As a kid growing up in the 70’s, although we only had a handful of channels to chose from on television, the variety of shows always made up for for it. A few days back, my OG, Fredy Blast posted a picture on his IG that brought back a bunch of memories and from time to time, we discussions about certain periods of TV history that helped to shape us. The photo he posted was of the legendary Philadelphia TV and Radio Icon, Wee Willie Webber who introduced us to so many shows that we now revere as all time classics.
Bill “Wee Willie” Webber had several moments on television beginning with his Breakfast Time show which aired from 1956 to 1963 and included news, sports and cartoons. His second and most famous show called The Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club or as we call it, The Wee Willie Webber Show aired during after school hours at 3pm on UHF television from 1965 until 1975 and was responsible for introducing our young imaginations for anime and other Japanese shows such as Ultraman, Marine Boy, Tobor The 8th Man and Prince Planet as well as showcasing shows like the Irwin Allen classic, Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea.
About:
Webber was born in Havana, Cuba. His father was British while his grandfather, an engineer, helped to pave the streets of Havana. His family immigrated to the United States, and Webber was raised in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Webber graduated from Bushwick High School and attended classes at New York University.
Webber enlisted in the United States Army after World War II and worked as an Army mapmaker while stationed in Japan after the war. He successfully auditioned for the Armed Forces Radio on Honshu, earning the nickname “Honshu Cowboy” because he played country music. His time in the Army allowed Webber to obtain U.S. citizenship.
In 1953 he made his move to Reading Pennsylvania and hired as an announcer then in 1954 he made his way to Philadelphia where the rest is history.