 Pixanne - Dressed in a Lincoln green
costume with cap and feather, Jane Norman played the part of Pixanne,
a pretty fairy who lived and flew about in an enchanted forest.
The
program featured live-action, songs, stories and visitors that Pixanne magically transported from the real world to her forest
domain. Once a visiting fireman put a hoop on fire during a
demonstration but couldn't put the fire out despite repeated
tries with a fire extinguisher.
The PIXANNE program originated in
Philadelphia on WCAU-TV Channel 10 from 1960 to 1969. Eventually,
the show moved to weekday mornings at WNEW Ch. 5 in New York City
and ran from September 22, 1969 until August 21, 1970. The program
reruns were later nationally syndicated in the late 1970s.
The Addis
Williams puppets appeared regularly on the show (Oggie the Owl,
Flippy Butterfly) as well as characters like Wendy the Friendly
Witch (Norman in a witch costume) and the evil Captain Hook (played
by the show's resident magician Jack Adams).
The origin of Pixanne's
character was inspired by J. M. Barrie's perennial youth, Peter Pan.
As Jane once said "I loved Broadway shows and always wanted to play
Peter Pan so I designed a version of Peter’s costume and I made
myself look like a pixie."
Before her Pixanne gig, Jane Norman was
already an accomplished piano prodigy, summer-stock actress, and
songwriter for children. In recent years she has given up personal
appearances as Pixanne to start a singing career. Jane has recorded
several record albums. A showcase of her vocal talents can be found
in her CD of romantic ballads entitled Madly in Love.
TRIVIA NOTE:
Philadelphia TV show hosts like Pixanne, Sally Starr and Captain
Noah were the inspiration for a successful off-Broadway play called
Music from a Sparkling Planet about three men in their 30s who
search for Tamara Tomorrow, the host of an afternoon sci-fi kids
television show of their youth.
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