Suddsy Watters

Last Thursday evening as I was helping to close the store, management inadvertently launched a new character.  Inadvertent due to the fact that one of the assignments required was to mop a portion of the floor in my department.  Normally I am loathe to do such tasks, but this time I figured that I may as well do a section of the floor as it appeared that someone had created a large spill earlier in the day.  So... I went to the cleaning closet and filled a mop bucket in anticipation of my task and while doing so, I had an inspiration.

Suddsy Watters.

I started to imagine someone who was a kid's show host in the period 1959-1980.  It was a golden period for that sort of show, wedged between mom's soap operas and dad's news late weekday afternoons.  He was the person who introduced Three Stooges shorts, The Little Rascals or some sort of mindless cartoon involving cats chasing armed mice.

If you are around my age, you might recall some form of this type of character... growing up in the Cleveland area, I was a fan of Captain Penny on Channel 5.  Channel 3 out of Huntington, West Virginia had Mr. Cartoon.  The better half recalled watching "Miss Kittrick" on Channel 13 in Houston when she was growing up.  There were dozens of these guys (and girls) who did essentially the same thing.  One of the closest recreations I've seen recently was Michael Richards' portrayal of Stanley Spudowski in the Weird Al movie UHF. You know the bit... studio audience... the cartoons... the unrestrained commercial aspect...

The form literally died in the '70s due to a number of factors including the expansion of television news shows and the sheer costs involved in pulling off a live kiddie show five days a week.  The advent of Sesame Street and similar educational shows helped to put the nails in the coffin of the kids shows, as well.  Parents expected better than the mindless dreck and implied violence offered by some of the shows.

With a little help from my wife, Suddsy Watters started to have a life.  We gave him certain traits - defined his TV personna (that of a loveable hobo) and outlined a story which I have started to fill in.

No, he won't be anywhere near Magnolia.

I am setting the story in the area of Richmond, Virginia... partly because I know of a nearby neighborhood where 'Suddsy' will be 'found' many years after his career collapsed.  There are a few other factors which will play into the story line as well.

The next week will be dedicated to getting Suddsy Watters on his way... the following week, back to Magnolia where I am actively developing two stories at the same time.

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This past week has been beset with birthdays, including those of one of my brothers-in-law, three High School buddies and my favorite red-head in residence.