''Breakfast Time'' was a morning local children's television program on WFIL-TV (Channel 6) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1957 to 1963. It was hosted by local Television/Radio personality Bill "Wee Willie" Webber. Webber played cartoons for the kids and did news, sports, interviews, comedy bits, weather and time checks for the adults. It typically aired weekdays from 7:45 am – 9:00 am and on Saturdays from 9:00 am – 10:00 am. ''Breakfast Time'' was Philadelphia's top-rated early-morning TV show for many years.
The cartoons included Bugs Bunny,
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created ma ...
Sylvester the Cat
Sylvester Pussycat, Sr. is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic tuxedo cat in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. Most of his appearances have him often chasing Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper. He appea ...
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.
and
Merrie Melodies
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...
features. Other shows included
Popeye the Sailor
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.The Three Stooges,
Ramar of the Jungle
''Ramar of the Jungle'' is an American television series that starred Jon Hall as Dr. Tom ReynoldsMcNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television''. Penguin Books USA, Inc. . P. 683. (the titular "ramar" being an African title for a white medicine man). ...
& Felix the Cat.
Regular characters on the show included Elmo WiffleWeather (a toy clown on a unicycle who would ride down a high wire to deliver the weather) & Mr. Chix from Channel 6 (eyes drawn on Webber's chin attached to a
puppet
A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...
, inverted via a set of mirrors). The theme song for the show was Bugler's Holiday by Leroy Anderson.
Webber also worked at WFIL-AM and WFIL-FM radio which were co-located in the same building at 46th & Market Streets. Dick Clark was on the same TV/Radio staff. Webber was an occasional booth announcer for
American Bandstand
''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...
which was produced in Studio B.
''Breakfast Time'' was one of the first shows to be videotaped instead of kinescoped.
Vladimir K. Zworykin
Vladimir Kosma Zworykin; or with the patronymic as ''Kosmich''; or russian: Кузьмич, translit=Kuz'mich, label=none. Zworykin anglicized his name to ''Vladimir Kosma Zworykin'', replacing the patronymic with the name ''Kosma'' as a middle na ...
crossed the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
to supervise an early test. One of those videotapes from January 1963 has survived and can be seen in a YouTube playlist.