Many of you are too young to remember who Don Herbert was. But for those of us with a little gray on top, we remember him fondly.
TV’s ‘Mr. Wizard’ Don Herbert dies at 89
Don Herbert, who as television’s “Mr. Wizard” introduced generations of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89. Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home, said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.
“He really taught kids how to use the thinking skills of a scientist,” said former colleague Steve Jacobs. He worked with Herbert on a 1980s show that echoed the original 1950s “Watch Mr. Wizard” series, which became a fond baby boomer memory.
In “Watch Mr. Wizard,” which was produced from 1951 to 1964 and received a Peabody Award in 1954, Herbert turned TV into an entertaining classroom. On a simple, workshop-like set, he demonstrated experiments using household items.
“He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. … The show today might seem slow but it was in-depth and forced you to think along,” Jacobs said. “You were learning about the forces of nature.”
Here’s an interview in four parts with Herbert done a couple of years ago. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Good send off..I was a big fan of Mr. Wizard when I was a kid.
I never missed a Mr. Wizard show. They were fascinating.
RIP.. Mr Hebert. You were the reason I wanted a microscope and chemistry set for Xmas when I was 8 years old. If this show was on today, it would probably be construed as terrorist training. You can’t even buy a decent chemistry set any more.
3,
you havnt been able to buy a decent set sence I was a KID…And that was from Radio shack…
There have been others, and I WISH it was ongoing, and NEW…
Teach our kids to learn and discover, and NOT to belieave EVERY THING they are told.
You cant do that..
I did it…
But it shouldnt work..
It DID…
I’m not old enough to remember the original series but I fondly remember the 80’s series “Mr. Wizard’s World”. May he rest in peace.
Mr Wizard was the greatest. He probably jump started my passion for all things science
RIP Uncle Don – Thanks Guys.
I certainly know of Mr. Wizard. A bit before my time, but surely he will be missed.
I wasn’t around for the original series either, but I have vivid memories of his show in the 80’s. I want to say that it aired on Nickelodeon or possibly WGN, but I may not be recalling that.
What a great guy.
You don’t have to have gray to remember this great man. I am about to turn 30 and my wife is 25 and we both remember watching Mr. Wizard’s World on Nickelodeon.
He truly made me have a love for science.
Thank you, Mr. Herbert.
He was part of it all, Asimov, Heinlein, he got onto TV before we had PBS. Before we had to fall back to PBS.
I’ll bet I watched darned near every single original episode. What a television pioneer, got me started on the right track, too. I dreamed about being a guest on the show and helping with some of that cool stuff in person. He will be missed.
I hope some here are watching “The Universe”, a wonderful program on the History Channel on Sundays at 10PM EDT. I’ll bet Mr. Wizard would really like it.
The 80’s version awakened my appreciation for testing ideas, and taught me to explore reality. I have heard a few good interviews with him through the years as well. He will be missed.
We did have a show on the air like Mr. Wizard back in the 90’s when education and sciences were getting funding. It was called Beakman’s World with Paul Zaloom. He was most certainly the Mr. Wizard of that decade, much better and easier to watch than Bill Nye.
But Sony canned the show near the end of the decade when CBS decided they didn’t want kids to learn anything. And rather than re-negotiate with TLC, where the series premiered, Sony let it flounder and die.
It was not as tame as Mr. Wizard. But then the format of the 50’s and 60’s would not have gone over well with audiences today. Both shows were great for what they were and you did indeed learn a lot from them.
Mr. Wizard, like Fran Allison from Kukla, Fran and Ollie; along with Bob Keeshan and Captain Kangaroo changed TV for kids and paved the way for Sesame Street, The Electric Company, 321 Contact, Zoom and Mulligan’s Stew. Shows where children were treated as reasonable intelligent and not patrionised like many other shows did then and now.
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Excellent comment, Cursor.
At the moment, I can only remember one of his experiments, but I well remember his enthusiasm and his attention to safety (he needed it). Who knew that with a couple of tablespoons of flour, a candle, an oatmeal box and a piece of hose you could make an explosion? Cool stuff! I was always impressed how he continued to push for better science education his entire life.
He had an impact on our culture, with mentions and tributes in shows as varied as “Buckaroo Banzai” and the animated “Dinosaurs.” (“We’re gonna need a new Timmy!”)
Thanks, Mr. Wizard!
Good bye old friend – you’re the reason I was stupid enough to do EOD in the Army. God love you.
Is there any video online, or DVDs available commercially of his shows? I can’t seem to find much more than a single VHS on Amazon.
A gift to science and a beacon to children’s curiosity. I’m too young to know “Watch Mr. Wizard,” but I set my daily schedule to watch “Mr. Wizard’s World” on Nickelodeon in the 1980s. I’m reveling in the remembrances Mr. Wizard’s captivating demonstrations that many blogs are celebrating. My favorite was the dozens of set mouse traps in a big glass box, each with two ping-pong balls. Mr. Wizard explained a “chain reaction,” then gently dropped one ping-pong ball into the box. Wow! A crescendoed wave of reactive ping-pong balls.
I also won’t forget the other simple demonstrations: ice cubes melting that won’t raise the water level, global search and replace on a computer, the long-distance pouring of a glass of water to the sink using a piece of string…I could go on.
Thanks, Mr. Wizard! You brought science to me. You will be missed.
(#18: http://www.mrwizardstudios.com has the two series on DVD. Check it out!)
Ditto on watching Mr. Wizard’s World. Great show.
Now that he has gone on to his reward…have all the kids who assisted him been accounted for? 😉 Any small skeletons in his closet?
Dear fans of Mr. Wizard;
Thanks for the kind comments about my mentor. I worked with Don for decades and like you, miss his presence.
Mr. Wizard tained me to take his place; calling me WIT: wizard-in-training. I will follow in his footsteps, but as you can imagine…never be able to fill his shoes.
Please feel free to email me if you’d like to converse on Don and his career.
Regards,
Steve Jacobs
Wizard IV