 Buffalo
Bob Smith - The celebrity nickname of Bob Smith, the host of
the classic children's puppet series HOWDY DOODY/NBC/1947-60. With
the assistance of a silent clown named Clarabell, Buffalo Bob Smith,
entertained the children in his audience (known as the Peanut
Gallery) and interacted with all sorts of comic characters including
the freckle-faced puppet star of the show,
Howdy Doody.
At the beginning of each program, Buffalo Bob asked
"Say, kids, What time is it? The kids then yelled "It's Howdy Doody
Time!"
On earlier episodes, Buffalo Bob Smith was just called Mr. Smith but by 1948 he
was known as Buffalo Bob, a name given him by the Sycapoose Indians,
a friendly tribe of American Indians who lived near the circus town
of Doodyville.
The Buffalo Bob character wore a yellow buckskin outfit with red
fringe and buffalo insignias, supposedly because he was a descendent
of Buffalo Bill.
Before taking on his role as host of THE HOWDY DOODY SHOW,
Bob Smith was a member of the "Hi-Hatters," a radio singing group
popular in the 1930s. Coincidentally, Bob Smith was born in Buffalo,
New York.
Bob Smith died of cancer on July 30, 1998 near his home at Flat
Rock, North Carolina.
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