Did You Know...???

Most of my family and friends now that I grew up in a small town in Central Arizona in the 60s and 70s. During that time, one of the most popular shows on Channel 5 (KPHO in Phoenix) was the Wallace and Ladmo Show on in the morning before school.

The show included funny characters, guests, cartoons, and a studio audience of kids who all hoped to win a Ladmo Bag of goodies. (In Arizona, there are two types of kids: those who won a Ladmo Bag and those who didn't!) Wallace (the adult) of the group was played by Bill Thompson (who created the show). Ladmo (an adult who acted like a big kid in a top hat and a t-shirt with tie imprinted on it) was played by Ladimir Kwiatkowski. The third primary member of the cast was Pat McMahon who played a variety of characters:
- Gerald - a spoiled blond-hair troublemaker in a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit who's "uncle" was the station manager.
- Aunt Maud - a sweet little old lady who told fairy tales that usually started to get risque and had to be halted by Wallace or Ladmo.
- Captain Super - a superhero who never demonstrated superpowers and who was more blowhard than hero
- Marshall Good - a washed-up Old West star who was a coward with a good heart
- Boffo the Clown - who was NOT funny and didn't particularly like children
- The Wizard - a fast-talking know-it-all complete with cone hate and robe. He was the purveyor of little-know facts...really weren't that factual. He started each by saying, "Did you know..."

For example:
- "Did you know that the Star-Spangled Banner sung backwards explains the decline of the buffalo?"
- "Did you know that animals eat people crackers?"
- "Did you know that the Kiwi bird of New Zealand weighs four pounds and lays a five pound egg? But not very often and then only if you use a whip."

I told you all of that...

In order to ask you these questions:

Did you know that I began writing as a mere lad? Yep! I started writing stories in the early 1970s. I would print them on legal tablets that my parents had for some reason. Later, they bought me a Sears manual typewriter and I taught myself to type. Not particularly fast or well, but I could type!

Did you know that I actually had a (very) short story published in the kid's section of the Arizona Republic newspaper? Indeed I did. The lady who "babysat" my sister and me read one of my stories and submitted it to the Arizona Republic. It was published a few weeks later and I received a copy of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes as "payment".

Did you know that I've self-published eight books? Yes! It's true...eight self-published books! Digital (electronic-books or e-books, if you will) to include:

- Chaos on Terra-Prime
- Foothold on Terra-Bravo  
- Crisis on Terra-Bravo
- The Terra-Bravo Saga  

- Arizona State Guard: Bloody Border
- Arizona State Guard: Target Terror   

- Death Haunts the Stars  

- Honing Your Instructional Skills 

Each of my e-books can be found on Amazon.com via my Author's Page at www.amazon.com/author/jeffreyfortney. Check 'em out!

(And if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you literally can check 'em out and read 'em without having to buy 'em! Don't worry Amazon promises to make it worth my while!)

If you'd like to know more about the Wallace and Ladmo Show, there's a wonderful website at www.wallacewatchers.com. You can also find a number of their shows and skits on YouTube!

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Have a great week! And remember...let's be safe out there!

Jeffrey

© Jeffrey M. Fortney - 2016