Beginning as an occasional treat in the late 60's, The CBS Children's Film Festival
moved into the regular CBS Saturday afternoon lineup in the fall of
1971. Fran Allison and puppets Kukla and Ollie introduced children's
films from around the world, including John and Julie, Hand in Hand, and The Johnstown Monster from England, Czechoslovakia's Three Nuts for Cinderella, Skinny and Fatty from Japan, and the award-winning 1956 French film The Red Balloon.
Kukla, Fran, and Ollie hosted the program until 1977, when CBS
dropped the length from one hour to half an hour, retitling the show CBS Saturday Film Festival.
Often educational and always entertaining, the long-running series was
responsible for introducing a generation of American children to the
films of their foreign friends.
Beginning as an occasional treat in the late 60's, The CBS Children's Film Festival
moved into the regular CBS Saturday afternoon lineup in the fall of
1971. Fran Allison and puppets Kukla and Ollie introduced children's
films from around the world, including John and Julie, Hand in Hand, and The Johnstown Monster from England, Czechoslovakia's Three Nuts for Cinderella, Skinny and Fatty from Japan, and the award-winning 1956 French film The Red Balloon.