J. Fred Muggs

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J. Fred Muggs (b. March 14, 1952, French Cameroon) is a chimpanzee that was the mascot for NBC's Today Show from 1953 to 1957.

The show debuted in 1952, with amiable host Dave Garroway. The show was in trouble initially; the addition of J. Fred Muggs boosted ratings and helped win advertisers. Muggs, dressed like a baby in diapers, first appeared on the show on January 28, 1953, and became a regular feature on February 3, 1953.

In the 1950s, the Russian newspaper, Izvestia, described J. Fred Muggs, as "a symbol of the American way of life", and said, "Muggs is necessary in order that the average American should not look into reports on rising taxes, and decreasing pay, but rather laugh at the funny mug of a chimpanzee."

Mr. Muggs was originally bought from Henry Trefflich, an animal dealer based in New York. As of January 23, 2004, the fifty-two-year-old Muggs and his "live-in girlfriend" Phoebe B. Beebe (who also made appearance on the Garroway show) are still alive in Citrus Park, Florida, in the care of Gerald Preis. In 2004, Joe Hagan of the New York Observer reached Gerald Preis, 60, at his home where Preis said that Muggs "has a little gray, mostly in his beard."

Many sources refer to Garroway as jealous of Muggs. Hagan notes, without attribution, that "Legend has it that ... Mr. Garroway grew jealous and began spiking Muggs' orange juice with Benzedrine to make him misbehave and deliver his human co-host back to center stage." Many sources suggest that Muggs did not have a good disposition. He has been described as "a nasty little monkey" and as "throwing legendary tantrums." At the press conference announcing his addition to the show, Muggs yanked Garroway's glasses off. Many sites refer to Muggs as having bitten comedienne Martha Raye on the arm. Preis, however, told Hagan that this story, which Hagan referred to as a 50-year-old tabloid rumor, "was bullshit—just plain bullshit."

Muggs was also an artist. In 1958, one of his finger paintings was used as the cover of Mad #38, and Muggs was the first celebrity to be featured on the cover of the magazine. Unfortunately, Muggs bit editor Al Feldstein, and never worked for Mad again.

The feisty chimp was associated with Mad in another way, when the magazine ran an article titled "The Dave Garrowunway Show." This article focused on the chimp, whom writer Harvey Kurtzman named "J. Fred Gluggs," and his apparent ambition to take over "Garrowunway's" spot as anchor. Sure enough, by the end of the article, with "Garrowunway" rapping rudely on the window from outside the building, "Gluggs" appears in Garroway's familiar closing pose, in suit, glasses and lavalier microphone, saying "vootie" in place of the anchor's tagline "Peace," with his right palm thrust forward. The caption reads, "By George...we've warned Garrowunway to watch out..."

Muggs was featured in advertising stings which interrupted the (pre-recorded) coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation when it was shown in the United States. This caused considerable controversy in the United Kingdom, where the introduction of commercial television was being debated at the time, and the anti-commercial-TV lobby felt that it strengthened their case. It was arguably a key factor in the strong regulation of ITV (by the Independent Television Authority) written into the Television Act 1954.

For many years, TV Guide ran an annual feature highlighting its takes on the year's most dubious television programs, episodes, activities, and issues, "The J. Fred Muggs Awards for Distinguished Foolishness." And in the 1994 film Quiz Show, chronicling the infamous quiz show scandal of the late 1950s, actor Ralph Fiennes as Twenty-One champion Charles Van Doren---shown being offered a regular job on Today---shyly asks the Dave Garroway character, "You're not going to fire the chimp, are you?"

[edit] External links

• [1] Trainer of famed chimp J. Fred Muggs dies at 80 St. Petersburg Times story
• Joe Hagan column from 1/26/2004 edition of The New York Observer Legend of spiked orange juice; Muggs and Phoebe still alive; Martha Raye elbow-biting incident denied
• Television heaven "a nasty little monkey"
• TV Acres "biting comedian/actress Martha Raye on the elbow during an April 1954 program..."
• Entertainment Weekly "The sometimes vicious simian once took a nip out of Martha Raye"
• TV Party "...eventually J. Fred Muggs started throwing legendary tantrums on the set. Being a reasonably intelligent creature, Muggs noticed that, as long as the red light was lit on the camera, he couldn't be punished for acting up. He took to striking out at Garroway and his guests, then running for cover when the camera light went out. As J. Fred got older, he got even meaner. The anthropoid was finally dropped in 1957 after he went berserk one too many times and viciously bit comedienne Martha Raye on the arm."
• Book excerpt (ISBN 0-7881-6042-7), Steven D. Stark, "Glued to the Set: The 60 Television Shows and Events That Made Us Who We Are Today" (ISBN 0-7881-6042-7), "Muggs appeared in skits, and pretended to read the morning papers. It was said that he was added to the cast in order to appeal to children, but the undeniable effect was to convert Today almost overnight from an iffy proposition into a network institution. "His charm," said Garroway, "is his unpredictability--same as any animal's." To his credit, Muggs did once bite Martha Raye."
• [2], J. Fred Muggs' MAD Magazine cover painting.