NOTABLE ARKANSANS

Notable Arkansans

He was born in 1911 on a cotton plantation in Varner (Lincoln County), the eldest of three children. When he was 15, his father, who owned a general store, died, leaving him to help his mother support the family by selling peanuts on the streets of England (Lonoke County). In 1930, he graduated from England High School, president of the senior class.

In 1935, he married Charlene Smith; the couple had a son and a daughter. For a few years he bounced from job to job, first selling aluminum wares and insurance, then peddling groceries from the back of a small truck. For a while, he worked as a sales manager for a Little Rock Kroger store. But he found he loved to entertain people, especially children. He entered a radio contest named "Major Bowes Amateur Hour," performing humorous impressions. He didn't win, but he gained recognition. He learned a few magic tricks, learned how to tie balloons to look like cartoon animals and funny hats, and developed an amusing persona that made him a big hit at children's birthday parties.

In the late 1940s, he hosted a radio show, "The Safety-First Pals," entertaining kids by assuming the character of a hillbilly named Uncle Arky. In 1955 the program manager at KARK-TV, who remembered his performance on "Major Bowes Amateur Hour," hired him to host his own western-theme afternoon show, "Six Gun Theater." Along with a cowboy hat and bolo tie, he added a western-sounding nickname that stuck with him the rest of his life. The show focused on kids, featuring western movies and occasional visits from celebrities such as Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Gail "Annie Oakley" Davis and Gene Autry. Dressed in his western attire, he became the primary spokesperson for the show's sponsor, Finkbeiner Meat Packing Co.

When the show went off the air in 1958, he went to work as a public relations representative for Wonder Bakery in Little Rock and its parent company, ITT Continental Baking Co. He would travel the state, showing up at kids' birthday parties, his car pulling a trailer that carried a four-horse merry-go-round. He would pass out mini Wonder Bread loaves and entertain the kids by telling jokes, pulling coins out of their ears and making balloon animals and hats. He would also hand out "Square Shooter Club" cards — reminding members to do good deeds every day — and small red books featuring Bible verses. For many years, he held a birthday party at Park Plaza shopping center in Little Rock, a benefit for the Jaycettes' annual toy drive. It is estimated he performed at more than 8,000 functions, private and corporate. When he retired in 1977, Continental Baking Co. invited "everybody in Arkansas" to attend one last big party at University Mall in Little Rock.

■ ■ ■

Who was this iconic Arkansas children's entertainer, who died of a heart attack a year after he retired?

See Notable Arkansans — Answer

Upcoming Events