Before the age of Sesame Street and Nickelodeon, there was Sally Starr.

 

All afternoon kids' TV shows were local then, and every city had its own pantheon of kid show hosts. Philadelphians who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s will always remember Sally Starr, the beloved blonde, pistol-packin' cowgirl in a white hat. 

 

Sally really did come from the Wild West (Kansas City), and her legal name really was Sally Starr. A country music radio performer from the age of 12, she branched out into TV in 1950 as the host of Philadelphia’s Popeye Theater.

 

With a friendly “All righty roony!” Sally Starr treated an entire generation of Delaware Valley baby boomers to 21 years of Popeye and The Three Stooges, as well as visits from Dick Clark, Jerry Lewis, Colonel Sanders, and even Chief Halftown (another Philly kid show star), and showbiz cowboys Roy Rogers, Chuck Connors, and Gene Autry.

 

Sally also appealed to our sweet tooth, introducing us to the wonders of Hires Root Beer, Dunkin Donuts (she opened Philadelphia’s first franchise), and Bosco Chocolate Syrup. She sweetened lives in more important ways too, with countless hours of charity work and in-person appearances all over the Delaware Valley to benefit hospitalized children and those with disabilities.

 

In 1965 Sally earned a role (as did TV kid show hosts from several other cities) in The Three Stooges’ very last feature movie, The Outlaws Is Coming. It was the Stooges’ way of thanking the kid show hosts for reviving their popularity. Co-starring in the movie was a young actor named Adam West, who would take the country by storm as TV’s Batman the following year.