Robert Albert Nicholson, also known as "Bobby Nicholson" and "Nick Nicholson" (April 29, 1918–September 23, 1993) was an American actor, musician, director and producer.

Biography

Nicholson was a trombonist who played in big bands of the 1930s and 1940s. After a tour of duty in World War II, and more work with dance bands in the Buffalo New York area, he was hired in October 1952 by NBC director E. Roger Muir, at the request of Bob Smith (who Nicholson had worked with in Buffalo), for ''

The Howdy Doody Show ''Howdy Doody'' is an American Children's television series, children's television program (with circus and Western (genre), Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by Victor F. Campbell

'', formerly known as "Puppet Playhouse". Nicholson played various characters during the show's early years, among them J. Cornelius "Corny" Cobb. He assumed the role of Clarabell the Clown, after the show's original Clarabell,

Bob Keeshan Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004) was an American television producer and actor. He created and played the title role in the children's television program ''Captain Kangaroo'', which ran from 1955 to 1984, the longest ...

, was fired in late 1952 over a salary dispute. At Nicholson's request, he was replaced as Clarabell by musician

Lew Anderson Lewis Burr Anderson (May 7, 1922 – May 14, 2006) was an American actor and musician. He is widely known by TV fans as the third and final actor to portray Clarabell the Clown on ''Howdy Doody'' between 1954 and 1960. He famously spoke Cl ...

in 1954 and reverted to his role of Corny Cobb, which he kept until the end of the show in 1960. Nicholson also assumed the voice roles for several of the puppets after

Allen Swift Ira J. Stadlen (January 16, 1924 – April 18, 2010), known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American actor, writer and magician, best known as a voiceover artist who voiced cartoon characters Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the ' ...

left the show in 1956. Prior to joining ''The Howdy Doody Show'', Nicholson formed the studio Soundac, which is best known for producing the animated series ''

Colonel Bleep ''Colonel Bleep'' is a 1957 American science fiction animated TV series which was the first color cartoon series made for television. It was created and written by Robert D. Buchanan and Jack Schleh on June 8, 1956, and was animated by Soundac, ...

''. After Nicholson left, Robert D. Buchanan took his place. Nicholson got his nickname of "Nick" on the show, as there were up to six men named "Bob" on the cast and crew at any given time. He was also kept busy at NBC as a staff conductor of the NBC Symphony for ten years, including the early (pre-

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...

) years of "The Tonight Show", when

Skitch Henderson Lyle Russel "Skitch" Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was an American pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname "Skitch" came from his ability to "re-sketch" a song in a different key. Bing Crosby suggested that he sho ...

wasn't available for the show. He also did musical arrangements for various NBC shows and for many performers. Along with Muir under their company "Nicholson-Muir Productions", he helped create and produce several game shows, most notably the first two versions of ''

The Newlywed Game ''The Newlywed Game'' is an American television game show. Newly married couples compete against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know or do not know each other. The program, originally created ...

''. Nicholson also assumed the role of Corny Cobb for the revival of ''Howdy Doody'' in 1976–1977 and at a 40-year anniversary special in 1987. Nicholson spent most of the later years of his life as a trombonist, conductor, arranger, and composer. He was one of the founders of the

Westchester Philharmonic The Westchester Philharmonic is a professional symphony orchestra based in Westchester County, New York, United States. The orchestra performs in the concert hall of the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College. The orchestra was founded in 19 ...

in 1983, for which he also served as principal conductor, and he was also one of the founders of the Florida Symphonic Pops (later the Boca Raton Symphonic Pops).

Personal life

Nicholson was the son of Malcom Nicholson (1890–1967) and Ida Mendelsohn (1893–1980). He married Jane Torgler in 1942 while in the Army during World War II. They had two children.

Mavis Leno Mavis Elizabeth Nicholson Leno (born September 5, 1946) is an American activist and philanthropist, and wife of Jay Leno, the former host of ''The Tonight Show''. Leno keeps a low profile in comparison to her husband, choosing instead to work beh ...

is his daughter. Nicholson died on September 23, 1993, in Jacksonville, Florida.

Legacy

Nicholson has a scholarship in his honor, "The Nick Nicholson Music Scholarship Fund", at Palm Beach Community College.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Bobby 1918 births 1993 deaths American male trombonists American male television actors 20th-century American male actors American directors American producers 20th-century American trombonists 20th-century American male musicians