Ramblin' Rod Anders (November 26, 1932 – May 11, 2002), born Rodney Carl Andersen, was an American television presenter and the host of ''The Ramblin' Rod Show'', a children's television program broadcast in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, from August 26, 1964 until his retirement on August 8, 1997. The

KPTV KPTV (channel 12) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Gray Media alongside Vancouver, Washington–licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate KPDX (channel 49). The two stations sh ...

channel 12 host was well known locally for his iconic, button-covered sweater which he wore on air.

Biography

Anders was born at St. Vincent's Hospital near

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in the Tualatin Valley, located in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon, with a small portion bordering Portland. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was ...

and grew up in

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

. He began his broadcasting career in the 1950s, singing and playing records on Saturday mornings for radio station KTIL in Tillamook. Anders worked at KTIL until he was drafted into the armed forces, where he served as a radio repairman. After his discharge, he returned to radio, filling on-air positions beginning in 1958 at KFLW in

Klamath Falls, Oregon Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city ...

and continuing to Portland radio stations KXL and

KPOJ KPOJ (620 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Portland, Oregon. It airs a sports radio radio format, format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. KPOJ airs two local sports shows on weekdays, ''Rip City Mornin ...

. In 1964, while working for KPOJ, Anders heard of an opening for a host on a Portland children's TV show called ''Popeye's Pier 12'' on KPTV, channel 12. He replaced host Bob Adkins (better known as "Addie Bobkins"). In the early 1970s, the show was renamed ''The Ramblin' Rod Show''. By the late 1970s, Anders had begun to wear message buttons on his cardigan, which were given to him by children appearing on the show. Within a few years, his cardigan was almost completely covered. At his retirement in 1997, the host estimated that he had received around 25,000 buttons. Each year, Anders hosted local KPTV coverage of the ''

Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon The ''MDA Labor Day Telethon'' was an annual telethon held on (starting the night before and throughout) Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Muscular Dystrophy Association was founded in ...

'' and the '' Easter Seals Telethon''. He also served as an in-house KPTV announcer and as a moderator on a Saturday morning public affairs show, ''12 in the Morning''. Anders also appeared in many commercials for various local businesses including two Portland area automobile dealerships, Beaverton Toyota and Mike Salta Pontiac. Anders retired in August, 1997 after 33 years with KPTV. In 1994, Anders constructed the Apple Valley Airport on land near his log cabin home in

Buxton, Oregon Buxton is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States, near Oregon Route 47. History The Buxton area was settled by Henry Buxton Jr. in 1884, and the town was named for his family, including his father, also named H ...

, west of Portland. During his retirement, he enjoyed flying and spending time with his family. On May 11, 2002, Ander's died suddenly at the age of 69, at a now defunct Volunteers of America Thrift Store located at SE 181st and Division streets in Gresham, where he was making a personal appearance. Anders was entombed in the mausoleum of the

IOOF The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Odd Fellows, Order ...

Cemetery in Tillamook, Oregon.

The Show

According to an article that appeared in the ''

Eugene Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene ...

'', the premise of ''The Ramblin' Rod Show'' was that children "love slapstick comedy... and kids love to see themselves on television, which is why Anders insisted on the individual shots of each child." The show was very popular, with a 20-25% share in its time slot and an audience that was often booked a month in advance. Anders' show was originally called ''Popeye's Pier 12'' and featured

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

and

Warner Bros. cartoons Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...

. Each show began with Anders arriving on the set in a mobile tug-boat prop. The format of ''The Ramblin' Rod Show'' remained simple throughout Anders' tenure. The host introduced the children, spoke with them, celebrated birthdays, showed cartoons, and hosted smile contests. In the early years, Anders played guitar and had a skunk puppet named Petunia, which was phased out in later years. Beginning in the 1980s, Chuck E. Cheese and his Pizzatime Players would visit and perform a song and dance number with the audience, usually to slightly altered Americana songs such as "

Dancing in the Street "Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson, and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha and the Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for two ...

". In the 1960s, smile contest winners frequently won Roller Derby Street King Shoe Skates. During the 1970s and '80s, contest winners and children celebrating their birthdays were entitled to complimentary Homer Pies (a type of

ice cream sandwich An ice cream sandwich is a frozen dessert consisting of ice cream between two biscuits, wafers, soft cookies, or other baked goods. The ingredients are different around the world, with Ireland using wafers and the United States commonly using c ...

), Archway brand cookies, Grandma's Cookies and Pop Shoppe soda pop.

Krusty the Clown inspiration

A decades-old rumor claims that Ramblin' Rod inspired

Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...

to create the character Krusty the Clown, the bitter host of a fictional children's program on ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

''. Groening, who grew up in Portland, was likely aware of Anders' show on KPTV. However, in interviews, Groening has mentioned that it was Ramblin' Rod's predecessor on KPTV, a somewhat melancholy clown named

Rusty Nails Rusty may refer to something covered with rust or with a rust (color). Rusty is also a nickname for people who have red hair, have a rust-hued skin tone, or have the given name Russell. Rusty may also refer to: People * Rusty Anderson (born 19 ...

, who was the creation of Jim Allen and served as a partial inspiration for the character of Krusty.

Trivia

In autumn of 2011, the Fizz Soda and Candy Shop, located in Portland, created a shrine to Ramblin' Rod. KPTV donated his microphone and an original Ramblin' Rod button to the shrine. Fizz Soda and Candy Shop was later renamed Cosmic, and closed in 2014., with no mention of what became of the Ramblin' Rod shrine.

References

External links