Koko's Reckoning

It was 1954 and a new tomorrow was dawning. World War II seemed like a distant memory even though it'd only been 9 years and that Korea thing, well thank God that was over. It seemed the only battles left were for television ratings. Stations popped up right and left and as they scrambled for programming, no ideas were out of bounds. Case in point, children's television. Airing the old theatrical cartoons as entertainment belied their true purpose of being filler. The real work was doling out the prizes from local merchants and adding to the station's advertising take. It was all about the ratings, baby. No savvy station manager would ever consider not having a kid's host on staff. These thesps gave it their all, raking in the ad dollars- 30, 60, 90 minutes every afternoon, pitching the new prosperity of conspicuous consumption to those brats wired on sugar. Be it a matronly teacher type or a pseudo-cowboy or an ex-vaudevillian, every station had one. Then there were the clowns....

The studio stood dark; the overhead lights hissed as they cooled, disturbing the momentary calm until the next day's show at 4:30. No one was left, save for ol' Murray the janitor to sweep up the sticky remnants of cotton candy and shelled peanuts under the bleachers. Circus Time Theater, starring Chalky and Koko (those zany clowns!) with Tom Tom, the Trapeze Dog and Cantu, the Indian Snake Charmer. Every weekday, 4:30-5:30 pm. Channel 2, WKIX. Live.

Koko peeled off his wig with his left hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his right sleeve. Man, those lights were hot. Shuffling his way towards the dressing room, he saw his partner off in the corner. Yeah, Chalky was making time with Miss Daphne again behind Camera 2. She was the Romper Room "teacher," the one who held up that damned mirror and recited every kid's name she could remember at the end of the program. "Great show, Jimmy!" she called after him. He mumbled a half-hearted "Thanks, Tina." He didn't even turn and look. Miss Daphne was just a stage name. Tina Stepanopolis had grown up in Bensonhurst just a few doors down from Koko. His real name was Jim DeAngelo.