) was born in Chicago, Illinois. Tillstrom was an American puppeteer and entertainer who pioneered the first hour-long, 5 days a week television program for children that combined puppets with people. While attending the University of Chicago, Tillstrom got his start in puppetry through a Works Progress Administration-sponsored program to create a show using marionettes. He created the popular Kukla, Fran and Ollie show that aired on the RCA Victor, NBC and ABC networks. The show ran from 1947-1957. Tillstrom was inducted posthumously into the Television Hall of Fame in 1986 and into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2013.
3. Kukla, Fran and Ollie was an American television series airing primarily from 1947-1957. Puppeteer Burr Tillstrom created an hour-long television show called Junior Jamboree, which aired on local network WBKB Chicago in 1947. In 1948, the show moved to WNBQ Chicago (later known as WMAQ-TV) and the name changed to Kukla, Fran and Ollie. The show won a Peabody Award in 1949. It centered mainly around Kukla, which means “doll” in Russian, the head of the tight-knit group known as the ‘Kuklapolitans’; Ollie, a precocious dragon; and Fran, the gentle big sister-type and human character of the troupe. There were other characters in the group: Beulah Witch, Fletcher Rabbit, Madame Ooglepus, Cecil Bill, Colonel Crackie, Dolores Dragon, Mercedes and a few others. The show was just as popular with adults as it was with children. It had a brief re-airing in the late 1960s and again in the late 1970s - each time for a season or so but was eventually canceled indefinitely. Tillstrom took his show’s characters to Broadway in the late 1970s and did some touring before his death in 1985. The concept of having puppets playing against a human was novel and the improvisational style of the show was a unique format at the time. It became a national phenomenon beyond children’s television programming, garnering popularity from Hollywood celebrities to politicians.

Access

1. Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Source

1. Gift; Helen C. Bolstad; unknown date.

Connect to:

1. Request Access to Theatre Division Special Collections material

Research call number

1. *T-Mss 2024-003