Remembering Nancy Besst

Bay Area baby boomers lost one of their earliest touchstones last month when Nancy Besst, the original host of the San Francisco version of “Romper Room,” passed away in San Rafael at the age of 77. Known to her young viewers as “Miss Nancy,” Besst graced the set of “Romper Room” from 1958 to 1969, stepping down at the age of 35. To remember Nancy Besst is also recall a bygone era when much of children’s television was locally produced, and kid show hosts were among the most recognizable figures in the community.

Children’s programming goes back to the beginning of network TV when NBC began running “Howdy Doody” in 1947. Television executives found out quickly that the young boomers not only comprised a sizable audience, but were also becoming eager consumers, begging their parents to buy Hostess Cupcakes, Welches Grape Juice, or any other product being pitched by Howdy and Buffalo Bob Smith. By the 1950’s, while “The Mickey Mouse Club,” “Andy’s Gang,” and “Captain Kangaroo” were all making their marks on the national scene, local TV stations began to develop programs that would be geared toward their own particular regional markets. Among the original shows that attempted to tap into the growing Bay Area youth market were “Fireman Frank” hosted by George Lamont on KRON, and “Captain Fortune,” which ran on KPIX, featuring Pete Abenheim.

It was in 1953 that a Baltimore television began running “Romper Room,” a kid’s program aimed towards preschoolers. “Romper Room” was a concept put together by Burt Claster and his wife Nancy, who appeared on the program as the first “Miss Nancy.” When the show proved a success, CBS offered to buy “Romper Room” and include it on its network schedule. Rather than relinquish control of their creation, the Clasters took the unique approach of turning “Romper Room” into a franchise, giving stations around the country the option of buying ready made tapes of the show, or the right to produce a homegrown version of the program.

In 1956, Nancy Besst was hired by the Clasters as a “Romper Room” staff teacher, responsible for assisting various television stations in setting up their own versions of the program, and training other women to be hosts. After serving two years as trainer, Besst accepted the opportunity to step in front of the camera when “Romper Room” debuted on KGO in 1958. Serving as “Miss Nancy” for 11 years, Besst not only faithfully followed the “Romper Room” formula, which included a recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, lessons on being a “Do Bee” and the appearance of the magic mirror, but also added a signature touch of her own when she introduced “Willie the Weather Man,” a segment where the children participating in that day’s show would pick out the proper clothing for “Willie” based on the current weather. Although “Romper Room” worked within a tight format, the cast was comprised mostly of young children, forcing Miss Nancy to constantly improvise during the live broadcasts. Unruly kids, unpredictable pets and malfunctioning products were just a few of the difficulties that Nancy Besst had to contend with, which she usually did with relative ease.

After a few years on KGO Channel 7, “Romper Room” moved to its familiar weekday morning slot on KTVU, becoming one of the key components in the golden age of locally produced children’s programming in the San Francisco Bay Area. While “Captain Satellite” (Bob March) and “Mayor Art” (Art Finley) handled the afternoon shifts during the 1960’s, Miss Nancy was definitely the queen of the morning for any child under the age of six. The remarkable aspect of Besst’s longevity is the fact that since “Romper Room’s” target audience was largely kids 3 to 5, Besst had to win the loyalty of new viewers every year. Although most of us would proudly proclaim that we’d outgrown “Romper Room” by age six or seven, we still couldn’t help catching glimpses of the show from time to time. Even if we no longer watched it, it was always good to know that “Romper Room” and Miss Nancy were still there.

From the NATAS Archives:

Nancy Besst still has her Magic Mirror. It's safe in the closet, but sometimes she brings it out for public functions, where thousands of Bay Area Boomers remember sitting at home and waiting for Miss Nancy to call out their name.

More than any other local show on television, Bay Area residents seem bonded by "Romper Room," which ran from 1958 to 1998. Besst said she's often recognized, and though the cartoon character Do-Bee and her dog Romper come up a lot, people ask the most questions about the mirror.

"That's the main thing they remember," said Nancy, who was the first of several local "Romper Room" hosts. "Some of them would hide behind the sofa, and some of them would walk up to the screen."

The mirror was the hosts' tie to kids at home, probably the biggest thing that separated "Romper Room" from national programs such as "Captain Kangaroo." Nancy would receive postcards or letters from Bay Area kids and read their names on the air ("I see Bob and Jane and Mary . . .") at the end of the program.

Nancy Besst was the Bay Area's original Miss Nancy, but her association with the program started on the East Coast. After growing up in Canton, Ohio, and graduating from Northwestern University in 1956, she applied for her first job -- "Romper Room." At the time, the show was in Baltimore but had ambitions to spread across the country.

She traveled across the United States for the program, helping new hosts everywhere from Chicago to Denver to Greenville, S.C. -- setting up the show's curriculum and filling in when hosts were sick.

"You name it, I was there," she said. "I had a great education in geography of our country." After two years, the producers of "Romper Room" offered her any city she wanted, and she chose San Francisco.

"Romper Room" premiered on KGO in 1958 and moved to KTVU a couple of years later. Nancy stayed for 13 years, and there were several more hosts before the show finally went off the air on April 5, 1998.

Those who followed included a second Miss Nancy, Ruby Peterson, who still lives in San Rafael. There was also Miss Maryanne, who died several years ago. More recent hosts included Miss Joan, Miss Margie, Miss Theresa and the last host, Miss Sharon.

Later episodes of the show were taped, but "Romper Room" was originally filmed live.

"We didn't even have cue cards," Nancy said. "If something happened, it happened. And something almost always happened." Nancy remembers one time when she accidentally soaked a child with Bactine (the bottle was turned upside down when she was demonstrating it during a live commercial) and another time when a nervous talking mynah bird surprised the whole crew.

"I said, 'Do you have one last word for the boys and girls?'" she recalls. "And they got a close-up on him as he said, 'One martini, please.'"

Nancy Besst was the distinguished recipient of the Governors' Award in 1998. This award is presented to an individual, company or organization for outstanding achievement in the arts, sciences or management of television.

A founding member of the original Northern California Chapter of NATAS, Nancy has served the membership in a variety of capacities throughout the years as Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Chair. She is currently a member of the prestigious Silver Circle.

An accomplished and published writer, Nancy has held leadership positions with the California Press Women, American Lung Association, Marin County Cerebral Palsy; as well as participated in numerous television and personal appearances.

BACK IN THE ROMPER ROOM DAYS

Comments (9)

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written by Dennis Pickett, August 16, 2011

I am sorry to say that Nancy Besst died today 8/16/2011. I met her once, and she was a very nice person. She will be missed.

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written by Kathy McKeown McEwen, August 16, 2011

Nancy was a true and dear friend to me for the last thirty years. Smart, witty and caring. She is missed.

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written by Joel Suffridge, August 23, 2011

She was my aunt on my mother's side. I only got to meet her once when she came to Tulsa in 1996 and she was really a genuine and nice person. I still have the signed copy of the children's' book Milton and Matilda that she wrote and sent to me when I was just a small boy.

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written by Elaine, September 01, 2011

I loved Miss Nancy when I watched her as a little kid in the 1960's. Thank you, Wonderful Lady for being part of my life.
Does anyone know where clips of her early Romper Room episodes can be viewed? I hope KTVU makes them available.

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written by Kathy Bradley, September 08, 2011

Somebody from our family tried out for Romper Room and they were promptly rejected….maybe it was Art Finley’s show or Emperor Norton, another noteworty chacter. All I know, is every time I turned on T.V, Corlin Pandit (The guy with the turbin)or Majorie Trumble was on. Anyone remember those characters?

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written by Sue Squires, September 08, 2011

Romper, bomper, stomper, boo, tell me, tell me, tell me true…Magic Mirror, tell me today….I always waited to hear that she saw me – Susan or Susie having fun at play. Wow, was I excited when she did!

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written by John Arnolfo, September 08, 2011

Us “Baby Boomers” were fortunate indeed to have been able to view the “Golden Age” of children’s television.

This reminds me of the time I was watching an episode of “Howdy Doody” one Saturday morning when I was ten (10) years old. At the conclusion of the program, Buffalo Bob made an announcement that this was the show’s final installment . . . I was traumatized! To cushion the blow perhaps, He concluded by saying that we would meet again some day, in so many words . . . oh yeah, when would that be? Just like people remember exactly where they were upon learning that FDR and JFK passed away, I was sitting in the big red chair in our living room watching our old Hoffman black and white TV set that was diagonally juxtaposed. Howdy Doody was the first television program that I became addicted to when we purchased the aforementioned set in 1953. Life was never the same again.

To Brian:

Wasn’t Miss Nancy succeeded by Miss Mary Ann?

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written by Brian Daley, September 08, 2011

John: Yes, Miss Nancy’s replacement was Miss Mary Ann, but by then I was no longer a regular viewer. You mention Howdy Doody’s cancelation…I too was very bummed out by Howdy’s departure, as I did not realize that such a thing was possible. I have another early childhood memory involving Howdy Doody. During one show, Buffalo Bob told his audience that the following week’s show would contain a big surprise. Naturally, I could hardly wait. It turned out that the “surprise” was that, starting that day, “Howdy Doody” began to be televised in color. My family still had a black and white set, so the “big surprise” was a bit of a let down for me.

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written by Barbara Leiker, January 22, 2012, February 22, 2012

Miss Nancy was a favorite of mine when I was little, but I had a chance to meet her in person many years later when my son was just 4 years old. She was working with the children at my son's day care that was in a church in Terra Linda, up on the hill (east side of 101) that looked down upon what was then, the Emporium. I was working at the Emporium at that time and could show him, from the daycare facility, where I would be until I picked him up. Miss Nancy was so kind to my son. She said he reminded her of her son at that age and had so had this special bond with Mark.I, too, still have the signed copy of the children's' book Milton and Matilda that she wrote. She handed it to Mark one afternoon when I came to pick him up. Dear, dear woman.

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