1945-46 was Rush Gook really Johnny Coons?

It breaks my heart to even hear this and relay this news to you.  It may not be true but I'm afraid it probably is.

In the interview (below) actor Hugh Studebaker is a bit confused, no doubt, but he isn't so confused to remember that Johnny Coons played Rush in either 1945 or 1946 and perhaps both those years and series.  (You'll notice that there is no talk of Bill Idelson in this brief interview.)

This was the time after the original series and the series had changed sponsors and networks and had included many "real characters," including Studebaker as Rishigan Fishigan.

Not just Leland Richards

Hiya, welcome to my notebook!

You know that Leland Richards was on at least two episodes as a live character during the first run of the show (the 'first series'.).  There were other friends of Rush and Russell also on the show during this same time period.  Blue Tooth Johnson was also scheduled to be a guest for a week.

As a matter of fact, it appears that many of the friends were to be on the show, all being there for a week each.

However, the only surviving episodes (audio or otherwise) appears to be the two with Leland.