THE PROFESSOR'S SF & HORROR HOST TOME

MAJOR ASTRO

TOM LEAHY - "MAJOR ASTRO"

Major Astro was a local afternoon children's television show in Wichita, Kansas, played by Tom Leahy, Jr. as "Major Astro"; being screened on KARD-TV from 1960-1973.

The show consisted of lead-ins to blocks of popular cartoons of the time, with Leahy introducing them himself in his space suit, on a set designed to look like a base station on another planet. Leahy ended each day's show by saying "Join me next time when everything will be a-okay, and all systems will be go. Happy orbits, boys and girls. I'll see you tomorrow". He would then put on his space suit helmet, and walk out the door of his base station, presumably to his waiting space ship,which could be seen during the program through a "window" at the rear of the base station.

In 1985, the show would return on KSAS-TV Fox. The show would run until 1989.

From IMBD:
Mr. Leahy moved in 1940 to Wichita, where he attended the University of Wichita, now Wichita State University.

During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in the Philippines.

Following the war, he returned to Wichita and began a 60-year career at local radio and television stations.

In the late 1940s, Mr. Leahy became a booth announcer at KAKE. It was there that he created the show "The Host and Rodney" to introduce movies.

KAKE anchor Larry Hatteberg was going to high school in Winfield when he first saw Mr. Leahy on "The Host and Rodney."

"I remember sitting at home and loving the show," Hatteberg said. "I thought it was the greatest thing. It wasn't that they were so scary, he was just so interesting to watch. He would ad-lib whatever came to his mind."

In the early 1960s when the nation's attention was focused on outer space and astronauts, Mr. Leahy created Major Astro.

The afternoon show first ran from 1960 to 1973 on KARD, now KSN. Mr. Leahy reprised the character for a short time in 1985 for KSAS.

In 1985, Mr. Leahy told then-Wichita Eagle film and movie critic Bob Curtright that he created the Major as a father figure.

During the 11 years the show ran on Channel 3, Mr. Leahy "moved" Major Astro from a space station orbiting Earth to a moon base. Then, he took the major to Venus and finally to a base on Mars.

On Sunday, Curtright called Leahy a local icon.

"Every kid from a certain generation knows him," Curtright said.

Fans were often card-carrying members of the Major Astro Club. Members would receive a space newsletter. One fan reportedly cut a hole in the family's carpet to hide and insure her card's safety, said Mr. Leahy's wife, Wilma.

In 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, some of the Major's youngest fans worried he was on it.

This weekend, as word spread of Leahy's death, his fans took to the internet to wish him their thoughts and prayers.

"RIP, Major Astro!" wrote Linda Baughman the guestbook created in Mr. Leahy's memory on Legacy.com.

In an interview with The Eagle on Sunday, Baughman said she remembered as a child running home after school each day to watch Major Astro episodes.

"He was always so kind and positive," Baughman said.

Mr. Leahy is preceded in death by first wife, Billye Leahy, son; Tommy B. Leahy and parents; Thomas B. and Marcelle Leahy. Survivors include wife Wilma, children Lisa (David) Navarro of Wichita, Rodney (Wendy) Mumaw of Mansfield, Texas, Ryan Edward Leahy of Wichita; and five grandchildren.

The show was extremely popular, leading to the establishment of a fan club. At one point Major Astro's Space Patrol Kids Club had over 20,000 members.

Leahy's other major television role was as the horror host "The Host" on "Nightmare". For more information on the show click on the below link.

The following are some clips from the show:

"Major Astro" - clips from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo.