Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

pensman Growing up in the 50's meant kids' TV was filled with scripted show like Circus Boy, Rin Tin Tin, Cisco Kid, and more. It was expected we could pay attention and follow a plot and learn a lesson. In Circus Boy it was Noah Beery, Jr (Joey the Clown) or Robert Lowery (Big Tim Champion) who helped Micky Dolenz (Corky) see the bigger picture: how to get along with people, show kindness, compassion, and understanding. There are times I shake my head at my generation and wonder what happened. We grew up with TV writers and actors trying to show us how to be good people, then we became flower children, but one of the best educated generations ever. And now we are either elites to be despised for working hard to achieve success or frightened selfish strangers who fear the future and expect a wall to be built to save us. What happened? Corky and the circus faced hatred, fear, bankruptcy, but learned to pull together and go on.The show also featured actors on the way up and who Hollywood considered used up. Some were Lee Van Cleef. Tim Considine, Robert Burton, Dean Fredericks, Sheb Wooley, Lyle Talbot, Burt Mustin, Harry Strang, John Hart, Francis McDonald, and Jack Elam. The Hortense the Hippo episode is like a who's who with Harold Peary (The Great Gildersleeve himself) as Al Garson, Frank Jenks (Great character actor in 40's and 50's films) as Flash, William "Billy" Benedict (East Side Kids/Bowery Boys) as Punk, and Rusty Wescoatt (appeared in episodes of almost every kid's TV show from 50's from Captain Video to The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin) as the deputy.

johnniedoo I watch certain OTA and others that cable picks up for one reason: to be able to re watch old television shows-in this case Kid's TV I grew up in the late 40s and 50s with this stuff and it provides a nostalgic hour or 2 whether it is COZI, ANT, METV or which ever one is available. Must be quite popular since I have watched the field grow over the last 4 or more years and am grateful for it. I prefer the stations which limit their format to 50s-60s and early 70s shows and forget about after 1980 as they are covered elsewhere . There is room and market for each target segment,looks like. But that is me. By 1970 i was way past kid show interest. But there were some adult shows with a 70-76start which i associate with 'youth' . Howdy Doody was a real kid favorite in 1952 as i recall. Capt Video or other shows with cardboard sets that shook and toppled sometimes. But, so did late night(prime time) detective shows from 1950-53. top ..that is what early , live mostly, TV was all about. Certainly not up to CSI: any city for special effects graphics and audio. a different entity entirely. But just having a television in the neighborhood or local grill was a big deal. Circus Boy is a refined ,well honed kid's show by early TV standards.

bkoganbing The Circus Boy series bore no small resemblance to Rin Tin Tin and that's not surprising since they both came from Columbia Studio's television unit. In Rin Tin Tin small boy Rusty and a German Shepherd puppy who grew up to be Rinty was found after a wagon train massacre and the soldiers at Fort Apache made him an official mascot.And that's what happened with Mickey Dolenz here who was then known as Mickey Braddock. He was an orphan who lived and traveled with the circus owned by Big Tim Champion as played by Robert Lowery during the gaslight era. They did the western circuit so a lot of western type plot situations could be used.It was not a bad series and what a life for Mickey. He lived with Noah Beery, Jr. who was a clown. His other good friend and fourth and last series regular was Guinn Williams who was the head roustabout for the show.It wasn't a Barnum&Bailey type show, but it was a small circus and life really seemed good. And unlike Rin Tin Tin you didn't have the Indians to contend with. Too bad it only lasted two seasons, but it was only when The Monkees debuted in the Middle Sixties that I learned that our Circus Boy was not a real blond.It must have been just as devastating for nineties fans to learn that Mark-Paul Gosselaar was not a California blond either.

palther Loved this program as a youngster. Once had a book based on it too. Had not realized "Corky" went on to star with the Monkees(a vastly underrated group IMO). Good, wholesome entertainment from the "Leave it to Beaver" era. Would love to see it come out on DVD. It was never dull-there were often tense moments. It was drama , not comedy."Big Tim" was the most memorable of the other characters. And then there was a lady who played Corky's real mother, and wanted him to leave the circus in some episodes. And of course there was the circus animals.Are there other "Circus Boy" fans out there? Maybe we can get something going on the Message Board.