Gene London - Earlier Life

Earlier Life

Earlier in life, Gene aspired to be a Disney artist. An imaginative child, Gene recalled, "Alone in my room when all the other kids were playing ball, I'd tell myself the story, acting out all the parts, including Snow White standing by the side of the well singing, 'I'm Wishing'." On his show, Gene often showcased Disney cartoons and movies. Gene's early career included stints as a counselor at Summerdale Day Camp just outside Philadelphia where he taught arts and crafts and puppetry; occasional work on NBC-TV's Hi Mom! hosted by ventriloquist Shari Lewis; a cast member on the puppet show Johnny Jupiter; as Re-ject the Robot. he was also a puppeteer on some of Herb Sheldon's kids' TV shows on WABD TV Ch.5 in NYC.

London would succeed Henry Burbig as the second host/performer and instructor of WABC TV Ch.7 NYC's "Tinker's Workshop" in 1957. He would play the character of "Tinker Tom The Toymaker" as a big brother type, as opposed to portraying him as a grandfatherly inculcator of values.

London hosted the show from 1957 to mid-1958, when he was ousted from the program following a creative dispute with station management. He would go on to appear semi-regularly on holiday-themed special editions of NBC TV's "Today Show" with the series' first host/interviewer, Dave Garroway, during the 1959 TV season. (Info about Mr. London's efforts with Mr. Sheldon, his brief tenure with "Tinker's Workshop" and his involvement with "The Today Show" can be found in "The NYC Kids Shows Round Up" section of www.tvparty.com.)