No Strings Attached To Howdy Doody Judge Rules Original Puppet Belongs To The Detroit Institute Of Art HARTFORD Conn Jan 25 2001 http www cbsnews com stories 2001 01 25 entertainment main267086 shtml Buffalo Bob Smith and Howdy Doody AP AP The original Howdy Doody puppet belongs with the Detroit Institute of Arts no strings attached a federal judge ruled The ruling settles a dispute between the museum and the family of Rufus Rose the puppeteer of Howdy Doody over who owns the 1950s television star The ruling was dated Tuesday and issued publicly Thursday The Detroit Institute of Arts claimed that Rose who died in 1975 promised to give the original Howdy Doody to the museum The Rose family argued that no such promise was ever made and that the grinning freckle faced puppet they have may not even be the original Several copies of Howdy Doody were made including a stunt Double Doody The puppet in question estimated to be worth 50 000 is being stored in a bank vault in Rhode Island U S District Judge Christopher Droney found that letters between Rose and NBC showed that Rose intended for the museum to have Howdy Doody for its extensive puppet collection Although there may be a question as to whether this Howdy Doody puppet was exactly the same in 1960 after the wear and tear of over 2 000 shows there is no question that the puppet now in the Rhode Island bank and subject to this case is the same that existed at the end of the show Droney ruled The museum which also houses Punch and Judy Kermit the Frog and other puppets said it was pleased with the ruling Along with our many historic puppets Howdy Doody will be cared for under the highest standards of museum conservation and will be exhibited for the enjoyment of the public museum director Graham Beal said The Rose family is deciding whether to appeal said their lawyer Mark Block Naturally we re disappointed with the decision We ll take a good hard look at it Block said Court TV Updated May 4 2000 3 18 p m ET http www courttv com archive people 2000 0504 howdy ap html It s federal lawsuit time over Howdy Doody HARTFORD Conn AP Say kids what time is it It s federal lawsuit time Representatives from a Detroit museum and the family of the Connecticut puppeteer who created Howdy Doody the freckled faced marionette that entertained millions of American children in the 1950s are set to meet Friday in court in Hartford to try to resolve an ownership dispute over the Doodyville cowboy Both sides have asked U S District Judge Christopher Droney to decide the case without a trial The Detroit Institute of Arts contends NBC and puppeteer Rufus Rose intended to donate the original marionette to the museum s puppet collection The Rose family argues that Rose did think about leaving the doll to the museum but was not legally obligated to do so and left no such provision in his will In any case the Rose family says the Howdy it has is not even the original It says the original s whereabouts are unknown The Howdy in dispute is stored in a bank safe deposit box in the meantime but the Rose family won t say where Museum attorney Stuart Rosen warned that the Rose family is planning to sell the doll which has been appraised at 50 000 At the Detroit museum which contains more than 850 puppets from around the world they know how to deal with puppets of this vintage Rosen said From 1947 to 1960 NBC aired more than 2 500 live episodes of the show Buffalo Bob Smith Howdy Clarabell the mute clown and other characters from Doodyville U S A were a regular part of the lives of millions of baby boomers Buffalo Bob would shout Say kids what time is it and the Peanut Gallery the kiddie studio audience would scream It s Howdy Doody time Rufus Rose and his wife Margaret created the original Howdy Doody puppet and replicas of it at their design studio in Waterford Copies were taken on the road and one was bequeathed in 1980 to the Smithsonian Institution Rose died in 1975 Howdy Doody Custody Battle Art Museum Puppeteer Wanted to Donate Howdy HARTFORD Connecticut http www cbsnews com stories 2000 05 05 entertainment main192407 shtml Buffalo Bob Smith with Howdy Doody AP AP Howdy Doody got his day in court Friday but it will be at least a couple more weeks before the custody battle over the frecklefaced puppet is decided U S District Judge Christopher Droney heard from a Detroit museum and the family of the Connecticut couple that pulled Howdy Doody s strings on the classic TV show which entertained millions of American children from 1947 through 1960 The Detroit Institute of Arts contends NBC and puppeteer Rufus Rose planned to donate the original marionette to its puppet collection The museum has sued Rose s family who claim there was never a legal agreement for the puppet to go to the museum At Friday s hearing Droney questioned whether Rufus Rose had legitimate ownership of Howdy Doody And he noted that there may be no original puppet since several Howdy Doodys were made and heads hands and feet were changed from time to time A lawyer for the Rose family argued that while Rose may have vaguely intended at one point to donate Howdy to the museum he never formalized his intention and later changed his mind That was Rufus plan but he never fulfilled this or any plan in his lifetime said the Rose family s lawyer Mark Block We believe the Rose family is the owner and has the right to do with the puppet whatever it wishes Asked by reporters about the whereabouts of the disputed Howdy Block said the puppet is esconced in a bank vault in Rhode Island resting comfortably The judge gave lawyers two weeks to submit written arguments No date was set for a ruling The Howdy Doody Show was the nation s first ever nationally broadcast children s television program and NBC aired more than 2 500 live episodes of the show with Howdy Buffalo Bob Smith Clarabell the mute clown and other characters from Doodyville U S A Buffalo Bob would shout Say kids what time is it and the kiddie studio audience would scream It s Howdy Doody time The puppet was designed by Velma Dawson and operated by Rose and his wife Margaret on the television show Copies of the puppet were taken on the road and one was bequeathed in 1980 to the Smithsonian Institution Rose died in 1975 and his widow died in 1997 Custody battle has Howdy Doody in tugof war By Brigitte Greenberg Associated Press writer NEW HAVEN Conn Howdy Doody the freckle faced puppet that entertained millions of American children in the 1950s is
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