The Magic Door

I think "Booby Beaver" was supposed to be "Bubi Beaver," but kinda came out Booby after awhile. (Bubi is Yiddish a term of endearment.) I loved The Magic Door--and I'm not Jewish either. First, there was nothing else on TV for kids on Sunday morning in 1964--unless you could pull in Channel 4 from Milwaukee with its reruns of Davey and Goliath.

Tiny Tov flew back to the days of the Old Testament(Sp?)in the Feather Ship. There were crude pre-CG effects. He sat inside a bump on the quill end of the feather and would sometimes look over his shoulder to chat with us while working the controls. The puppets were simple plaster head and cloth body arrangements. No moving mouths or eyes. The show was produced by the Jewish Federation of Chicago, I think. The director/producer was a man named Henry Mamet. He was married to my third grade teacher Mrs. Mamet. I've often wondered if they were related to the play-write David Mamet. That's what I remember about The Magic Door.

I found the Magic Door on DVD; it's via Cragslist. $8 buys you a Walter E Smith sponsored "Magic Door" & "Kukla, Fran & Ollie" DVD. The link is: http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/emd/509105184.html

I used to watch it as well and still have that crazy song (which means nothing to me--I'm Catholic) in my head at age 42. We would watch it because, like the other poster said, there was nothing on besides Bert Weinman Ford commercials and The Cisco Kid on Sunday mornings. The pseudo CGI little man appealed to every kid, and it is proof that good entertainment is good entertainment, regardless of the roots of the subject.

Chicago TV had a lot of classic stuff to watch, and now as an adult working outside of the Chicago area I often tell people stories about some of the crazy traditional shows. "Hardrock, Coco & Joe" & "Frosty the Snowman" (the old black and white version) were terrific to watch...

I really enjoyed "Magic DOOR" while growing up in Chicago. I remember gathering together with my brother and sisters in front of the TV weekly just to watch Magic DOOR and Tiny Tov. It was one of our favorite programs.

When I returned to Chicago after serving in the military from 1969-1973, my first job was at CBS in Chicago where I worked as a cameraman. So, guess what?

I had the special privilege to videotape Magic Door every week at WBBM Channel 2 Studios on McClurg Court in Chicago. So, I want to give a BIG THANKS to all of you who remember watching this program and am happy to hear you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed filming it. Shalom to all of you who remember this program.

Thank you to all for posting your comments. I, too, was Catholic watching this show in the south suburbs of Chicago. The song has never left me. I couldn't wait for it to come on, and I loved Davy and Goliath. The New Testament was taught in Catholic school, but the Old Testament was virtually a mystery and Tiny Tov gave me a wonderful look into the rich history of Christianity. We knew who the bible heroes were, but we weren't taught why they were significant (at least I don't remember being taught that - I wasn't an over achiever...) I now live in the Milwaukee area and no one here knows what I am talking about and they think I am crazy when I wax nostalgic and sing the song! Anyone know where Tiny Tov is now? Is he still around? It would be interesting to see what the show meant to him and what he has heard throughout the years regarding the impact the show had on the Jewish community and Christians alike.

I remember this show! I think it was on Sunday mornings on WGN, channel 9. I remember the song, and a little man dressed like an elf dancing around a big tree singing that song and that's about all. I didn't know it was a Jewish-based show, not that it matters. But I do remember watching it as a last resort because there was nothing else on so early. I also remember watching, "BJ And Dirty Dragon", and "Davy and Goliath". These shows sort of fell into the category of not much on. I hated Sunday morning TV, there just wasn't a lot on. Saturday mornings were the best though!! Scooby-Doo and Looney Toons! Josie & The PussyCats, Tom and Jerry!