Echoes of 'Boomtown'Page 2 of 3 -- "People cheer like [he's] a rock star when he's going by," said Bavaro.
For his film, Bavaro tapped some of Trailer's better known fans, including Leno, to recall their "Boomtown" memories. Tingle remembers watching Boomtown in the '60s when he was growing up in Cambridge. The 49-year-old political humorist appeared on the show when he was in the sixth grade. "I brought my brothers and sisters to the show. I was their chaperone," Tingle said. "I was rather old compared to most of the other kids." But he wasn't too old to delight in being picked Pony Express guy for the episode. "It was a ball," said Tingle. A young Tommy Menino met Trailer a few times as a youngster and attended some of the live broadcasts. The future mayor of Boston was a faithful fan: "Every Saturday morning, on Channel 4," said Menino. "It was like a religion." Barry Tatelman, CEO of Jordan's Furniture, launched into the "Boomtown" theme song when he left a message in response to a reporter's call. "I was brought up in Boston with Rex Trailer, and Boomtown, and Hubert the swan, and Pablo, and the whole group," said Tatelman. "I have great memories of Rex Trailer. I even met Rex once at a personal appearance. I ended up going on stage with him, and it was one of the highlights of my life. "I can still sing the song . . . 'Howdy there folks, we're glad to meet you in Boom, Boom, Boomtown.' " At first it was difficult tracking down footage from the old shows, because Boomtown was broadcast live. But as word spread about his project, Bavaro said, "footage just keeps surfacing." "Boomtown" premiered in Boston in March 1956. The first part of the show would take place in the bunkhouse, and then Rex would jump on his horse, Goldrush, and gallop across a prairie to the Main Street of Boomtown. The popular show soon expanded into a three-hour format, in which Trailer, Goldrush, and various sidekicks interviewed guests, sang songs, and played games. He also pulled off plenty of stunts, such as standing upright while riding his horse and using a bullwhip to snap cigarettes from men's mouths. One of his biggest feats was recreating the Old West on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton, at WBZ-TV. The show's run on Channel 4 ended at the end of 1974, after which it aired for two years on Channel 25.
Trailer later hosted "Earth Lab," a syndicated science series that aired across the country until 1979. Later, he co-hosted "Boomtown Revisited" on Continental Born and raised just outside of Fort Worth, Texas, Trailer, who won't reveal his birth name, learned his roping and riding skills spending summers on his grandfather's ranch in Thurber, Texas. His teachers were cowboys from the rodeo circuit. Continued... |
