Distinctly Montana Magazine

62 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 4 around to display at keg- gers and parties. Once they realized their ransom demands weren't going to be met, they gave up on their scheme and ditched the puppet somewhere it would likely be found. The TV equipment was later recovered, and as authorities began to close in on them, Parakeet went on the lam, fleeing to Southern California. No arrests were made. While elements of McColley's claims have been corroborated, the perpetrators are, unfortunately, no longer around to tell their side of the story. Butch died of leukemia in 1967 and Parakeet was killed in a car accident in 1987. These days Froggy Doo and C.T. Woodley are resting safely in McAllister's art studio near his Kalispell home. Herb is an accom- plished painter and has been teaching college and adult classes for decades, and still teaches the occasional class at the Kalispell Senior Center. After leaving television in 1977, he moved to Palm Springs to resume his painting career. He later returned to Bill- ings, then settled in Kalispell. He still makes the occasional public appearance, sharing the stage with Froggy Doo, performing mag- ic tricks, and telling stories from the heyday of Billings' most trea- sured kids' show. He has also written a series of children's books. If you're heading for the internet to hunt down some Froggy Doo video, don't bother. The only other place Froggy Doo exists now is in the memories of those who grew up watching the show. Sadly, all the tapes recorded from the show were destroyed un- der shady circumstances in a fire. As the station was moving to its new location downtown, McAllister drove out to the hilltop studio one day to see if he could save the tapes. When he got there, he found the station manager tossing all the tapes into a fire, along with signs and other memorabilia from the set. He re- fused to explain his actions to the stunned magician. "It's sad that somebody destroyed them and we could never figure out why," McAllister said. "I talked to him about it and nothing was ever done. It was terrible. I almost cried when I got up there, and there it was in a burn pile. It was just kind of devas- tating because there was a lot of history lost there. I just walked away from it. I left." The tapes may have gone up in smoke, but you can ask any Billings native of a certain age if they remembe Froggy Doo and Happy Herb, and you'll see their eyes light up. They'll go all dreamy as they drift back in their minds, recalling those joyful memories, those carefree afternoons gathered in front of the family television set, laughing and clapping at the exploits of Montana's most celebrated frog. 406-837-4886 BigforkSummerPlayhouse.com 2024 of B E S T M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F Vote for Us for Your Chance to Win $ 500 Scan This Code to See Our 2024 Schedule

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