Carl “Uncle Zeb’ Bartholomew, Children’s Show Host & Filmmaker

by Michael Mason

06/07/2009

If you were raised in Tulsa in the seventies, the name “Uncle Zeb” probably carries a mythic quality. The Uncle Zeb show ran on KTUL, one of Tulsa’s 3 (count ‘em, 3) network stations from 1969 to 1979, and featured the goofy antics of a bandana-wearing old timer.

While everyone knew the character Uncle Zeb, not everyone knew Carl Bartholomew, the man who played him.

As writer John Wooley puts it, Carl Bartholomew was practically a legend in the southeastern parts of the US, and not for his kid’s show. Bartholomew made a movie called Cole Justice, which earned him a loyal following. In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, we’ll hear Wooley talk about the Uncle Zeb show, and offer up some insights into Zeb’s dopplganger, Coleman Justice.