memories: page-5 |
| Ok, you wanted my story about Rex? Here goes! My favorite show on Sundays was 'Boomtown'. I idolized Rex and wished I could meet him and be on his show. Well, as luck would have it, my parents got tickets for all us kids. I don't remember what year it was, but it was to be the last Easter Sunday Show that Pablo would be on before passing (God rest his soul). We all got into our western outfits and headed to the studio, it was so exciting! There were 5 of us going, my younger brother, my sister, older sister and our aunt, who was younger than myself. All the kids were ushered into the Boomtown set and I was standing in front of Goldrush's stall with this other boy. I was instructed to hold Rex's guitar and the other boy was to open the gate to the stall after Rex came onto the set riding Goldrush. My older sister Kim was appointed The General Store Keeper, this was already the best time of my life!!! The show went on and being the show for Easter Sunday, my younger sister Corinne and our aunt Terry were paired up to compete in the Easter Bonnet contest, for the best decorated Easter Bonnet and they won and received a prize! Now, the parents of all us kids were all in a separate room watching us on closed circuit TV and when you got a prize they would have you take it there to leave with your parent. The prizes were given to Rex by my sister Kim as she was The General Store Keeper. Then, Rex had an Easter Egg Hunt and the one who found the golden egg was to be the winner. Everyone scrambled to find all the eggs. My younger brother Darren found the golden egg under Pablo's hat!! ( I'm sure he was coaxed by Pablo), and he won the prize! During a break, Rex came over to me and asked me to yell "Who goes there?!" I did and he laughed for some reason and had me taken from my spot in front of Goldrush's stall. I was given the job as Sheriff!! That was the icing on the cake, to be given lines to say with Rex!! Rex came up to the Sheriff's Office and I yelled out, "Who goes there?!" Rex said, "It's me, Rex" and I said "What's the password?" and he would say the word,(which I forget now), and I let him in. Well, they take a kid and dress them up in a disguise and make a Wanted Poster with their picture. Rex showed me the Wanted Poster and I was to pick the person out of the line of kids as they walked through the Sheriff's Office. If THIS wasn't a kicker, the boy that I had been standing next to and befriended was the wanted person, so I just waited for him to come in and I pulled him out of the line. Rex asked me how I could tell it was him, I said "I could tell by the look in his eyes." I guess I was really trying to play the part!!! HaHa well, I won a prize also and took it into the room where my father was. He was the only parent with a tall stack of prizes, even at my young age, I felt kinda bad for the other parents. It was the time of my life as a child. My parents got horses sometime after that and we were members of The Rough Riders from the Bridgewater area and got to ride with Rex in a parade. I felt like I was riding with my hero and long time friend. I always reminisce about those times and am grateful to have had a local hero that all the children could be a part of on TV and off. I got to see Rex again last night at a Boomtown Show at Massasoit Community College, Radio/TV Classics Live! I got to go behind stage and get my picture with my childhood idol and hero and thank him for all he has done. What better man to have as a hero and idol as a child! -THANK YOU REX!! -Your Always in my Heart, - Walter Finch East Bridgewater, MA |
| Walter Finch has a burning desire to get children's programming back to our local tv stations. You'll understand why he loves kids when you click here! |
| I hope you'll enjoy this, 'cause I'm about to give you a good laugh at my own expense! Growing up in the small town of Winchester, N.H. in the 50's and 60's, I was thankful that WBZ was the one station that always came in clearly. You see, Saturday morning WAS Rex Trailer at my house! Well, today, while on my computer, another site mentioned 'Boomtown Memories'. I couldn't get there fast enough, and one thing led to another until I found myself on YouTube where Rex was about to sing a song at the Massachusetts Country Music Awards. (You must realize how excited I was...hey, it'd been over 45 years since I last saw him). Well Rex gets on stage and shouts, "Howdy kids!" and I guess it was a reflex action on my part when I yelled back, "Howdy Rex!" at my COMPUTER! (Oh, did I mention that I had a whole room full of people when I did this). I'm never going to live this one down! I'm just so happy to have found my old friend Rex again. Can't wait to see the video. Dave Hadlock Bullhead City AZ |
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Hi Bob! In 1968,my cousin brought me, my sister, and a few other cousins to see the live Boomtown Show with Bozo the clown at the (old) John Hancock Center. We didn't have a color tv back then, so it was overwhelming to see Rex and his cowboy outfit, right in front of me, in color. I was 7, and my most vivid and wonderful memory is that on the way out, Rex, Pablo and Bozo were standing by the door, with Rex shaking every kids hand in the audience. Thinking about it now brings me right back to that moment. I was overwhelmed and remember asking Pablo, "Where's Goldrush?" He kind of got a look on his face, turned to Rex, and said "The kid wants to know where's Goldrush." Rex bent down, put a hand on my shoulder and said "Oh, well he went back to the corral." Years later, I wondered if indeed, Goldrush (1 or 2 at that point) was still living, and then realized that the nicest thing Rex could do for a 7 year old with his eyes full of wonder was to tell him that the horse that may or may have been living at the time was back at the corral. It's a memory I've held onto for over 40 years and one that makes me happy every time I think about it. Years later, I went to Emmerson and majored in Theater. I never had Rex as an instructor. He taught broadcasting in the then Mass Comm. Department (I graduated in 1982), but I always felt great that he was no more than a block away from me (I lived at 100 Beacon, and I believe the studio back then was at 132 Beacon, or there- abouts). Rex, to this day, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I think back on those days, the fun I had watching your show, and the time you took to meet us all and make me feel like I was the most special kid in the world. Sincerely and with continuing admiration, David van Leesten New York |
Greetings, What a wonderful walk down memory lane it was to find the Boomtown website! I used to watch this show faithfully, and my older brother was even on it once. My best friend back then, Am Eidelman, and I used to put on carnivals every summer to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy. I can remember how exciting it was to get the Rex Trailer kit in the mail, put up the posters, and create games and contests for our carnival attendees to play. We held three or four carnivals- improving upon it each year. At the end of each one, we would walk through the neighborhood and knock on everyone's door, asking for additional donations. We must have been around 8-11 years old. The last year we had the carnival, we raised about $50, which seemed like a LOT of money to us at the time. We were so proud of ourselves, and so happy to be able to contribute in this way. MANY years later, I moved to Waltham, and was so excited to drive down Main Street and see the sign for the Rex Trailer studio there. He just seemed like a wonderful man with a huge heart, and I'm so happy to hear that he's still going strong! Warmly, Dyan deNapoli THEPENGUINLADY Educational Programs www.thepenguinlady.com 978-352-2235 |
Hi Robert, I've been trying for years to locate some old footage from the Boomtown Show. My sister and I were on the show back when I was 5 and she was 9, (or I was 4 and she was 7, not sure) and I would love to get a copy of the show for our families. |
| The year would have been 1961 or 1962. She was selected to be the General Store Keeper and I was upset., so Rex let me tag along with her while he interviewed the both of us. At the time, I believe, the age limit was 6 or 5 and I was a year younger, so my mom told my sister to lie about my age, however, they never let me in on the lie, so when Rex asked my age I was adamant that I was 4 (or 5), hence, my sister and I had an argument about my age on the show. I don't know if you have footage, but please let me know if you kept any of them from those years. We loved the show growing up and have fond memories of Rex and all the crew. Thank you, Nancy Martinelli p.s. I was surfing on You Tube and put in "Rex Trailer" and a couple of clicks later I made it to your website. I loved reading the messages and it brought back a lot of memories. My sister, myself and cousin also sent away for the carnival package and set up shop in the backyard of my cousin's house. WOW, what a great thing for kids to do back then and the proceeds were toward a great cause. I was pretty young, but I still remember how fun it was getting the package in the mail and setting up the carnival. And, if I remember correctly, we had a pretty good turn out with the kids in the neighborhood and fun was had by all! |