Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

If you were on the TV show Boomtown you are part of an elite, and very lucky group.

I can still sing most of the Boomtown theme song. “Come along folks ’cause we’re gonna start the fun in Boom, Boom, Boomtown!”

The locally produced live western themed show starring Rex Trailer was on the air from 1956 to 1974. We watched every week on Boston’s WBZ channel 4. The Boomtown set, which was mostly painted scenery, was located in the WBZ studio on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton. Kids that appeared on the live show were surprised when they saw the cut out sections that made up the Boomtown set. It looked very different on TV. A vibrantly colored western style town was recreated right in Brighton.

Over the years, Rex had a few different sidekicks including Pablo, Cactus Pete and Sargent Billy.

One of my own memories involved a friend from my street who was on the show and was picked to be the masked villain. The “hombre” would march around to the song Hey Look Me Over until an alert kid picked him out. The “posse” of show participants all had a chance to be seen as they passed by the camera looking for the villain. Some Somerville kids also got to be the sheriff.

Cartoons such as Davy and Goliath, Popeye and Gumby were shown along with fun games and educational segments. All on live TV.

Somerville friends recall these Boomtown memories:

“Rex Trailer came to Somerville High School and put on a California/Disneyland presentation for our Senior Class in 1974, and 42 seniors signed up and we went to California and had a great time. Oh, and by the way, I was the General Store Keeper on his show Boomtown!”

“Rex always came to First Night in Quincy Center and performed! Brought back so many childhood memories! He was still great!”

“I saw him at Wellington circle!! He was on his horse!”

“I remember he called square dances when I was little and he helped choreograph some dance scenes for me when I was doing community theater during the 80s.”

“Rex also raised a lot of money for Muscular Dystrophy. I loved the cardboard barn at WBZ!”

“I remember he landed by helicopter one time in the Zayres parking lot!!”

“I was on his show a few times. I also remember him at Pleasure Island in Wakefield, MA. A real nice guy!”

“I loved him. I still have my autographed picture he signed!”

“He came to Porter Square in Cambridge around 1963 … I got on the show there … it was done outdoors in the parking lot ”

Rex Trailer was an accomplished musician, singer and songwriter. His song Hoofbeats accompanied by a live action film of Rex on his horse, Goldrush, was the very memorable show opener. Rex wrote and recorded Hoofbeats and Cowboys Don’t Cry. In later years, Rex taught Film Production at my Alma Mater, Emerson College.

Rex Trailer and Boomtown are a huge part of my childhood and many in my age group. If you were on the show you have special memories and if you ever had the pleasure of meeting Rex, you were very fortunate. He is a true Boston icon.

Rex Trailer passed away in 2013, leaving an extensive legacy of dedication to kids, education and a love of the old west. Thank you Rex. You will forever be remembered fondly by us Baby Boomer Boomtown fans.

“So do-si-do and swing around, Get your gal and promenade down to Boom, Boom Boomtown!”

From Wikipedia:

A documentary film titled Rex Trailer’s Boomtown was produced by Milford, Massachusetts native Michael Bavaro. Bavaro used rare archival footage along with the memories of Boomtown fans to provide a nostalgic overview. The Emmy® nominated film aired on WBZ-TV on June 18, 2005 with encore broadcasts on WGBH in 2010, 2013, and is now sold in DVD format.

There is also a book called Rex Trailer, The Boomtown years by Shirley Kawa-Jump.

Rex Trailer, Jimmy Calderone on accordion, and former Somerville resident Bill King (in the middle) on the guitar.