What a Card: The Story of Clellan Card and Axel and His Dog

by Julian West

What A Card! The Story of Clellan Card and Axel and His Dog evokes the fun and excitement of the early days of broadcasting as it traces Card's career from his heyday on radio in the 1930s to his twelve-year run as Axel on television. His fractured version of The Night Before Christmas was a seasonal favorite that is still fondly remembered by generations of Minnesotans. For people who watched Axel and His Dog , the book is a wonderful trip down memory lane. For those who never saw the show, it's a fascinating look at an era that is gone forever. What a Card! includes a 2-hour DVD which contains 18 Axel & His Dog classics from 1955-56 never available before, plus Axel's 1964 recording of The Night Before Xmas and over 300 more photos!

323 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2008

About the author

Julian West is a baby boomer who spent most of his childhood in Little Falls, MN, where he watched too much TV. At the U of M he majored in ancient history, which is why he wrote a book about a man who lived from 1903 to 1966. West lives in Minnesnapolis, Minnesnowta, but doesnt have a dog."

Reviews

[Monica]

Great book about Clellan Card, Twin Cities kids' TV's Axel. I vaguely remember watching Axel and his Dog, with the wacky Scandihoovian host, Axel. Card worked on radio shows on each of the Twin Cities stations at various times. Always making corny jokes and puns, he eventually moved to the new medium of TV. His personal story is very compelling and had deeply sad moments. His TV alter ego Axel, introduced cartoons and bantered with his dog Towser and cat Tallulah. You only saw the front leg and paw of his pets as they were mostly off-screen, played by Don Stolz, who ran The Old Log Theater in Chanhassen for many years. It also explained how Axel's friend Carmen the Nurse came to be part of the show. Stories about other Twin Cities TV personalities help to create the background of this and a few other local shows for kids. (Although it didn't mention Dave Lee and Pete). This book explores much about the early days of local TV shows for kids and what finally ended them. A bonus is that many of Axel's "Birdie" jokes (IYKYK) are included at the bottom of the pages. I really loved this book.

[Missy]

My father and his brothers were big fans of 'Axel and His Dog'; all 4 of them still sing the songs and share the jokes and rhymes regularly at family gatherings. All 4 of them enjoyed this book about their childhood friend and his real story, plus the bonus DVD. I also enjoyed reading about Clellan Card and getting much more background on this shared history in my family.

[Michelle Christianson]

If you grew up with Axel, this is a fun read.