Exploitive? Yes. Entertaining? Obviously. It should be given sainthood compared to Springer-Povich crap that people watch today. Its lengthy run shows that people enjoyed it and, even though the number of people it helped was minute, at least it did those few some good. A natural comparison is "Queen For A Day" with Jack Bailey and his mustache.
Anyway, Warren Hull holds a special place in my heart. In the mid-1940s I was in the Army, with the Signal Corps, and at night with the Armed Forces Radio Service, stationed in Nome, Alaska, and the only USO entertainers that ever came up were part of a show emceed by Hull. We were, obviously, too far and too few. There were only about a dozen in our unit and, in those days, there was a very small air force base nearby.
I don't remember much about the show except for the young lady that came with him. Vanessa Brown began her showbiz career as one of the Quiz Kids, later becoming an ingenue with a host of cutie-pie roles in light movies.
I remember that she, Hull, and the others took time to spend time with us.
We felt we struck it rich and, by the way, in those days gold miners were still trying to do that.
Anyway, Warren Hull holds a special place in my heart. In the mid-1940s I was in the Army, with the Signal Corps, and at night with the Armed Forces Radio Service, stationed in Nome, Alaska, and the only USO entertainers that ever came up were part of a show emceed by Hull. We were, obviously, too far and too few. There were only about a dozen in our unit and, in those days, there was a very small air force base nearby.
I don't remember much about the show except for the young lady that came with him. Vanessa Brown began her showbiz career as one of the Quiz Kids, later becoming an ingenue with a host of cutie-pie roles in light movies.
I remember that she, Hull, and the others took time to spend time with us.
We felt we struck it rich and, by the way, in those days gold miners were still trying to do that.