Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Roy Moyer, 1975 September 17-23. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection documents, through printed materials, photographs, audio and moving image, Don Herbert's career as a science educator under the persona of "Mr. Wizard" from 1951 until the 1990s.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the career of science educator Don Herbert, who created and hosted child-oriented television programs on science subjects in which he assumed the persona of Mr. Wizard. In addition to a documentation about his early personal life, the collection also documents his Watch Mr. Wizard television show as well as his other television, radio, and educational activities.
The collection includes correspondence, contracts, writings, publications, newspaper clippings, speeches; awards, photographs; episode files relating to Watch Mr. Wizard and other educational programming, moving image, and audio recordings.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eight series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1906-2007
Series 2: Awards, 1948-2000
Series 3: Speeches, 1966-1994
Series 4: Publications/Writings, 1966-2004
Series 5: Newspaper Articles, 1944-2007
Series 6: Educational Programs/Projects, 1951-2008
Subseries 6.1: It's a Curious Thing, 1951, 1954
Subseries 6.2: Watch Mr. Wizard, 1954-1989
Subseries 6.3: General Electric Theater, 1956-1958
Subseries 6.4: Instructor Magazine, 1964-1965
Subseries 6.5: Experiment, 1963-2003
Subseries 6.6: Silence of Science, 1966
Subseries 6.7: CBS National Science Test, 1967
Subseries 6.8: General Electric, 1974-1976
Subseries 6.9: Mr. Wizard Collection...Fun Things, circa 1975
Subseries 6.10: Mr. Wizard Close-up, 1968, 1975
Subseries 6.11: Challenge with Mr. Wizard, 1976
Subseries 6.12: Science Twenty with Mr. Wizard, 1969-1974
Subseries 6.13: How About..., 1977-1989
Subseries 6.14: Mr. Wizard's Whadda Ya Know Show, circa 1981
Subseries 6.15: Correspondent Science News, circa 1987
Donald Herbert Kemske (1917-2007) was the creator and host of Watch Mr. Wizard (1951–1965), Mr. Wizard (1971–1972), Mr. Wizard's World (1983–1990), and other educational television programs for children devoted to science and technology. He also produced many short video programs about science and authored several popular books about science for children. So important was Mr. Wizard to scientific education on television that author Marcel LaFollette featured his photo on the cover of her book, Science on American Television: A History, University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Don Herbert was born Donald Herbert Kemske in Waconia, Minnesota on July 10, 1917. He was one of three children (sisters Betty and Dorothy) born to Herbert Kemske and Lydia Kemske (nee Poeppel). He officially changed his name in 1940 to Donald Jeffry Herbert. Herbert graduated from LaCrosse State Normal College in 1940 with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1942, Herbert volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps and in 1943 began training as an aviation cadet and then pilot. During World War II, Herbert served in the 461 Bomb Group and 767 Bomb Squadron in Europe. He was discharged from the military service on July 29, 1945 as a captain and had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. After the war, Herbert worked at a radio station in Chicago and acted in children's programs, including It's Your Life (1949). During this time Herbert developed the idea of Mr. Wizard. In 1939, Herbert married Maraleita Dutton (1923-1995) and the couple adopted three children: Jeffrey (1954); Jay (1955); and Jill (1960). He later divorced Maraleita Dutton and married Norma Nix Kasell (1918-2010) in 1972.
Premiering on March 3, 1951 on WNBQ, a 14-station network in Chicago, Herbert's Watch Mr. Wizard differed considerably from earlier attempts at scientific education on television. Those shows were either very technical, like the Johns Hopkins Science Review, or used magic tricks and comedy to hold viewers' attention, like ABC's Science Circus and CBS' Mr. I. Magination. From the beginning, Herbert planned a serious, informative show for children, rather than their parents. Even though he had only minimal scientific training in college—he had been an English major at La Crosse State Normal College in Wisconsin—in his persona as Mr. Wizard, Herbert conveyed a sense of authority and expertise.
The show, broadcast live, was carefully scripted, meticulously researched, and smooth-flowing. Each week, Mr. Wizard—described by LaFollette as a "nonthreatening, easygoing, intelligent man with a smiling face" in shirtsleeves and tie (and the occasional lab coat)—carefully guided his youthful assistants through simple experiments. Using ordinary household items such as eggs, balloons, milk bottles, coffee cans, and knitting needles, Herbert explained larger scientific principles like gravity, magnetism, and oxidation. Although seemingly complex, the experiments actually were simple enough to be re-created by his young viewers in the classroom or at home.
Herbert's winning combination of personality, grasp of science, and use of ordinary objects made Mr. Wizard a hit with viewers and made a lasting impression on science education in America. As LaFollette writes, the program "enjoyed consistent praise, awards, and high ratings throughout its history. At its peak, Watch Mr. Wizard drew audiences in the millions, but its impact was far wider. By 1956, it had prompted the establishment of more than five thousand Mr. Wizard science clubs, with an estimated membership greater than one hundred thousand." After over 500 shows over fourteen and a half years, NBC abruptly canceled Watch Mr. Wizard in 1965. The last program under contract with NBC aired on June 27, 1965.
From 1954 to 1962, Herbert, appearing as Mr. Wizard, delivered "Progress Reports" during commercial breaks of the General Electric Theater. As with most commercially-sponsored shows, the progress being reported on was almost exclusively made by General Electric. Following the cancellation of Watch Mr. Wizard, he continued to use his Mr. Wizard persona in science education. In 1965-1966, he produced an eight-film-series, Experiment: The Story of a Scientific Search, which was broadcast on public television, and a series of twenty-minute films, Science Twenty, designed to complement the current science curriculum in the classroom (circa 1970).
Herbert's television show was briefly revived in 1971-1972 as Mr. Wizard, in response to protests over the cartoons and commercials that flooded children's Saturday morning prime viewing time, but it did not receive enough network support. Herbert appeared in commercials for several companies during the 1970s and briefly lobbied Congress on behalf of General Electric in 1975. In the early 1970s, Herbert also produced Mr. Wizard Close-Ups, thirty second spots that aired on NBC in the Saturday morning slot. In the late 1970s, he began collaborating with the National Science Foundation to create a series of short news briefs for television called How About…How About was an adult-oriented series of 80-second reports highlighting advances in science and technology. The reports were designed for insertion into existing commercial television programs.
In the early 1980s, Herbert returned to television in Mr. Wizard's World, a faster-paced version of the original show that ran on the Nickelodeon network from 1983-1990. After its cancellation, reruns ran until at least 2000. During this time Herbert made numerous appearances on television news and talk shows, particularly the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, where he was a popular guest. In the 1990s, Herbert produced Teacher to Teacher with Mr. Wizard, a video series that debuted on September 27, 1994 on the Nickelodeon cable channel. The innovative educational series provided a candid, close-up and in-depth visit to classrooms of outstanding teachers using hands-on, inquiry-based techniques.
Herbert also published several books, including Mr. Wizard's Science Secrets (1952); Mr. Wizard's Experiments for Young Scientists (1959); Mr. Wizard's 400 Experiments in Science (1968); and Mr. Wizard's Supermarket Science (1980). Additionally, he designed science kits involving chemistry, crystal growing, ecology, and electronics, which were marketed by Owens-Illinois in the 1960s.
Herbert's hands-on techniques in demonstrating scientific concepts to children were the inspiration for numerous educators who followed his lead. As popular TV science educator Bill Nye wrote in a special to the Los Angeles Times, his "techniques and performances helped create the United States' first generation of homegrown rocket scientists just in time to respond to Sputnik. He sent us to the moon. He changed the world."
Don Herbert died in 2007, shortly before his 90th birthday. Soon after, the U.S. House of Representatives marked his passing: "Resolved, that the House of Representatives (1) expresses its appreciation for the profound public service and educational contributions of Don Jeffry Herbert, (2) recognizes the profound public impact of higher educational institutions that train teachers, (3) encourages students to honor the heritage of Don Herbert by exploring our world through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields; and, (4) extends its condolences to the family of Don Herbert and thanks them for their strong familial support of him."
Sources
LaFollette, Marcel. Science on American Television: A History, University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Nye, Bill. "Teaching Science with a Big `Poof!' Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2007.
Related Materials:
Materials at Other Organizations
UCLA Film and Television Archives
The collection consists of 770 moving image items in several formats: 16mm kinescopes; 1" videotapes; 2" videotapes; ¾" videotapes; and DVDs. The collection documents Don Herbert's career as Mr. Wizard, from the early 1950's to the mid 1990's and includes such programs as Watch Mr. Wizard, Mr. Wizard's World, and How About...
Separated Materials:
Materials at the National Museum of American History
Related materials were donated to the Division of Medicine and Science. See accession 2014.0141.
2014.0141.01, Mr. Wizard's Experiments in Ecology, Series One: Microbes (science kit)
2014.0141.02, Mr. Wizard's Experiments in Crystal Growing (science kit)
2014.0141.03, Mr. Wizard's Experiments in Chemistry (science kit)
2014.0141.04, Fun with the Mr. Wizard Science Set (science kit)
2014.0141.05, Mr. Wizard's Science Secrets (science kit)
2014.0141.06, Mr. Wizard's Experiments for Young Scientists (book)
2014.0141.07, Mr. Wizard's Supermarket Science (book)
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Mr. Wizard Studios, through Thomas E. Nikosey, President, and Kristen K. Nikosey, Vice President, in 2014.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Reference copies for audio and moving images materials do not exist. Use of these materials requires special arrangement. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
Social Security numbers are present and have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Luigi Lucioni Papers, 1905-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Short documentary produced for the National Educational Television program Black Journal. It examines the promising political career of civil rights activist and then member of the Georgia state legislature, Julian Bond.
Object Number:
2012.79.1.99.1a
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The NMAAHC Media Preservation team can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes.
Collection Citation:
Pearl Bowser Collection, National Museum of African American History and Culture
August Wilson the ground on which I stand director, producer, Sam Pollard ; writer, Stephen Stept ; a production of WQED Multimedia and Thirteen Productions LLC's American Masters for WNET
An Examination of the Differential effects on Viewers of Experience in Taking Telecourses on Attitudes Toward Instruction by Television and the Social Psychological Impact of a Controversial Educational Television Program
Collection Collector:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Information, Technology and Society Search this
Unrestricted research access on site by appointment.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Ithiel deSola Pool Collection, 1919-1984, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
An interview of Roy Moyer, conducted September 17-23, 1975, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution at Moyer's New York City apartment.
Moyer speaks of his childhood, parents, and early music and art training in Allentown, Pennsylvania; his education at Columbia University and the University of Oslo; joining the Army during World War II; teaching English in Greece during its civil war; teaching at the University of Toronto; consulting on educational TV programs; working in the Weyhe Gallery; his management practices and overseeing exhibitions, the film program, and various other initiatives as director of the American Federation of Arts; his painting practice; the growth in the number of art organizations in the 1960s and '70s; and his transition to working for UNICEF. Moyer also recalls Lionel Trilling, Meyer Schapiro, Martha Dickinson, Erhard Weyhe, Roy Neuberger, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Roy Moyer (1921-2007) was a painter and art administrator from New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 16 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Herbert, Don (Donald Jeffry), 1917-2007 Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1951 - 2001
Scope and Contents:
The photographs consist of black and white prints, color prints, transparencies, negatives, and slides documenting Don Herbert as Mr. Wizard. The majority of the photographs depict "on set" experiments/demonstrations by Don Herbert and with child actors Rita McLaughlin and Alan Howard; on location shots; and other studio shots for many of Mr. Wizard's educational television programs.
Portraits of Don Herbert, used for publicity purposes, can be found throughout this series. Other individuals depicted include Norma Kasell Herbert, second wife of Don Herbert, Ronald Reagan, Perry Como, Jane Mansfield, Dave Garroway and various production staff members. Many of the photographs for the television series Experiment were taken by Charles Moore for Prism Productions, Inc. Family photographs of Don Herbert's parents, siblings, children, and other relatives are found in Series 1: Biographical Materials. The materials are arranged chronologically.
Other photographs documenting Watch Mr. Wizard episodes can be found in Series 2: Educational Programs and Projects. Each episode file contains black and white photographs taken during rehearsals to plan the experiment and diagrams on graph paper showing where he and his young assistants (Rita McLaughlin and Alan Howard) would stand and move. Additionally, other loose photographs can be found throughout the collection, especially for the science program Experiment in Series 2: Educational Programs and Projects.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Reference copies for audio and moving images materials do not exist. Use of these materials requires special arrangement. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
Social Security numbers are present and have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Mr. Wizard Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Howard Somers Conant papers, 1944-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Discovery television program from a 1950s educational television program at the Brookfield Zoo. Produced by naturalist Mary Lena Grimes on animals at this Chicago zoo. Includes narration and animal sounds.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Discovery television program from a 1950s educational television program at the Brookfield Zoo. Produced by naturalist Mary Lena Grimes on animals at this Chicago zoo. Includes narration and animal sounds.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Discovery television program from a 1950s educational television program at the Brookfield Zoo. Produced by naturalist Mary Lena Grimes on animals at this Chicago zoo. Includes narration and animal sounds.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Folders 1-11 IX Sao Paulo Biennial. Loan returns; correspondence; catalog list; condition reports; budget material (also for VIII Sao Paulo Biennial, 1965); press releases; planning; invitations; schedules; National Education Television program materia...
Container:
Box 121 of 287
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 321, National Museum of American Art, Office of Program Support, Records
