Were you a little New Yorker in the 1970s with access to a television between one and three o’clock on weekday afternoons? Then odds are you were captivated by The Magic Garden.
It was low-budget local TV at its best. Broadcast on channel 11, the show’s hosts, Carole Demas and Paula Janis (Carole had the dirty blond hair; Paula was the brunette), sang songs, read jokes from the Chuckle Patch, and talked to Sherlock the squirrel puppet. Very trippy, but very entertaining.
Former New York City teachers, Carole and Paula originally met at Brooklyn’s Midwood High School. They still perform together, and DVDs of the original show are now available.
Tags: Carole Dedmas, Channel 11, children's shows in the 1970s, Midwood High School, Paula Janis, Sherlock the Squirrel, the Chuckle Patch, The Magic Garden, WPIX
Ephemeral New York 
July 1, 2009 at 9:53 pm |
Also, Carole was the original Sandy in “Grease”.
July 2, 2009 at 5:04 am |
[…] See the rest here: 1970s New York flashback: The Magic Garden ? Ephemeral New York […]
July 2, 2009 at 3:46 pm |
[…] you wish sometimes that life was as simple as plucking a joke from the chuckle patch? Remembering the 1970s children’s show “The Magic Garden.” [Ephemeral New […]
July 2, 2009 at 5:02 pm |
Wow! I just had a flashback when that photo popped up on my screen. I used to love that show growing up in Queens.
May 21, 2010 at 5:17 pm |
The show is dear to my heart. The fun times in life. I wanted to hug the computer when the pic popped up. These womanwere part of my grwoing up. Thanks for the memories.