Q & A: WMAR-TV’s Stu Kerr

I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me about television shows, made-for-TV movies or miniseries they remember from years or decades past. I try to answer each question as best I can. Every now and then I like to dig through my inbox and pull out a few choice e-mails to answer here at Television Obscurities for everyone to read. Keep reading for today’s questions and answers.

What ever happen to Stew Kerr, he was a very popular children’s TV show actor in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s in one kid’s show he was known Professor Kool or Cool. On Baltimore TV.
Charles

Stu Kerr passed away on July 17th, 1994 at the age of 66. He began a lengthy career with station WMAR-TV in Baltimore, Maryland in 1952 and ultimately spent 29 years there, leaving in 1981 when, according to an obituary published in The Washington Post, “new management decided his time had passed” [1]. While at WMAR-TV he appeared in a variety of children’s shows, including Bozo the Clown and Professor Kool’s Fun Skool. According to Hi There, Boys and Girls!: America’s Local Children’s TV Shows, Kerr also played Mr. Morning on Mr. Morning’s Clubhouse [2]. He served as host for WMAR-TV’s version of Dialing for Dollars and had a recurring role on ABC’s Captain Kangaroo as Mr. Scoop Toot.

After leaving WMAR-TV in 1981, Kerr moved to WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. where he was a weatherman. He also began playing Commander Stukker on 54 Space Corps. His Variety obituary noted that he began his broadcasting career as a page at NBC in New York City, “where he would pull old radio scripts from the trash and practice reading them” [3].

Works Cited:

1 “Deaths.” Washington Post. 19 Jul. 1994: D6.
2 Hollis, Tim. Hi There, Boys and Girls!: America’s Local Children’s TV Shows. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2001, Page 137.
3 “Obituaries.” Variety. Jul. 25-Jul. 31, 1994: 64.


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17 Replies to “Q & A: WMAR-TV’s Stu Kerr”

  1. I was a participant on professor kool school. My birthday is August 14, 1966. I celebrate this week. I enjoyed being on the show and my uncle Lee Barton worked for channel 2 at that time and after to a couple years ago. We need more good programming and interactions for kids. It helped me to be a survivor and strong family orientations. Thank you in advance for your consideration in the matter for more and better television programming for kids and adult participation on local and cable networks to reruns and syndications

  2. What is the name of the “Whistling Tune” that Stu Kerr used to pantomime to in the early 50’s on WMAR TV ? I can not locate it on line, and I know it is there somewhere ?

  3. Stu Kerr was hilarious as professor kool with the mustache and eyebrows, one of my all time favorites, and what was the name of that theme music for the show.(awesome)

  4. I was on Professor Kools Fun Skool sometime in the mid-1970s. I remember opening the show with a corny joke. There were different activities where the kids could win a prize (I took home two, one being Shrinky Dinks. You got to pick your prize from a stack of toys, games, and puzzles). There was a recurring balloon busting game, musical chairs, and a trivia game called- Bust-your-Brains. The villain, Miss Spiderweb would sneak around the set, the kids would scream and yell like crazy. By the time Stu Kerr would turn around Miss Spiderweb was long gone. (somewhere I have that show recorded on audio cassette). After Professor Kool, Kerr had a weekday after-school interactive video game show. Kids would call in and watch the video game play on tv and over the phone would say *POW* to activate the game (one was Intellivision Astosmash). If they did well they would win a prize.

  5. Grew up in Baltimore from 60’s to 80’s. Stu was wonderful. In addition to Professor Kool and other roles mentioned above…Stu served as main (and later, fill-in) weatherman on WMAR Channel 2 in the 70’s. After PK, he had a nother kids show called “Caboose” on WMAR. He played a train conductor and interacted with local puppeteer Kevin Clash (later of Sesame Street and Elmo fame) and his puppets. This was a fine show but involved no live audience. After being let go, he did a stint in DC, returning to Baltimore in mid-80’s for indie Channel 54’s Space Corps, an afternoon block of cartoons interspersed with live bits with Stu as a spaceship commander, introducing the cartoon shows. He was a very nice man who genuinely loved people, especially kids.

  6. Kerr’s video game show was called- TV POWW! and the format was syndicated around the US around 1978-1980. Had a chance to meet him, along with Richard Dyzel (Capt. 20, Creature Features Count Gore DeVol, and George Lewis (Capt. Chesapeake) at a FANEX con around the early 90s. Their tales of mishaps and goofs on and off camera had the audience in stitches.

  7. Stu also did the noon news. I will never forget him reporting that Jayne Mansfield was killed in a car crash. I can see him in my mind today, making that report.

    1. Venus Glass, there are a couple of short clips of Stu Kerr’s children’s shows on YouTube. You can watch those, and leave comments on the videos, asking if anyone has additional video clips. Have you contacted Baltimore station WMAR to enquire if they have an archive of old series, or if they know of anyone who might be able to help you?

  8. There was something very special about Stu Kerr that made me want to watch everything he did, whether it was a kids show or weatherman or news show. Keep in mind I was only 11 or so years old at the time but nothing could stand in the way of my watching this wonderful guy. I really loved everything about him and truly missed him when he was gon. May he RIP

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