J.P. Patches: The cheers of a clown
Say the name “J.P. Patches,” and memories bubble to the surface — memories of the TV clown’s antics, his wry wit, his strange companions and his amazing ICU2-TV, which let him look back at his pint-size viewers.
His show, which ran on KIRO from 1958 to 1981, is believed to have been the longest-running locally produced children’s show in America. Chris Wedes, the actor who plays J.P., curtailed his appearances recently when he was diagnosed with a blood cancer requiring regular dialysis.
Wedes and actor Bob Newman, who portrayed J.P.’s girlfriend, Gertrude, were honored Monday as the Seattle City Council and Mayor Greg Nickels proclaimed it “J.P. Patches Day.”
A committee of “Patches Pals” has raised more than $65,000 toward its goal of $150,000 to build a statue of J.P. and Gertrude in Fremont. (For information: www.jppatches.com.)
We asked readers to send us some of their favorite memories of J.P. Here are some excerpts:
I got an ICU2-TV message
“I used to hang on J.P.’s every word as he looked into the ICU2-TV and called out messages like, ‘Johnny, happy birthday. Oh, and look in the dryer for a surprise.’ Every day I watched and waited for J.P. to have a message for me.
“Then one day it happened. J.P. called out my name. I could not believe it. But wait - what was the message? ‘Danny, remember to eat your vegetables.’ What? What about a birthday cake? A new bike? A secret message to find untold treasure?
“Years later, my mom confessed that she called into the show to have J.P. call out my name for the ICU2-TV. When they asked her what message J.P. should have for me, she said the first thing that came to mind: ‘Eat your vegetables.’ ”
- Dan Jackson, Seattle
Cat had my tongue
“My Brownie troop went to see J.P. a few times in the 1960s and I never said a word, ever, not when he asked my name or what my dad did or if the cat had my tongue.
“J.P. is so much bigger than life, as a little kid knows! No matter how far from home you are, if you meet somebody who grew up in the Seattle area during this time, you have J.P. Patches in common.”
- Christine Halfon, Seattle
“Beeping” J.P.’s nose
“As a young boy, I was given the opportunity with my Cub Scout den to see the ‘J.P. Patches’ show in person. My brother came with us.
“As many will recall, J.P. would have all of the kids sit or stand in front of him at the end of each show. My little brother (he was about 5 years old, and I was about 7) decided that he wanted to get a closer look at J.P.’s big red nose.
“So he stood up on live TV and tried to ‘beep’ J.P.’s nose during his good-bye talk. J.P. was wonderful in his attempt to keep my brother from beeping his nose. I wish I had the tape of the show.”
- Steve Harris, Maple Valley
Expat bonding
“A few years ago, when I was living in the Southeast, I made some reference to J.P. Patches, I can’t remember what - probably something about the mayor of the City Dump. I immediately found out who the other Northwest native in the room was, and it was a bonding experience.”
- Debbie Best, Huntington Beach, Calif.
His humor shaped mine
“J.P. Patches not only kept me company as a kid, his humor (coupled with my dad’s and a few others) helped form my own comedic sensibilities. Luckily, I was able to go on and make a good living in comedy, and I thank J.P. for that.
“I first met him at our neighborhood grocery store in West Seattle, circa 1967, then again when he guested on ‘Almost Live!’
“Sadly, I never got the ‘Scotty, check inside the dryer’ message on my birthday, but his joy and humor mean a lot to me. Thanks, J.P.!”
- Scott Schaefer, Burien
Schaefer is a former writer for “Almost Live!” and “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
A latchkey kid’s friend
“Growing up in the ’60s and ’70s in Richmond Beach, I was a latchkey kid who never missed a day of his show. J.P.’s sense of humor and timing with Bob were second to none. I was in tears from laughing so hard when they improvised on the set and got themselves and the TV crew laughing.
“They truly are treasured icons. God bless you, Chris and Bob, for … great memories.”
- Jeff Webb, Lake Stevens
Thanks for the joy
“There will never be a television personality that captures the mix of children’s and adult humor so poetically. My day did not start until J.P. was on. Thank you for being my third parent and bringing so much joy into my life.”
- Russell Nash, Edmonds
Zinged by J.P.
“My favorite J.P. memory is quite recent. I was unable to attend an event where he was appearing, and my husband asked J.P. for an autographed picture to take home to me. He wrote, ‘Sorry we missed you,’ then went back, crossed out the ’sorry’ and wrote in ‘glad.’ Now that’s funny!”
- Julie Newkirk, Shoreline
Looked for J.P. at the dump
“I loved the TV set of his shack at the City Dump. Every other weekend my dad would load us into the Ford Galaxy station wagon, and we would drive a couple of miles to the actual city dump, which is now the parking lot south of Hec Ed’s Pavilion. I always kept an eye out, hoping to see J.P. when we were dumping our garbage among the sea of sea gulls picking at the debris.”
- Bruce Stanley, Seattle
A crewman remembers
“We taped the shows on Thursdays. The crew used to eat the props used for the live commercials in the weekday shows. J.P. would have to fake the props to do the live commercials. Who could forget the Soupy Sales skit? Years later, after having managed a network station in Los Angeles, I was happy to sit on the floor in a restroom at University Book Store just to talk to J.P. Hi, Patches Pals!”
- John Myrick, Indian Hills, Calif.
Former “J.P. Patches Show” crew member
Rose Hill celebrities
“I grew up on the same street where Bob Newman lived. We’d often see him driving home from work, still in his makeup as Gertrude. Every so often, J.P. would follow Gertrude home in his VW Bug, still wearing his makeup, too. We neighborhood kids would all go down to the Newmans’ house and sneak peeks at our two television icons, sitting in the Newmans’ backyard before they went off to the grand opening of an IGA or Thriftway.
“It was always great to drop our proximity to local television gods on other kids at Rose Hill Elementary: ‘Oh yeah? Gertrude lives on my street.’ ”
- Scott Eric Johnson, Kirkland
J.P. left his mark
“When I was 8 or so, I was on the show, and J.P. kissed me with his large red lips. I left that kiss mark on my cheek for as long as possible until my mom made me wash it off. I now have a J.P. bobblehead on my desk, and I crack up often when I look at it.”
- Jean Blair, Snohomish