Sheriff John was an American

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

host who appeared on

KTTV KTTV (channel 11) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network. It is owned a ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

from July 18, 1952, to July 10, 1970, on two separate series, ''Sheriff John's Lunch Brigade'' and ''Sheriff John's Cartoon Time''. He was played by John Rovick'Sheriff' John Rovick dies at 93; popular L.A. children's TV host
/ref> who served as a radio operator-gunner in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, surviving 50 combat missions in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

. After the war he became a radio announcer, moving to television in its early days. He developed the program's concept himself. As Sheriff John he began each program entering his office, singing "Laugh and be happy, and the world will laugh with you." He then said the

Pledge of Allegiance The U.S Pledge of Allegiance is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States. The first version was written in 1885 by Captain George Thatcher Balch, a Union Army o ...

and read a safety bulletin. He showed cartoons including Q.T. Hush,

Underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or wikt:top dog, top dog. In the case where an under ...

Crusader Rabbit ''Crusader Rabbit'' is an American animated cartoon series created by Alexander Anderson and Jay Ward, and the first of its kind to be produced specifically for television. Its main characters were Crusader Rabbit and his sidekick Ragland T. T ...

, and

Porky Pig Porky Pig is a cartoon 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 man ...

; he was often visited by farm animals. An artist, Sketchbook Suzie, drew pictures requested by viewers; he would complete squiggles sent by the children and make a squiggle for them to complete. He also gave them lessons on safety and good health habits. The show's highlight was the birthday celebration. Sheriff John read as many as 100 names, then brought out a cake and sang the Birthday Party Polka ("Put Another Candle on my Birthday Cake"). The Sheriff John Show also had a segment which included a Large Tombola. Children would send their name to the TV station to Sheriff John. The piece of paper with your name on it would join hundreds of names on paper in the Tombola. Sheriff John would spin it with the wooden handle and choose a name. In the year 1966 Sheriff John pulled out the name Rosemary Soto, then four years old, and sent her a Thumbelina Doll. In 1979, Rovick reprised his Sheriff John character on KTTV, briefly hosting a Sunday morning version of the TV series, TV POWWW. He won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

in 1952 and appeared on the Emmy broadcast in 1998, introduced by longtime fan

Michael Richards Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor and former stand-up comedian. He achieved global recognition for starring as Cosmo Kramer on the NBC television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' from 1989 to 1998. He began his career as a ...

. In 1981 Rovick retired from KTTV after 32 years. On October 6, 2012, he died in

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

, after a brief illness. He had just turned 93 years old.

References

External links

TV Party's Sheriff John site
* {{Find a Grave, 98401290, John "Sheriff John" Rovick American children's television presenters People from Dayton, Ohio 1919 births 2012 deaths

See also

References

External links