Sagebrush Shorty: a 50s & 60s Michigan Kid's TV Hero: Detroit

Most kids growing up in Michigan during the 50s and early 60s must remember what was once the top kid show in Detroit: Circle 2 Theater hosted by Sagebrush Shorty! The show began in 1955 on WJBK-TV2.

The show times back then were definitely quirky. Weekdays Sagebrush Shorty was on from 7:55am to 8:15am. Along with his ventriloquist dummy Broncho Billy Buttons, they showed cartoons (mostly Looney Tunes), announced kids' birthdays and did commercials for their sponsors.

On the weekends the show ran from 10:30am-11:00am on Saturdays and 11:00am-Noon on Sundays. The weekend shows were different, with a live studio audience full of kids, along with games and magic added to the regular lineup of features.

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FAST FACTS:
Sagebrush Shorty's real name: Ted Lloyd.
1947: Announcer at KGIL in California where he developed the 'Sagebrush Shorty' character
1949: Hosted a morning show at KABC radio in San Antonio
1950: TV Newsman at WOAI, same city
1953: 'Sagebrush Shorty' character introduced on TV at KGBS, same city
1955: Shorty and his show move to Detroit on WJBK
1956:Show was reaching over 205,000 homes
Kids who wanted to visit the show had to wait a year and a half for tickets

His horse's name was Snooper, and they made countless appearances at fairs, schools, and rodeos. He was also a magician and sharpshooter.

Some former kids may remember him as being on WXYZ Channel 7...he ended up there after a particular situation arose. In July 1960, In one of the animal segments, a chimp was on hand. Shorty's wife Marie also worked there as hostess, who promptly got her arm chewed by the monkey after she tried to pick him up. So Shorty and Marie sued the station for $10,000 in damages, which ended up with the station firing them.

After failing to find a TV job out of state, he was coaxed back to Michigan by WXYZ in 1962 where he continued with “Sagebrush Shorty's Fun Ranch” until 1964.

With TV's western genre fading away, Shorty quit and went back out to California, changing his character as riverboat gambler Uncle Dudley, along with his dummy, Dugan the Dude.

Ted Lloyd (a/k/a Sagebrush Shorty) passed away from heart disease on December 23, 1999.

He signed off every episode of his show with the phrase “be kind to each other.”
He was quoted, "No matter who uses it, it just about covers everything necessary for happiness in this life. It’s the Golden Rule in a nutshell.”