Bonus: A Monkey Could Work Here

[00:00:02] This is BewilderBeasts, an infotainment show dedicated to inspiring curiosity for all ages

[00:00:13] by investigating the ways animals intersect at humanity.

[00:00:17] I am not a historian, an ethologist, a researcher, a scientist, a zoologist, a trained audio

[00:00:23] engineer or an expert in… well, anything.

[00:00:26] Y'all, I'm lucky if I can remember to put my clean laundry in the dryer before

[00:00:30] it gets funky.

[00:00:31] And while I make every effort to present things as accurately as I can with a fun flair, I'm

[00:00:36] going to mess up.

[00:00:37] And that's okay.

[00:00:38] I hope I've given you a nice place to jump off from on your own adventures into curiosity.

[00:00:42] Or at the very least, I've given you the key to win your next round of trivia.

[00:00:46] Hello and welcome to this Patreon exclusive episode.

[00:01:12] Today we are talking about a naughty little monkey indeed.

[00:01:15] Alright, let's go!

[00:01:36] Hello everyone.

[00:01:38] The main chunk of this piece was actually cut from the Shorties episode and it's all

[00:01:43] about how a monkey saved the Today Show.

[00:01:46] I started looking into this and this one just ended up being a little long for a

[00:01:50] Shortie so I ended up expanding it and it's just for you over here on Patreon.

[00:01:55] Thank you for being so patient through March and through April.

[00:01:59] You guys will be getting your Patreon exclusive also in May and all through the summer

[00:02:02] so thank you again for your support.

[00:02:04] With all of that being said, let's get into the naughty little monkey who saved

[00:02:08] the Today Show.

[00:02:09] Alright, let's go!

[00:02:18] Picture it.

[00:02:19] 1950s.

[00:02:20] Black and white televisions on many households across this great land.

[00:02:24] There was no streaming, you just had to be home in front of the TV when you

[00:02:27] wanted to watch something.

[00:02:29] And those things were definitely wholesome with maybe questionable names today like

[00:02:33] Mr. Peepers and Watch Mr. Wizard, a kids show that was really to show kids the

[00:02:39] science behind ordinary things.

[00:02:41] It was a great concept that went on to no doubt lay the foundation for Bill Nye the

[00:02:45] Science Guy, Beakman of Beakman's World and the Mythbusters.

[00:02:49] But we all know while they were saying they were inspiring kids to do science,

[00:02:52] they were really only trying to get boys to like science because girls can just

[00:02:56] watch.

[00:02:57] This is man's work.

[00:02:58] Oh, the 50s.

[00:03:01] There were also some pretty creative ways in advertising the 50s too.

[00:03:05] Like Camel News Caravan.

[00:03:07] It was a 15 minute news show, the very first featuring filmed news stories over

[00:03:12] the more common newsreel.

[00:03:14] This name, Camel News Caravan, was not even hiding the advertising.

[00:03:19] The news itself was fully sponsored by the Camel Cigarette Company.

[00:03:24] This show is hosted by John Cameron Swayze.

[00:03:26] And if you're thinking, is that Patrick Swayze's dad?

[00:03:29] No.

[00:03:30] His brother.

[00:03:31] Funny enough, John Cameron's daughter married and became Suzanne Swayze

[00:03:35] Patrick, so go ahead now.

[00:03:38] Go in a game of trivia.

[00:03:40] In 1952, a new show was trying to break out and you may have heard of it.

[00:03:45] The Today Show.

[00:03:47] It was the very first daytime news and entertainment show that from what I can

[00:03:51] remember from the 80s, that ultimately ended up dominating my childhood morning.

[00:03:57] As each of the three channels that we got all had their own version of the Today

[00:04:01] Show recipe.

[00:04:02] But one had Willard Scott Smuckers live to 100 and get your photo on screen.

[00:04:07] But given the success of the Today Show, well, today, it's hard to imagine that

[00:04:12] it very nearly and probably should have totally flopped.

[00:04:16] But it was saved by J.

[00:04:18] Fred Muggs.

[00:04:19] I'll just cut to the chase.

[00:04:21] Muggs wasn't a regular host brought in to save a sinking ship.

[00:04:24] Muggs was the last ditch effort to save a show with something new,

[00:04:27] something different, something chimp-y.

[00:04:31] Yes, the Today Show's foundational success was built on the foundation set by a

[00:04:36] common chimpanzee named J.

[00:04:38] Fred Muggs.

[00:04:41] Muggs was born in Cameroon, a country in Africa that if you were to picture

[00:04:45] Africa as like a head on a neck, Cameroon is where the head and neck

[00:04:49] intersect or are joined.

[00:04:52] When he was less than a year old, two NBC pages purchased him for $600.

[00:04:58] And that might not seem like a ton of money today, but in $1951,

[00:05:03] that would equal $6,547.

[00:05:07] The pages trained him and had an appointment to have him audition for

[00:05:11] the network, but they missed their appointment.

[00:05:15] I know, I know when you have a really small child,

[00:05:17] you can be late to literally everything.

[00:05:20] Get your shoes on, go pee, no really go pee.

[00:05:23] I don't care if you don't have to go, just try.

[00:05:26] Go get your shoes back on.

[00:05:28] Why is there pee in your shoes?

[00:05:30] I can only imagine trying to get out the door with a one year old chimp.

[00:05:33] Anyway, after missing the appointment, they went to a coffee shop instead.

[00:05:37] They were already out, might as well go get a donut.

[00:05:40] So they took the monkey with them, as you do, where apparently J.

[00:05:44] Fred Muggs charmed everyone including the president of the network who

[00:05:48] happened to come down for coffee and a donut.

[00:05:51] He saw J.

[00:05:51] Fred Muggs and that's how we all wanted to be discovered.

[00:05:55] The sad truth is though, that while the Today Show started in 1952 as

[00:05:59] the first show of its kind, morning news are tainment.

[00:06:03] And we know it's wildly successful now with Hoda and

[00:06:06] Cathy Lee who may or may not be getting a little nipsey tipsy every morning.

[00:06:10] But the first year things were rough.

[00:06:13] The host Dave Garraway and

[00:06:15] the news reader Jim Fleming were to borrow a boxing term for

[00:06:19] doing poorly on the ropes.

[00:06:22] So when Mr.

[00:06:22] Big Shot President at NBC saw J.

[00:06:24] Fred Muggs, just then though he was Mr.

[00:06:27] Muggs that J.

[00:06:28] Fred was added later like many stars of the day and

[00:06:31] of present day who want to be more standouty.

[00:06:34] The president immediately hired him as a publicity stunt to be a mascot.

[00:06:39] Though really, he was the co-host of the Today Show for years.

[00:06:45] News reader Jim Fleming was so outraged he left the show.

[00:06:51] My guest thinking, quote, if a monkey can do it, then let the monkey do it.

[00:06:56] But the gamble on J.

[00:06:57] Fred Muggs, a co-host chimpanzee worked.

[00:07:03] Just picture it.

[00:07:04] You turn on the morning news to catch up on the who's now what's it and

[00:07:07] drink your coffee from a white mug only to see an actual monkey

[00:07:10] helping deliver the news.

[00:07:12] He brought in over $100 million to the NBC network.

[00:07:16] Though I'm guessing much of that was spent on his 450 outfit wardrobe over

[00:07:21] the years, including a sailor suit and tweed jacket.

[00:07:26] He read or quote, read the news and played piano with Steve Allen,

[00:07:31] a man who with not one but two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

[00:07:37] He later went on to create and host the first iteration of The Tonight Show.

[00:07:42] There was of course, big merchandising bucks.

[00:07:47] You've got shirts, we've got hats, we've got stuffed monkeys and

[00:07:51] he was a certified star in his own right.

[00:07:54] J.

[00:07:54] Fred Muggs was called to open stores and parks and commission Navy ships.

[00:08:01] A monkey y'all, a monkey.

[00:08:04] I checked.

[00:08:05] There is now a vintage 1950s J.

[00:08:07] Fred's Muggs monkey as of this recording on eBay right now.

[00:08:13] It's not cute.

[00:08:15] Well, maybe if you like it, it's just not my cup of tea, but

[00:08:18] maybe it'll be yours, maybe yours for $175 plus shipping.

[00:08:23] But it appears that Fleming was not the only one who wanted to leave

[00:08:26] the show, he was just the only one who did.

[00:08:29] J.

[00:08:30] Fred Muggs was in the infamous words of Curious George, a naughty little monkey.

[00:08:35] Some say that Dave Garroway with his classic bold black 50s style glasses

[00:08:39] against his square face.

[00:08:41] He looked like Central Casting's 50s news broadcaster or

[00:08:44] Keith Olbermann back in time.

[00:08:47] It's said that Garroway grew jealous of the monkey but

[00:08:50] probably upset that he had to handle abuse from a monkey.

[00:08:54] J.

[00:08:54] Fred Muggs would rip off Garroway's glasses, he threw tantrums.

[00:08:58] Again, this is why we just do not with wild animals.

[00:09:01] And he would escape from his harness and leash meant to restrain him safely.

[00:09:06] Including during one broadcast,

[00:09:07] he had to be lured down from a tree with a banana.

[00:09:10] And once in Beirut, an associate producer had to chase the monkey down

[00:09:14] a hotel hall in her underwear.

[00:09:17] It is unclear why she had to do this, but naughty monkey indeed.

[00:09:22] Or rather, normal monkey, naughty people for treating him like a people.

[00:09:28] Dave Garroway earned the nickname the communicator, as he was able to

[00:09:33] explain world politics and complexities to a broad audience before they even

[00:09:37] had their coffee, and that is something.

[00:09:40] He would sign off every episode with his signature goodbye,

[00:09:43] an out facing palm and the word peace.

[00:09:47] Which if you could say that and mean it with a monkey jumping on your

[00:09:50] actual back and ripping off your glasses, you were meant for broadcasting.

[00:09:55] The Russian newspaper, the Izvestia, which means the news,

[00:10:00] described J. Fred Muggs as quote, a symbol of the American way of life.

[00:10:05] And necessary in order that the average American should not look into

[00:10:09] reports on rising taxes and decreasing pay, but

[00:10:12] rather laugh at the funny mug of a chimpanzee.

[00:10:16] Which given the theme of this show, kinda tracks so accurate.

[00:10:22] What happened to Muggs after his brush with stardom?

[00:10:27] Well, like the Today Show, he's still reported to be alive today.

[00:10:32] In 2018, he was 65 years old and he's been basically

[00:10:37] willed to his OG handlers kids to care for.

[00:10:40] He was thankfully replaced in 1957 by another monkey.

[00:10:46] Dough!

[00:10:48] It would be another year before the Today Show finally had a whole human cast.

[00:11:09] So thank you today for joining me on Be Wilderbeasts.

[00:11:12] You know what to do if you really like this, go ahead and

[00:11:14] tell a friend about the monkey who could have had Hoda and

[00:11:18] Cathy Lee's job for eternity as he's still alive.

[00:11:22] He could just fill in for them whenever he wants, right?

[00:11:24] That'd be super cool.

[00:11:25] With all that said, I'm Melissa McHimmigrath with Munch Stuff Media.

[00:11:28] Now go get curious.

[00:11:30] I got today's monkey business information from Wikipedia,

[00:11:34] All That's Interesting, eBay and Grunge.

[00:11:37] Oh, and the Today Show and an episode of Ridiculous Crime,

[00:11:40] a 99% murder-free podcast on capers, crimes and utter ridiculousness

[00:11:45] where I first heard about J. Fred Muggs.

[00:11:48] If you're older kids, I would let AC listen to this at age nine.

[00:11:52] If they're into something like this, it's clean language, it's silly,

[00:11:55] it's great hosts.

[00:11:56] I don't know them.

[00:11:57] I have nothing to gain from this recommendation.

[00:11:59] I just thought you might like it if you or your family like to listen to such things.

[00:12:04] Check it out first before letting littles listen and you hear my show.

[00:12:08] You know what I'm cool with letting kids listen to.

[00:12:10] It might be a lot more than you're okay with, so check it out first.

[00:12:14] Ridiculous crime.

[00:12:17] Links as always are in the description of today's episode over on Patreon.

[00:12:21] Music is Tiptoe Out The Back by Dan Lebowitz and

[00:12:25] interstitial music is by MK2.

[00:12:28] All other music and sound effects are provided by pixabay and freesound.org.

[00:12:33] And if you like this, go ahead, tell a friend, tell two, it would be awesome.

[00:12:36] Thank you so much and I'll see you guys next time.

[00:12:38] Bye bye.

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