The stars at night are big and bright...

The stars at night are big and bright...
The stars at night are big and bright...

Thursday, September 13, 2012

How do you spell awesome? T-W-E-R-P!

My 50th Anniversary Icky Twerp shirt arrived in the mail today. 
Greatness!
You can get yours here.

It's a shame Bill Camfield doesn't get more credit for his work at KFJZ/KTVT. He was more popular, but much less politically correct than Jerry Haynes' Mr. Peppermint at WFAA. Camfield's comedy was more slapstick and aimed at a broader audience than you would expect from a local kid's show. 

Slam Bang Theater even featured a very contriversial  guest appearance by a famous Ft.Worth
stripper and got away with it on a "children's" program. The guy had balls. His comedy and fame crossed several boundaries without becoming offensive yet staying entertaining. 

It's too easy to try to compare Ickey Twerp with Krusty The Clown (the Simpson's version of Bozo). The big difference is Icky Twerp wasn't a franchised copy of a character. Icky Twerp/Bill Camfield was all original top to bottom.

He was a true pioneer of television.



1 comment:

an Donalbane said...

Yep - an after school staple when I was a kid.

I chuckled when I heard the bit about "getting off the turnpike" (I-30), which I sometimes still refer to the same way. When I was in high school, we lived a couple blocks off the 'turnpike' between Carrier and NW 19th (which I guess is now the alignment for 161). Three blocks from our house, old Mr. Tarpley rented stables where I kept my 1/2 Tennesee Walker, 1/2 QH mare.

Those were the days.

There's apartments there now. :-(