Ranger Hal, Forever Young
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ม.ค. 2025
- Wherever you live, 60 or so years ago when television was young, one of its jobs was to give mom a break for while and entertain pre-school kids. Their idol may have been "Cowboy Bob" or "Sailor Sam" - "Capt Tug" or "Pick Temple"... across the land any of hundreds of guys and gals hosting the kids shows. For more than a dozen years in the D.C. area, one of the most popular was "Ranger Hal" on WTOP (now W*USA). We caught up with a retired Hal Shaw in 1985, dug some of his old shows out of the vault and this "Capital Edition" profile was the result. If memory serves, Stephanie Wilson produced this piece.
© 2019 Goldsmith Productions, LLC.
I was on Ranger Hal's show in the late 50's or early 60's, and as I remember for some reason I was the ONLY birthday child on that show! He was marvelous! So joyous, and so considerate toward children. A tremendous Light of optimism, goodwill, purity, and love. Filled and overflowing with good cheer! What a great service Mr. Shaw performed for not only hundreds of children, but for our country itself! I am 68 years of age now. I do so look forward to meeting him again in the Great, Glorious Tomorrow! Eternal joy to you Ranger Hal! You are in my heart forever!
Sorry. Only now came across your comment. Yes. He was most gracious and as you could see, he almost broke down just thinking about those days. A favorite interview and story. JG
Wel-l-l-l, maybe on *that* show you were. But I was the birthday kid when I went on in July 1958 and I won a bicycle. I couldn`t reach the pedals or the handlebar, so he held me up, wobbly on the seat, and kept whispering, "Look at the red dot," which I didn`t really understand was the camera. I was only five years old, and only just at that.
That kids show Ranger Hal was also aired on Post Newsweek's sister station WJXT Channel 4 in Jacksonville that lasted from 1958 til 1969!!!
RIP, Hal Shaw. Hal joined the then-WTOP-TV in 1957 as a fill-in for Pick Temple on his "Giant Ranch" (1951-58) as Ranger Harold when Temple
needed a vacation.
I met him and the rabbit at a charity football game in DC a long time ago.
Thank you for your comment. Only discovered it just now. I'm a poor caretaker of my TH-cam Channel but I'm pleased to bring back memories for folks. JG
Aren't we all. JG
My parents booked me on Ranger Hal in 1967 for my 6th birthday. The Six Day War broke out and my episode was preempted by news coverage and never aired. What a disappointment!
Definitely a bummer. Can relate. For me the disappointment was Pick Temple's Rangers. I just never got an answer.
I was on this show for my 5th birthday! Not only that, I won the drawing for the bike they gave away on the show. I would love to get a copy of that show (July 1958). I wrote to WTOP decades ago and they said they didn't keep any copies of the show. So...where did you get these clips and is there any way in the whole world that I could try to get a copy of "mine"?
Sorry. Only just found your comment. Since its been decades, I can't remember where I got the clips but probably from Harold Shaw himself. Although videotape came into use a year or so before 1958, the show was live and they probably would have rarely recorded it and even more rarely (like never) stored a reel of then extremely expensive videotape. You'll just have to keep replaying your memories. JG
Hal would be so disappointed in todays society
Here's a 2012 tribute to Ranger Hal by his family and friends: vimeo.com/38257524