Sheriff John

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sheriff John was a long-running children's television character who appeared on KTTV in Los Angeles from 1952 to 1970 on two separate series, Sheriff John's Lunch Brigade and Sheriff John's Cartoon Time. He was played by John Rovick.

Sheriff John, who bore some similarities to another good-natured sheriff, Andy Taylor, started each program by entering his jailhouse office singing "Laugh and be happy, and the world will laugh with you ..." before doing a routine which included the Pledge of Allegiance and a safety bulletin. He would also show cartoons, including Crusader Rabbit and Porky Pig among others, have a visit from various farm animals and from an artist "Sketchbook Suzie," who would draw pictures requested by young home viewers. Sheriff John also encouraged his viewers to eat DiMaggio carrots, "the carrots with the green tops." The grower was evidently one of the show's sponsors. When we kids ate lunch with Sheriff John, we said grace:

"Heavenly Father, great and good, we thank You for our daily food. Bless us, even as we pray. Guide and keep us through this day. Amen." The unquestioned highlight of the show was the Birthday celebration. The Sheriff would read off as many as a hundred names on the show, and then bring out a cake and sing the Birthday Party Polka, which went:

    Put another candle on my birthday cake, 
    We're gonna bake a birthday cake.
    Put another candle on my birthday cake,
    I'm another year old to-day.
    I'm going to have a party with my birthday cake,
    C'mon and taste some birthday cake.
    Put another candle on my birthday cake,
    I'm another year old to-day.  
    We'll have some pie and sandwiches, and chocolate ice cream too. 
    We'll sing and play the day away, and one more thing I'm gonna do ... 
    I'll blow out the candles on my birthday cake, 
    And when I do, a wish I'll make! 
    Put another candle on my birthday cake, 
    I'm another year old to-day.

Sheriff John went on giving lessons about safety, good health habits and encounters with strangers for 18 years before his retirement in 1970. Rovick won an Emmy in 1952 and appeared on the Emmy broadcast in 1998, introduced by longtime fan Michael Richards.