Although she had never been in a television studio before and had only been on the job for two days, McVay took over as host of “The Magic Window”, which would become America's longest-running local children's program.
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An acquaintance of McVay's who attended the University of Wisconsin, Platteville and worked at WOI-TV in Ames, Iowa suggested her as a host for a television show.
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The Magic Window, her first, longest-running and most popular show
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McVay and her special friends, “Gregory Lion” (a perpetually 4-year-old lion), “Catrina Crocodile” (a witch who had changed herself into a beautiful crocodile) and “Dusty the Unicorn” (more formally known as “Stardust Glimmer”, who was 3000 years old – young for a unicorn), would chat with visitors, teach a clever craft, and watch wholesome cartoons such as “Felix the Cat” and “Tales of the Riverbank,” a Canadian live-action short about “Hammy the Hamster”, “Roderick the Rat” and friends.
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Although targeted for young children, “The Magic Window” would become a favorite of children of all ages as generations grew up with Betty Lou.
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It was rumored that Red was the voice of one of the puppets in “The Magic Window”, but neither Betty Lou nor Red ever confirmed this.
Lou Reed | Ugly Betty | Lou Gehrig | Betty Grable | Lou Harrison | Betty Boop | Betty White | Betty Foss | Lou Rawls | Mary Lou Retton | Betty Hutton | Lou Grant | Lou Holtz | Lou Donaldson | Lou Piniella | Lou Grant (TV series) | Lou Diamond Phillips | Betty Friedan | Lou Costello | Betty Shabazz | Betty Buckley | Atomic Betty | Lou Savarese | Lou Adler | Lou Barlow | Walk on the Wild Side (Lou Reed song) | Lou Pearlman | Lou Ferrigno | Lou Brock | Betty Comden |