A half-century ago, loads of Philadelphia-area kids watched Chief Halftown, who hosted a long-running local TV program. He was an avid bowler, too, competing in the sport and promoting it.
The Chief had a special way of opening each show: “Ees da sa sussaway,” which translates from the Seneca language to English as “Let’s get started!”
Born Traynor Ora Halftown on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York State’s lower tier of western counties, he got his love of sports from his father, who was a professional middleweight boxer. But boxing wasn’t Halftown’s preference; it was bowling.
At the age of 15, Halftown worked as a pin boy at a bowling alley in Jamestown, New York. Before the advent of automatic bowling machines, 15-year-old Halftown loaded bowling pins into the equipment. Later, Halftown competed on a military bowling team while stationed at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, during World War II.
Studio hosting came next. Halftown began hosting Chief Halftown and His Friends, which aired on WFIL-TV (later WPVI-TV). Originally planned as a six-week series, its success lengthened its life considerably, and it aired until 1999. That made it one of America’s longest-running children’s programs in television history. For comparison. Sesame Street, which launched in 1969, has run for 50+ years.
While his children’s program was a smashing success, he continued to achieve success as a bowler. One night, Halftown was asked to fill in for another player. A large crowd started to congregate. He bowled so well that he was invited to join the team, and that group won a city league title in 1959.
Photo courtesy hisoricalpa on Instagram
He used his bowling celebrity to promote his children’s television show at bowling centers. He also became Brunswick Bowling Corporation’s spokesman, which included establishing youth bowling clinics. That outreach program was so popular that it had 300,000 participants.
The very first bowling club was located in Manchester, Connecticut, and it led to the establishment of the Chief Halftown Junior Bowling Club. It was the first of 250+ bowling clubs located across the country and internationally, in North America, Central America, South America, and Europe, all undertaken under Brunswick Corporation sponsorships.
A uniquely talented public figure, Chief Halftown contributed significantly and lived a full life. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 86.
