Betty Lou Varnum
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Betty Lou Varnum | |
---|---|
Born | Betty Lou McVay May 3, 1931 Chicago, Illinois |
Died | August 4, 2021 |
Occupation(s) | Television Personality, Producer, Director, Writer |
Spouse | James (Red) Varnum |
Children | 3 |
Betty Lou Varnum (née McVay; May 3, 1931 – August 2021) was an American television personality, best known as host of the long-running children's show, The Magic Window.
Early years
Varnum was born in Chicago. Her parents, Glen and Louise McVay, moved to the small town of Platteville, Wisconsin later that same year. Her father was a popular local optometrist and sportsman and her mother was a housewife. The family lived in Platteville during WWII as McVay completed public school. After the war, McVay moved to Madison and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in English literature. After graduation, McVay returned to her hometown, Platteville, and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in teaching. She took a job teaching literature and speech at the high school in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
Career
An acquaintance of McVay's who attended the University of Wisconsin, Platteville and worked at
The Magic Window ran continuously from 1951 through 1994. Betty Lou and the House with the Magic Window, as the show was later titled, was a children's show aimed at kindergarten and preschoolers that took place in the Magic Forest. McVay and her special friends, Gregory Lion (a perpetually four-year-old lion), Catrina Crocodile (a witch who had changed herself into a beautiful crocodile), and Dusty the Unicorn (more formally known as Stardust Glimmer, who was 3000 years old – young for a unicorn), would chat with visitors, teach a clever craft, and watch wholesome cartoons such as Felix the Cat and Tales of the Riverbank, a Canadian live-action short about Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, and friends. Although targeted at young children, The Magic Window would become a favorite of children of all ages as generations grew up with Betty Lou.
Varnum made only one appearance as an actress. She played Mrs. Vernam on an episode of The Rifleman that aired October 16, 1961; it was Season 4 Episode 3.
Varnum worked on other projects at
Varnum also hosted the yearly Iowa State Fair and VEISHEA parades.
Varnum retired in 1994 when
Personal life and death
In 1959, McVay married James (Red) Varnum, also an employee at
Betty Lou Varnum died in August 2021.[1]
See also
- The Magic Window, her first, longest-running and most popular show
- WOI-TV
References
- ^ Arena, Kassidy (6 August 2021). "Betty Lou Varnum, Host Of Long-Running Iowa Children's TV Show Dies At 90". Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
External links
- “Tales Of The Riverbank” at Nostalgia Central