J. P. Patches Explained

Alt Name:The J. P. Patches Show
Creator:Chris Wedes
Starring:Chris Wedes
Bob Newman
Country:United States
Network:KIRO-TV
Network2:KCTS-TV
First Aired:[1]
Last Aired:[2] [3]
Released2:[4]
Num Seasons:24
Num Episodes:around 12,000

Julius Pierpont "J. P." Patches was a clown and the main character on The J. P. Patches Show, an Emmy Award-winning local children's television show on Seattle station KIRO-TV, produced from 1958 to 1981. J.P. Patches was played by show creator and Seattle children's entertainer Chris Wedes (April 3, 1928 – July 22, 2012). When the show ended in 1981, The J. P. Patches Show was one of the longest-running locally produced children's television programs in the United States.[5] [6]

The J. P. Patches Show

The J. P. Patches Show was on TV for a total of 23 years. For the first thirteen years it was on six days a week, twice per day on weekdays (before and after school) plus Saturday mornings[7] from Monday, February 10, 1958, through Saturday, December 26, 1970. For the next eight years, the show aired mornings only, six days a week, Monday, December 28, 1970, through Saturday, December 30, 1978. For the final two years, the show ran exclusively on Saturday mornings, January 6, 1979 through September 19, 1981. The following week, five special episodes, retrospectives and farewells, ran from Monday, September 21 through Friday, September 25, 1981—and then it was over. The J.P. Patches Show broadcast an estimated 12,000 episodes—almost all of them totally live and unrehearsed .[8]

The show premiered on February 10, 1958, on KIRO-TV. The show was immensely popular in the Puget Sound area and southwestern British Columbia; at the peak of its run, the program had a daily local viewership of over 100,000. It was enjoyed not only by children but also their parents, who appreciated J. P.'s frequent use of double entendre (G-rated) and sly subversiveness that mostly went over the kids' heads.[9] Two generations of Pacific Northwest viewers grew up as "Patches Pals", sharing the joyful zany antics of J.P. with their kids. Patches Pals were reminded every show to follow the Patches Pals daily checklist:

The J. P. Patches Show competed with two other local children's shows, Captain Puget on KOMO-TV,[10] and Wunda Wunda[11] and King's Klubhouse, both on KING-TV.[12] Captain Kangaroo, CBS's own long-running children's show, saw its first half-hour preempted by KIRO-TV in favor of J.P. Patches.

After 23 years, KIRO-TV cancelled the show because of declining ratings, and the final episode was broadcast on September 25, 1981. After the show ended, Wedes continued to portray J.P. at many public and private charity events for another thirty years[13] despite suffering in later years from incurable (but in remission) blood cancer.[14] [15] Wedes spent many hours visiting sick children at Seattle Children's Hospital in Laurelhurst, never asking to be paid. In 2011, due to declining health, Wedes announced that his final public appearance as J. P. would be on September 17, 2011, fifty-six years after first donning the face paint.[16] On December 14, 2011, a prime time special was aired on KCTS-TV titled J. P. Patches: Last Night at the City Dump, which was meant to serve as a farewell to the character. On July 22, 2012, at 84 years of age, Chris Wedes died after a long battle with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.[17]

Premise

The show was live, unrehearsed improv with rarely more than two live actors on the set (Wedes and Bob Newman), but with frequent contributions from the sound effects man and off-camera crew.[18] J. P. was the "Mayor of the City Dump", where he lived in a shack, the inside of which was the appropriately rough but colorfully-furnished studio set. He welcomed frequent guests: Seattle boy scout and girl scout troops, various local and national celebrities (see below), and his cast of supporting characters: Sturdley the Bookworm (a puppet), Esmerelda (portrayed by a Raggedy Ann doll), Ketchikan the Animal Man (a sort of Jack Hanna character), Boris S. Wort (the "second meanest man in the world"), LeRoy Frump (a character obviously based on Art Carney's Ed Norton), Tikey Turkey (a rubber chicken), Grandpa Tick Tock (a grandfather clock with an elderly face where the pendulum would be), The Swami of Pastrami, Ggoorrsstt the Friendly Frpl (a one-eyed brown shag carpet), Miss Smith (a motorcycle riding delivery woman who told mostly awful jokes), Superclown (a JP like superhero), J. P.'s evil counterpart P. J. Scratches (per official site I.M. Rags), and J. P.'s girlfriend, Gertrude. The show's entire supporting cast, male and female, human or non-human, was mostly played by the versatile actor Bob Newman.

Bob Newman

Bob Newman (born January 24, 1932, on Mercer Island, Washington) initially started at KIRO-TV as a film-editor and floor director in 1960, two years into J.P.'s run. He used to hang around the set, just to watch the fun. One of J. P.'s bits was to call the city dump telephone operator Gertrude on a big yellow banana phone, although Gertrude herself was never seen or heard. One day, after J. P. asked Gertrude for a ham sandwich for a picnic, Newman yelled out, in a falsetto voice, "Okay Julius, I'll send it right down." Wedes was as surprised as everyone else, and from that day forward Newman became Gertrude, with his falsetto voice, frumpy dress and a wig made from a mop dyed red. J. P. got his "ham sandwich," as Bob Newman was willing to do anything for a laugh and proved to be the perfect foil for Wedes' improvisational comedy. He provided over 17 characters for the show[19] and remained a faithful friend to Chris Wedes for the rest of his life.[20] Newman died on December 13, 2020.[21]

ICU2TV

J. P. announced the birthdays of selected Patches Pals by "viewing" them on his "ICU2TV," a cardboard hood that created the illusion that J. P. was looking at you from inside your television. He predicted where a gift might be hidden in the child's house with amazing accuracy (with the never-mentioned assistance of a postcard from a parent). The sound effect used was the same, distinctive ringtone of Lloyd Cramden's "presidential hotline" telephone in Our Man Flint.

Famous guests on TV show

Origin

Broadcaster Daryl Laub created the J. P. Patches character in 1953 for WTCN-TV in Minneapolis. When he left WTCN in 1955 for KSTP-TV, Chris Wedes (pronounced WEE-dus) took over the character from that point on. Wedes appeared on several WTCN programs. Besides J.P., his most notable character was Joe the Cook, a sidekick to host Roger Awsumb as Case Jones on WTCN's Lunch with Casey. Wedes brought J. P. with him when he moved to Seattle in 1958 to become KIRO-TV's first floor director. In addition to the long-running TV show, J. P. Patches made frequent fundraising appearances for local charities. He was a common sight at Children's Hospital, visiting sick kids and promoting the work of the hospital.

Late for the Interurban statue

On August 17, 2008, a bronze statue of J. P. and Gertrude was unveiled on North 34th Street, about 250 feet east of the intersection with Fremont Avenue North, in the Fremont section of Seattle.[22] The unveiling date was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the J. P. Patches show.[23] The statue is called Late for the Interurban by sculptor Kevin Pettelle[24] and is approximately east of Waiting for the Interurban. The unveiling was attended by hundreds of Patches' Pals, including Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, Congressman Jim McDermott, King County Executive Ron Sims, and several members of the county and city councils; both Chris Wedes (J. P. Patches) and Bob Newman (Gertrude) were present. The event was emceed by Pat Cashman, and the keynote address was given by Wedes' 16-year-old granddaughter, Christina Frost.[25]

Merchandise and Videos

Popular culture

See also

Video

Bibliography

Stein referenced Jack Broom, "The J.P. Generation", Pacific Magazine, The Seattle Times, 4 April 1993, pp. 6-11,14-17;

Bill Cartmel, "Hi Ya, Patches Pals", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11 April 1971, pp. 6-7;

Erik Lacitis, "Patches Understands  - and Survives", The Seattle Times, 23 February 1978, p. A15;

[no title], The East Side Journal, 31 May 1962, p. 3; Ibid. 14 May 1969, p. 19.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 58th Anniversary of the First Show . jppatches.com . dead . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170913135227/http://www.jppatches.com/58th-anniv-first-show/ . September 13, 2017 .
  2. Web site: Iconic TV clown J.P. Patches dies at 84 . Daybert . Amy . July 22, 2012 . hearldnet.com . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191123135237/https://www.heraldnet.com/news/iconic-tv-clown-j-p-patches-dies-at-84/ . November 23, 2019 .
  3. Web site: Seattle's most memorable live TV . Banel . Felicks . November 25, 2009 . crosscut.com . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171215222429/http://crosscut.com/2009/11/seattles-most-memorable-live-tv/ . December 15, 2017 .
  4. Web site: KCTS 9 To Air "J.P. Patches: Last Night at the City Dump" . seattle.cbslocal.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315140542/http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2011/12/12/kcts-9-to-air-j-p-patches-last-night-at-the-city-dump/ . March 15, 2012 . January 16, 2020.
  5. Web site: HistoryLink Essay: Patches, Julius Pierpont . 2006-05-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060524174417/http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5344 . 2006-05-24 . live .
  6. Longer running local children's shows include The Bozo Show on WGN (1960—2001) and The Magic Window (1951—94) on WOI.
  7. News: Long-running TV clown marks 50 years since debut . Wikinews . 15 February 2008 . 2018-04-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180421031553/https://en.m.wikinews.org/wiki/Long-running_TV_clown_marks_50_years_since_debut . 2018-04-21 . live .
  8. Web site: The OFFICIAL website of Seattle's Favorite Clown! . jppatches.com . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191005000719/http://jppatches.com/ . October 5, 2019 .
  9. Stein
  10. Web site: McCune, Don (1918-1993) . historylink.org . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160624150210/http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=3468 . June 24, 2016 .
  11. Web site: Prins, Ruth B. (b. 1920) . historylink.org . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160518032914/http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9355 . May 18, 2016 .
  12. Web site: Boreson, Stan (1925-2017) . historylink.org . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160604111203/http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8553 . June 4, 2016 .
  13. such as at the PNE in Vancouver in August 2007 and Roslyn Coal Miner Days in 2006
  14. News: An ill J.P. Patches will appear at waterfront Halloween party . . October 24, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071027115156/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003970131_patches24.html . October 27, 2007 .
  15. Web site: J.P. Patches.com.Co.Inc.Ltd.International . 1647 . sic . "J.P.'s }} ]. JPPatches . 2006-04-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060323043521/http://www.jppatches.com/shows.htm . 2006-03-23 . and licenses J. P. Patches merchandise.Web site: JPPatches . 2005 . J.P. Patches . Home > Pacific Northwest Shop > J.P. Patches . Channel 9 Corporation . 2006-04-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060323043441/http://www.jppatches.com/store.htm . 2006-03-23 .
    Web site: J.P. Patches.com.Co.Inc.Ltd.International . 1647 . sic . Patches Pal News . 2006 appearances, inclusive. . JPPatches . 2006-04-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060409132849/http://www.jppatches.com/jpnews.htm . 2006-04-09 .
  16. News: J.P. Patches' last public appearance is Saturday . . September 15, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111104223930/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016210142_patches15m.html?prmid=head_main . November 4, 2011 .
  17. News: Broom. Jack. Obituary: "J.P. Patches," Seattle's beloved TV clown. 22 July 2012. The Seattle Times. 22 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20160108063458/http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituary-jp-patches-seattles-beloved-tv-clown/. 8 January 2016. live.
  18. (1)Web site: StevenL . 2005-11-13 . OlyBlog, Evergroove Trivia pt. 37 . OlyBlog.net . 2006-04-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928135926/http://www.olyblog.net/evergroove37 . 2007-09-28 .
    (2) Wedes & Johnston; Hobson (ed.)
  19. Web site: Bob Newman . jppatches.com . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190711054339/http://jppatches.com/the-show/bob-newman/ . July 11, 2019 .
  20. Web site: Obituary: "J.P. Patches," Seattle's beloved TV clown. 2012-07-22. The Seattle Times. en-US. 2019-07-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20190731175930/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obituary-jp-patches-seattles-beloved-tv-clown/. 2019-07-31. live.
  21. Web site: Staff. KIRO 7 News. Bob Newman, sidekick to J.P. Patches, dies at age 88. 2020-12-19. KIRO. 19 December 2020. en-US.
  22. Web site: Patches Patio Pavers . jppatches.com . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190710143013/http://jppatches.com/patches-patio-pavers/ . July 10, 2019 .
  23. Web site: Our Projects: J.P. Patches and Gertrude go Bronze to raise funds for Children's Hospital! . https://web.archive.org/web/20080408073511/http://urbansparks.com/projects/ours/jp_patches.php . April 8, 2008 .
  24. Web site: Home . Kevin Edwin Pettelle and Soul in Bronze Sculpture Studio . 2020-01-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190725011454/http://www.soulinbronze.com/ . 2019-07-25 . live .
  25. News: McNerthney . Casey . J.P. Patches, Gertrude honored with new statue . . August 18, 2008 .
  26. Web site: J.P. Patches Volume 1: Gertrude Reveals Superklown/J.P.'s Last Show Highlights . amazon.com . January 16, 2020.
  27. Web site: The Set . jppatches.com . live . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181212183533/http://www.jppatches.com/the-show/the-set/ . December 12, 2018 .
  28. Web site: Radio Bart . www.snpp.com . 15 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120716180322/http://www.snpp.com/episodes/8F11.html . 16 July 2012 . dead.
  29. Web site: Simpsons Rock Bottom corrections, Kent Brockman's gay list, arrested celebrities — Simpsons Crazy . 2012-07-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120706151047/http://simpsoncrazy.com/lists/scrolling . 2012-07-06 . live .
  30. Web site: J.P. Patches! . www.jppatches.com . 15 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130623231614/http://www.jppatches.com/page41.htm . 23 June 2013 . dead.

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