9 ISLAND

BILL HOLLINGSWORTH - "THE GREAT ZOLAR"
BILL STULLA - "ENGINEER BILL"

"9 island" was a hosted children's magician themed show on KHJ-TV channel 9, in Los Angeles, California, USA; from around 1965 until 1966. "THE GREAT ZOLAR" & "ENGINEER BILL" The hosts of the show were Bill Hollingsworth as "The Great Zolar", and Bill Stulla as "Engineer Bill"; with "Zolar" based at Thunderbolt Mountain" in the "Shadow Ridge", and "Engineer Bill" based at Satellite Center. "Zolar" has a magical crystal rock. When it is looked into, various shows are able to be seen, such as "The Funny Comoany" and "Astro Boy". There is also an invisible friend - "Zoom-Zoom". BILL HOLLINGSWORTH William Kenneth Hollingsworth was born on 7 March 1931 in Pacific, Washington, USA and passed away on 22 July 2023. He was the first of four sons to Arthur and Nell Hollingsworth. He excelled in sports and found his passion for trumpet playing during High School, eventually following a music scholarship to Eastern Washington State College in 1950. He would play with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra before moving back to Tacoma in 1951 to join the US Air Force. While serving in the following years, Bill would lead the USAF marching band and headline the showcase "March On!", an early regional television program. After winning a statewide talent contest, Bill moved to California in 1954 to pursue the entertainment industry, enrolling at the Pasadena Playhouse. While there, he was noticed by a television studio crafting a new foray in the fledgling ‘kids programming’ slot. He was hired as "Captain Jet" and trailblazed a format that would flourish throughout the US in the coming decades. Throughout the late 50s and 60s, Bill would star in many shows in this format including "Commander Riptide", "9 Island" as "The Great Zolar", and "The Bill Holly Morning Show". He also nurtured and managed a band of teenagers to national stardom – "The Dixieland Small Fry" – as a jazz prodigy act. All the while, he maintained a continual role of headlining jazz combos as bandleader and manager working adult nightclubs and cabarets up and down the West Coast. In the early 60s while performing at the Limelight in Santa Monica, Bill met Thelma Miller. They were wed in December 1963 until her passing in 2004. Bill expanded his skills adding magician and Master of Ceremonies roles to his performances throughout the 70s and 80s. He would eventually craft "The Bill Holly Show" into the vehicle for all his talents in the coming decades. He made numerous appearances as a master of ceremonies for celebrity charity events with headliners such as Bob Hope during this time. Moving back to Washington in 1984, he also found great satisfaction spreading a message of self-esteem and confidence to grade schoolers with personal appearances throughout the 80s and 90s. Starting in 1988, Bill worked with Honda of Fife where he was known as "The Legend". He never wanted to retire and would maintain his work schedule until just months before his passing. After returning to the PNW, he would never lose his passion for family, fishing, NW sports, and entertaining everyone who met him with his storied career and boundless love of life. Below is a clip featuring "Engineer Bill" & "The Great Zolar": BILL STULLA William Stulla was born on 24 May 1911 in New York, New York, USA; and passed away on 12 August 2008 in Westlake Village, California, USA. He was a well known children's television show host. From 1951 to 1954 Stulla hosted "Parlor Party", a children's show on Los Angeles KHJ-TV. It was a birthday party with a mix of music and audience participation games. Later, seated at a model train layout, Stulla hosted KHJ-TV's "Cartoon Express" from 1954 to 1966 earning two Emmy Awards. Each show included a local boy and girl as in studio guests who won their appearance by having their postcard entry selected from "Casey's Mailbag". Between cartoons he would chat with the kids and play the popular "Red Light, Green Light" game developed by his wife, Ruth, to encourage their daughter Kathy to drink her milk. The goal of the game was to drink on the green light and finish the glass without ever drinking on the red light. From around 1965 till 1966, he was a co-host on "9 Island" as "Engineer Bill" with Bill Hollingsworth as "The Great Zoilar". Stulla retired from television in 1966 and became a stockbroker. His wife Ruth died in 1999 after 52 years of marriage (1947-1999). The had one daughter - Kathryn.

LINKS

Internet Movie Data Base "Bill Hollingsworth"	Wikipedia "Bill Stulla"	Internet Movie Data Base "Bill Stulla"
Local Legends "Bill Hollingsworth"	Star Tiger "Bill Hollingsworth"	Internet Movie Data Base ""

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