Bing Bong Bang, It’s Boomerang!
Boomerang
Just when you think that the Internet holds all the answers, it fails you. My search for information about Boomerang, a ’70s kids’ TV show from my native Seattle, has turned up nearly bupkes.
I did learn something very interesting… I had no idea that Marni, the host of Boomerang, was none other than Marni Nixon.
Nixon is the reason Julie Andrews won her Oscar for Mary Poppins. Well, that’s not fair — that was a well-earned Oscar. (Those who already know this story can skip ahead a couple of paragraphs.) Julie Andrews had starred on Broadway in the hit musical My Fair Lady, and won a Tony award. But when My Fair Lady was turned into a Hollywood film, Julie Andrews was not yet a name movie-goers would recognize, and Warner Brothers cast Audrey Hepburn in what really should have been Julie Andrews’ role. Walt Disney knew better, and cast Andrews that same year in Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins, and Julie Andrews, became a smash sensation.
When the press started to dig a bit, and learned that Audrey Hepburn didn’t actually sing her parts — that the beautiful voice behind “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “I Could Have Danced All Night” was actually Marni Nixon… well, Jack Warner started to look like a fool for having ditched Julie Andrews. In Julie Andrews’ Oscar acceptance speech for Mary Poppins, she thanked “the man who made this all possible… Jack Warner,” which makes me love Julie Andrews even more.
Marni actually has a brief role in Mary Poppins, as one of the animated geese, but didn’t meet Andrews while working on that film. When Nixon and Andrews later worked together on The Sound of Music (Nixon played one of the nuns), Andrews introduced herself with a hearty handshake, and exclaimed “I really love your work!,” probably with a cheeky look in her eye. Marni also was the singing voice for Maria in West Side Story, and she did some vocal work for a Mr. Magoo album, “Magoo in Hi-Fi” and provided “ethereal voice effects” for some Esquivel albums. She was a very, very successful session singer in Hollywood.
I’m still having trouble reconciling the host of Boomerang with this Hollywood figure, but it comes together a bit when I hear the Boomerang theme song again — the song’s not exactly a winner, but it sure brings back memories, and that voice is loverly:
Click play to hear the Boomerang theme song
This still leaves plenty of holes about Boomerang the show, though. I can fill in a little bit more from my own memories: It aired on channel 4, KOMO, which was Seattle’s ABC affiliate. It was filmed during the late ’70s into the early ’80s, and continued on in reruns for a while. Marni’s co-star was a yellow puppet boy, who looked like a cross between Bert from Sesame Street and Terrence from South Park. I can’t remember his name, and I couldn’t find it online. His name was Norbert. (Thanks melberoo!) There’s one episode in particular that I remember, where Marni was hired to do a commercial for some silver polish, but she tries the polish and it doesn’t work very well, and she decides to not do the commercial. It was a lesson about not whoring oneself out, and whenever I’m faced with similar scenarios, I always think of Marni’s frustration with the silver polish. Overall, the show was on the schmaltzy side, and if we’d had the variety of cable back then, I probably would never have watched it.
So anywhere, there you go. That’s all I could find about the Seattle show Boomerang. Maybe someday something more will show up.
i remember boomerang! i don’t think i even really realized it was local. i do remember that my parents took us all to some classical music night(at least that’s how it felt as a child) at some theater in seattle and marnie was the performer singing. the only part of the show i really remember is that for an encore(at least i think it was an encore) she introduced some piece and said it was supposed to be a duet, but she’d do it anyway. well, when it came time for the other singer’s part the conductor turned around and started singing.
posted on April 7th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
Oh, I’m so glad I’m not alone! I imagine this whole post is snoozeville to most of the JYC readers, but I’d hoped it’d mean something to Seattleites.
I wasn’t sure if it was local myself. As I got older, I figured it must have been, since it wasn’t something that ever got referred to in popular culture.
I was also looking for info on Hot Fudge (specifically, the opening theme song), which I thought was local, but I was wrong. It was produced in Detroit. We didn’t like Hot Fudge — it was on super early on Saturday mornings, and if we turned on the TV and it was on, we knew we’d miscalculated, and woken up too early. I don’t remember it very well, but I remember the theme song juuuuust enough for it to bug me, and I hope that hearing it again will let it rest. I remember it being funky and weird. Anyway, I couldn’t find the Hot Fudge theme song.
posted on April 8th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
i LOVED this show!!! i was searching the web, trying to find info, but there is none
i came across this site 
that theme song really brings back memories 
i’m from vancouver, canada and it was on tv here for the same duration it aired in seattle. the little yellow co-star was NORBERT ! there was a character named MELINDA too (pink girl) 
posted on April 9th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
NORBERT! Oh, thank you. I kept thinking it was Bert, but I thought that couldn’t possibly be, because he looks too much like Bert from Sesame Street to get away with that. Norbert. Ahhh. I don’t remember Melinda, maybe someday a picture will crop up that will jog my memory.
posted on April 9th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Thank you so much for putting the theme song on this site! I don’t think I will get the smile off my face
for a while after hearing that. I loved the show as a kid. It was the best part of the weekend!
Long live NORBERT!
posted on April 10th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I, along with a group of other kids, were chosen from the Seattle girls’ choir to sing and tape the Show’s introduction. I’m the one holding the letter “M” on the barn! It was so fun being in the recoring studio with Marni Nixon! I’ve been trying to find a clip of that to show my kids but, alas, have had no luck. Pleae email me if you know how to find stuff like that on the internet! catkaz@comcast.net
posted on April 17th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Im happy I came accross your website. I was just searching all over for this song. Im happy I found your clip. Thanks:O) It made me smile and brings back great memories of watching this show when I was young. Now I only wish I could see some old shows maybe someone has a copy and can put it up on YouTube?!! I hope.
posted on April 18th, 2007 at 12:09 am
I love that so many other people are looking for Boomerang info, too.
B, I second that, PLEASE let there be someone out there that can put something up on YouTube!
Cat Kaz, that’s too cool! If I ever track down the opening, I’ll be sure to let you know. You might try contacting KOMO, too — since you’re actually in the opening, it might spark their interest in helping you find the old footage.
posted on April 20th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Wow. I have been searching for a while to find some info on this show. The theme song has been stuck in my head for a week!
posted on April 25th, 2007 at 12:41 am
Thank you! Like you, I had no idea it was local until a few weeks ago when I made a joke about Norbert and no one had any idea what I was talking about. Despite my explanation (going so far as to sing the theme song) even the older folks in the group had no idea what it was. Thank you for letting me know I’m not crazy!
posted on April 25th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
[...] joke about a kids show from way back when I was about three or four years old. The show was called Boomerang, and it was like a third-rate Sesame Street. Hell, it probably wasn’t even that good. But the [...]
posted on April 25th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
[...] I m still having trouble reconciling the host of Boomerang with this Hollywood figure, but it comes together a bit when I hear the Boomerang theme song again the song s not exactly a winner, but it sure brings back memories, … …Sportzia More [...]
posted on May 30th, 2007 at 11:05 am
So glad that I found this site. I was beginning to think maybe the whole show was made
up inside my head! I loved the beginning of the show, when they spelled Boomerang with big
letters on the side of that old barn. It was a great show with a lot of personality! Would
be neat to see it back on tv somewhere or youtube!
posted on June 2nd, 2007 at 10:02 am
[...] with this Hollywood figure, but it comes together a bit when I hear the Boomerang theme song again the song s not exactly a winner, but it sure brings back memories, … …Sportzia More [...]
posted on June 5th, 2007 at 10:27 am
oh wow - i totally remember Boomerang - even though i grew up and lived in Northern BC - we used to get all the Seattle networks - Komo, Kiro, King - back than there were only 3 networks… i used to get up early and watch it every sunday, she always reminded me of julie andrews and norbert - haha - thanks for the memory and glad to see i am not the only one who remembers watching it
posted on June 11th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
“Norbert” purchased at a local garage sale for $2.00!
I found this in the Seattle Times archive today.
Another fact I learned was that the show was filmed in Carnation, WA on a local farm their.
________________________________
September 11, 2002
Jean Godden / Times staff columnist
A TV star fallen on hard times
West Seattle resident Gina Terrana could scarcely believe her eyes at the West Seattle garage sale last week. Could it be? Oh, surely not. But then she paid the price — $2 — and took home the bright yellow puppet with the shock of red fur hair.
What a bargain.
Turns out the puppet is Norbert, star of “Boomerang,” a KOMO-TV kids’ series that aired in the ’70s and ’80s. Norbert — although stripped of his trademark rugby shirt — looks like a second cousin to Ernie of “Sesame Street” fame.
During its heyday, “Boomerang” won some dozen Emmys for Norbert and his buddies, among them puppeteers Lee Olson and Kathy Tolan; writer Nancy Schwedop; performer Marni Nixon; director Ken Schwedop, and producer Barbara Groce.
Terrana says, “Norbert is staying at my house right now. But if the Museum of History & Industry wants him, let me know. He deserves a secure retirement.”
posted on June 13th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Jean Godden, the stalwart bearer of fluffy tidings. $2! That’s unbelievable. Poor Norbert. Thanks for the heads-up!
posted on June 13th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
[...] I m still having trouble reconciling the host of Boomerang with this Hollywood figure, but it comes together a bit when I hear the Boomerang theme song again the song s not exactly a winner, but it sure brings back memories, … …Sportzia More [...]
posted on June 17th, 2007 at 6:23 am
This is amazing! I’m 38 years old and for the last few mornings i’ve been waking with the
“Boomerang” song riddled in my head! I had a crush on Marni because of her voice.I knew
as a child it MUST have been local because of that farm! I also remember someone falling in
the haypile and getting hay thrown in the face playfully and another child making airplane
wings with his arms,loved the beginning of the show! I’ve been around the world in the
military & as a civilian and always had that song with me-and I’m a rocker! Boomerang and
of course JP Patches were part of what made growing up in the “Great Pacific Northwest” so
beautiful!
Joe-Glendale,AZ
posted on June 25th, 2007 at 7:30 am
I am SO GLAD I found this site. Just by chance I decided to look up Boomerang
and found nothing until now. Thank you for that opening song! It brought back memories.
I had no idea it was a local show. I, too, loved the opening and wish I could
see it once again. I also watched Dusty’s Treehouse, Banana Splits, and Star Blazers,
among some others. I saw J.P. Patches live at some Elks Club event my Grandpa took me to.
I was picked to go on stage and he made me kiss some boy!! I thought that was so “yucky”
being so young. Anyway, what neat information I have learned tonight and I think I’ll
listen to that song once again…..
Christy- Orting, WA
posted on June 29th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Ah! Sunday mornings and Boomerang! Good times! No one I know- other than my brother- ever knows what I’m talking about when I start belting out the lyrics to the song! I always thought Melinda was Peppermint Patty’s long last relative in a parallel universe of some sort…
Maybe it’s time to bring the show back with a hip twist? Is a letter writing campaign in order? Who’s in?
posted on July 2nd, 2007 at 8:12 pm
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
I loved this show growing up! It is sooooo cool finding info on the web. Sometimes I feel like I’m the “Last Northwesterner” in the Almost Live sketch. I remember my mother telling be something about the intro being filmed at a barn in Carnation, but am overjoyed to see it here.
Bing, Bong, Bang…
posted on July 27th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Thank you so much for this. I loved this show as a kid, and was beginning to think I dreamed it too. There was also a goody goody little girl puppet named Libby on the show who often acted as a conscience to Norbert and Melinda.
You should email KOMO and see if they have some archives they would put on You-Tube.
It’s a funny looking thing, something like an airplane wing and when you throw it….
posted on August 19th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Wow……I think a tear actually came to my eye. I have been searching for that song for so long. I’m a washington native, grew up in Gig Harbor and watched the show religiously. I still remembered the words, word for word. Thank you so much for creating this page.
How can I get a copy of the song?
posted on August 22nd, 2007 at 11:31 pm
[...] I’m still having trouble reconciling the host of Boomerang with this Hollywood figure, but it comes together a bit when I hear the Boomerang theme song again — the song’s not exactly a winner, but it sure brings back memories, … …more [...]
posted on August 25th, 2007 at 8:09 am
[...] I’m still having trouble reconciling the host of Boomerang with this Hollywood figure, but it comes together a bit when I hear the Boomerang theme song again — the song’s not exactly a winner, but it sure brings back memories, … …more [...]
posted on August 25th, 2007 at 10:14 am
[...] I’m still having trouble reconciling the host of Boomerang with this Hollywood figure, but it comes together a bit when I hear the Boomerang theme song again — the song’s not exactly a winner, but it sure brings back memories, … …more [...]
posted on August 27th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
OMG!! Everyone in my family and friends thought I was making this up when I talked about Boomerang!! I would even sing the theme but no one believed me
Glad to know I’m not insane and others loved this show as much as me! If anyone has footage I’d love to see it. I’ve been looking for tapes for years!
posted on September 6th, 2007 at 12:56 am
Could I get you to email me the song?
posted on September 6th, 2007 at 1:09 am
If you want information on Boomerang, why not contact Komo itself? tips@komo4news.com 206-404-4000
posted on September 7th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
I always tried to explain this show to everyone as well!no one remembers it at all.they say im making it up!Ill have to show them this site, yous are my proof!What i remember the most is when they are spelling out boomerang with the letters, and a girl jumping of a ladder into a pile of hay. I would love to see footage of this as well!
posted on September 14th, 2007 at 12:22 am
I did contact them and they said the can’t release anything due to licensing
posted on September 26th, 2007 at 12:18 am
This was my daughter’s favorite show when she was 2 & 3 years old. I would love to get a copy of an episode or even the theme song for her. If anyone has made any progress in obtaining it, please post.
posted on October 14th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
I had no idea Boomerang was Seattle only - no wonder. Now I just have to figure out that other show from my childhood that is currently driving me crazy. The only thing I remember is that when they sang the alphabet, they ended with Zed instead of Z.
posted on November 28th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Ooooh, it just came back to me - the Polka Dot Door. Phew.
posted on November 28th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Hello, I been really looking for this show. I use to watch it when i was younger. I remember watching it at my parents house in Longview Washington. I didn’t know it was local i think i watched it on PBS station.
posted on December 16th, 2007 at 3:15 am
I would love to get copies of this show for my kids. I watched it all the time. Norbert had a friend with a blue face, named Crusher, I Tjhink. The video clip of the opening is now on YouTube. “You throw a ball against the wall, . . .” I can’t get it out of my head.
posted on January 1st, 2008 at 2:55 pm
This is SOOOO great!!! I thought I had made it up in my head also, but finally… someone else knows about it!! The song was like a trip down memory lane… I miss this show!
posted on January 18th, 2008 at 1:52 am
hello,
where did you find the opening clip on Youtube, Janine? anyone know?
thanks
posted on January 21st, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I can’t find anything on YouTube either, and I’ve searched as many different ways as I can think of. Perhaps it’s been removed? If anyone can provide a link or specific keywords, I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d appreciate it.
Norbert was NOT sold at a yard sale. This has become something of an urban legend but the Seattle Times printed a correction just days after the original story. Of course, it’s more fun to spread crazy story like this rather than one of mistaken identity.
The original story:
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=godden11m&date=20020911&query=norbert+puppet
The corrected story:
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=goddden18m&date=20020918
You can also download the Boomerang theme (and other NW audio) at the MOHAI website:
http://www.seattlehistory.org/col_av.cfm
Thanks, Humuhumu, for spreading the word on Boomerang and Marni. Peace.
posted on February 25th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
This show was my all-time fav growing up in everett,washinton.
that and JC patches ((I guy to see him more than a few times)).
I like to get that theme-song but the link-does not work.
Thanks for have this little corner of my childhood on this site.
posted on March 13th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
This was a pleasant find today. I was reading a book with my child that talked about a boomerang which instantly made me recall one of my favorite shows as a kid. I was prompted to do an internet search and found this site. I’ve had the same experience as some folks here with my husband who thought I was making this stuff up. The infectious song brings me right back to childhood. I’m totally bummed that I can’t find a clip of it on youtube.com or elsewhere. At least I got to listen to the song again!
posted on March 18th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Wow, hearing that theme song brings back memories. I grew up in British Columbia and watched Boomerang regularly. Now living in Quebec, nobody here has ever heard of the antics of Norbert or Melinda, nor do they know what ‘bing, bong, bang’ means. It is so refreshing to read the entries of others who grew up with Norbert, Marni and company. If anyone ever finds a clip from the show, please please please post it…I’d love to see the gang in action. This show and ol’ JP were very fond memories from my young childhood….thanks for setting up the site.
posted on April 11th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Oh man, it’s so awesome to hear that song! That made my weekend! I grew up in Seattle and used to get up super early every Sunday to watch Boomerang. I’ve never forgotten the intro with the kids holding up the letters against the barn. It would be great to see a clip from the show, or just the opening again. Thank you!
posted on April 20th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Funny thing, I didn’t know there was any connection between Julie Andrews and Marni Nixon, as I’d never heard of Marni Nixon until just now, but when I was younger, I got the two mixed up. I remember an episode, though, where Melinda was being a brat to Norbert and sang the song from Sound of Music, “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better”. Wonder if there was any intention in making that connection between the two singers?
posted on April 21st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Funny thing, I didn’t know there was any connection between Julie Andrews and Marni Nixon, as I’d never heard of Marni Nixon until just now, but when I was little, I thought they were the same person. I remember an episode, though, where Melinda was being a brat to Norbert and sang the song from Sound of Music, “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better”. Wonder if there was any intention in making that connection between the two singers?
posted on April 21st, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I am going to do a small film project with my daughters, nieces, and sisters and wanted to “copy” the opening of the show. Someone posted that the barn was in Carnation. Does anyone know where it is, or if it’s still around? I’m so excited!!
posted on April 24th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I too have looked and looked on the internet and came up with nothing. It was a pleasure to listen to the song. I haven’t heard that song since I was a little little girl. Thank you so much for posting this.
Christina
posted on April 25th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Oh man, what memories, I loved that show.
posted on April 28th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I loved Norbert as a kid. I have tried to explain him to non-Seattle Natives, and they just stare like I’m developmentally delayed. Thanks for that! I love Boomerang.
posted on May 15th, 2008 at 9:24 am
I loved this show! I remember watching it and JP Patches. This is wonderful!
posted on May 17th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I remember this show, especially the theme song, accompanied by images of children carrying giant letters forming the word “Boomerang”. I also vaguely remember an episode where Marni tried to get Norbert to try an artichoke
posted on May 31st, 2008 at 11:44 am
Listening to that song brought back memories. I am going to send the link to my sister tonight,
she will not believe it. We watched that show ever Sunday before going to church. I can now
picture the who show intro in my head after playing the song.
posted on June 6th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I just discovered this website. Have been looking for Boomerang info to show my grandkids and son-in-law. My daughter was one of the little “Boomerang kids” in the opening (she’s the tiny little African American girl in a red dress). She is skipping along and then there is a shot where she is being carried! She was around 4 or 5 years old (I think); it was a very, very long hot day spent on that farm with take after take and she got very tired, so some one picked her up:) I worked at KOMO for years and it was great to see the idea become an multi-Emmy award program. The entire cast and crew were remarkable and in those days we were all truly a team. Your interest and memories stirred up my own experience with the show and now I’m on a real hunt to find some episodes!
Thanks
posted on July 10th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I remember watching Boomerang in the afternoons and mornings when it first started it was on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Tuesdays and Thursdays used to be Dusty’s Treehouse then it moved to Saturdays and Sundaysmmornings on KOMO TV. It was also just on Wednesdays and Fridays and Mondays used to be Kookla Fran and Ollie. I love Libby and Melinda those pupperts were wonderful.
posted on July 10th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
I have to echo what others have said- people think I made this show up and I’d sing the song and still they’d look at me like I was crazy. I loved that big barn- where was that filmed?
posted on July 17th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
wow.
So the other day the Boomerang theme song popped into my head for no reason… so then it was off to the internet to find out about this show that I vaguely remember from my childhood in Tacoma. Thanks for the research. I guess I’ll check back here every so often. I really wanted to find video clips but that .mp3 REALLY brought back the memories for me.
posted on July 29th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I never realized this was a local show. I watched it growing up in Tacoma. I really liked it a lot. The thing that sticks in my head is all the kids carrying the giant letters that spelled out BOOMERANG. I am glad so many people remember this show fondly as well.
posted on August 1st, 2008 at 12:32 am
I LOVED This song. I also had a tear in my eye. I often think of this song and sing it. I never realized it was a local show - until reading this article. I don’t even know how old I was when I watched this show - but I am 35 now - so I imagine I was pretty young.
I too am interested in finding a video- I was singing this song and my 14 year old son wondered what i was singing - so I decided to show him a video on youtube and coudn’t find it. So off to google I went. I am so glad I found this site. Hearing that song created a wonderful trip down memory lane.
I remember the boy flying like he was a plane, the kids holding the letters, the beach ball that Marni threw against the wall and how it bounced back. I sing this song in my head and sometimes out loud… I think it is comforting to me.
If someone finds a video - or wants to flood Komo with a bunch of emails for some footage - I would be on board.
posted on August 2nd, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I found the “Norbert” puppet at a yardsale. Stop by my blog and take a look at a picture of it. marypowerwho.blogspot.com
posted on August 18th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Awesome resource! I was singing this song to my kids the other day and my wife asked “Did you just make that song up?” I said, no… it’s from Boomerang, the kids show that was on when we were growing up. She said she had never heard of it.
It makes sense now… I grew up in Seattle and my wife in Minnesota. It was just a local kids show.
Now that I’ve got evidence, I’m vindicated! Fun times for sure.
posted on August 24th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
We had this show in Canada! True we were in the Okanagan Valley and the closets American TV stations we recieved were KOMO, KING, KIRO and of course KCTS.
Boomerang was a Sunday morning staple for my brother and I. I know there were other shows but I can’t rmeber them now. I DO remember that “Gardening With Ed Hume” used to be on before Boomerang! Also, “Rainbow” with Steve Poole aired sometime after Boomerang. I would love to see some clips from Boomerang.
posted on September 6th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
[...] [...]
posted on September 10th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I want to see boomahwang on my culahd teevee plssssssssz.
posted on September 20th, 2008 at 10:54 am