Whatever
Happened To...
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Professor Fun, aka Fred Ball, still performs balloon magic at various restaurants.
Professor Fun continues
to amuse and amaze kidsQuestion: Whatever happened to Professor Fun of "Checkers and Pogo" and "TV Pow" fame?
Answer: Professor Fun, a k a Fred Ball, continues to entertain children at family parties, shopping centers and schools, and performs his balloon magic at various restaurants.
Professor Fun, who is listed in the telephone directory as Fun Enterprises, is available for private engagements. He said he is also looking for a regular venue where he can twist and tie balloons into flowers and teddy bears.
"Professor Fun has been around for a long time," said Ball, who declined to reveal his age but admitted that he came to Hawaii when the H-1 Freeway was less then a mile long.
Ball, originally from Rock Island, Ill., received his bachelor's degree in English from Western Illinois University. He worked as an entertainer to make money for college.
"Mostly I was self-taught," said Ball, who honed his trade by reading books and watching television.
After college, Ball came to the Islands to pursue a master's degree in speech at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He continued his entertainment acts, but newspaper columnists dissuaded him from pursuing a career in entertainment.
"They said, 'You're not going to make it in show business here. You're a haole, forget it. People don't come here to see a haole from Illinois,' " Ball said.
Ball accepted a full-time job as chairman of the English Department at the Aina Haina Academy but continued to entertain at parties and clubs in his spare time. Someone who saw his performance at several private parties recommended him to KGMB for the station's after-school show "Checkers and Pogo" in the late 1960s.
Ball became a full-time entertainer when the academy closed. "It's not that I decided to go back into show business. (God) decided for me," he said.
Professor Fun's career spans more two decades, making him an icon for generations of Hawaii keiki. Baby Boomers remember him for the "Checkers and Pogo" show while Generation X-ers know him from Channel 13's "TV Pow" after-school program in the 1980s.
In addition to entertaining children, Ball is an actor in adult programs. His numerous acting credits include "The Jeffersons," "Magnum, P.I." and most recently, a Japanese movie called "Hawaiian Dream."
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Ever wonder what happened to a person, event or issue
that has been in the news? We'll try to find out
for you if you call the City Desk
at 529-4747, email to citydesk@starbulletin.com or write us at
500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.
