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Todd Hoffman announces Dead-End Kids star campaign on Saturday Afternoon Theater.
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Here’s my connection:
During the summer of 1991, I wrote, produced, directed and hosted a show called, Saturday Afternoon Theater on KDOC-TV (Los Angeles market station). Locals may remember other shows I worked on, such as: Hot Seat with Wally George, Short Ribbs, June Cain Miller, Request Video, Southland Today, The Pet Place & Newswatch 56. The station also aired old, mostly forgotten movies and a lot of Bowery Boys movies (aka. Dead End Kids, East Side Kids, Little Tough Guys).
  One day I received a phone call from Todd Hoffman, who watched my show with his friend, Huntz Hall, one of the stars of the Bowery Boys films. Hoffman said Hall loved the show, and was impressed by my research. He said the Bowery Boys films have been airing for decades, and most of the time, people either made fun of them, or got their background information wrong. I am a fan of the films, so I did neither.
Hoffman went on to tell me that he was starting a campaign to get the “kids” a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I was astounded to learn that they did not already have one. Hoffman needed a certain amount of signatures for his campaign. Realizing that I had a pretty large potential audience, I invited him on the show to share his plight. He accepted, and became the first guest on my show.
 Viewers were very eager to send in their signatures; and the result, two years later, was a star for the Dead End Kids.
Below, is an excerpt from Army Archerd’s column in the Daily Variety publication, that spoke to this auspicious event.
Thurs., Jul. 15, 1993
By ARMY ARCHERD
After a two-year campaign by Todd Hoffman, the Dead End Kids get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- at the “dead end” of the Walk’s new addition, winding up on the south side of Hollywood Blvd. and La Brea. “Kids” Huntz Hall and Bernard Punsley will be on hand.
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