The Wagle brothers had their alley on Main Street, one block west of the Boston Ave. Methodist church. Both Huckett and the Wagle brothers were very good bowlers, partipating in the top league in town. I think it was called the Classic League. All three men were very friendly, and, if they weren't too busy, would give you free pointers on bowling.

Tulsa had some very good teams at that time. Some would compete at the national tournament. Pacific Pump was the top team in town, and Meryl Middaugh had the highest average at a little over 200. Bill Lilliard later became nationally prominent. I remember seeing him a few years later in a match game on national TV.

It was rare to see teenagers bowling back then. I was the only youngster in a regular league, bowling each week on a team that my dad formed. I was in 9th grade at the time. One of the Tulsa newspapers had a story on me when I rolled a 242 one night, using a 12 pound ball.

Oh, yes. It cost you 20 cents a game at Huckett's, and 30 cents at Wagles.

Webmaster, 10/21/2008: Other lanes no longer with us: Crystal Bowl (1993 Tulsa World story), Brookside Bowl, Yale Bowl, Northland, Harvard Lanes, Bowl-a-Rama, Utica Bowl, Tiffany Bowl, Bowl-Ero in Sand Springs.

Art Harrison Made Bowling History An Art in Tulsa (1994 Tulsa World story)

Innovator Sieler dies at age 81 (2002 Tulsa World story)

Still going are Riverlanes, Sheridan Lanes, Mickey's in Eastland Mall, Broken Arrow Lanes, Sahoma Lanes in Sapulpa.

Courtesy of the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Historical Society
Pete Headrick Plumbing ladies bowling team at Huckett's

At my age then, the only beatnik I had ever seen was Maynard G. Krebs on Dobie Gillis, and I didn't think we had any of them in south Tulsa. I was pretty sure we didn't have any men with beards in south Tulsa around 1960. But I always wondered what the mysterious goings-on might be in the Rubiyat.

Did you and Stan also film DDT (Daddy Deep Throat=Bob Gregory) on his roof? As I recall, we called out all the troops that night. You guys did a fantastic job!

Featuring Sears' in-house group, The Craftsmen, performing their smash hit "If I Had A Hammer" (rimshot).

See Guestbook 121 for commentary by several folks. Carl Gregory sent this menu, also seen in #121. Maybe the subject warrants a new page linked off the Counterculture page.

Folk music of this period is spoofed in the new Christopher Guest movie, "A Mighty Wind".

In case you are wondering, "Teem" was Pepsi's answer to 7Up. "Chip-Os" were a General Mills product, formed potato chips, like Pringle's today.

       

Please feel free to email with any info. Thanks!

Here is a photo taken from Channel 2's studios on Brookside after the 1974 tornado.

I remember hearing that music on a PSA (I think) back in the late 60s/early 1970s and then years later I recognized it when PBS showed the Kovacs shows (1976?) It's in one of the anti-smoking PSAs. Does anyone else remember this?.

You can hear a snippet of "Song of the Nairobi Trio (Solfeggio)" online at Amazon.com's listing of Ernie Kovacs' Record Collection. It sounds like something Jean-Jacques Perrey would cover. The Ray Charles Trio did cover it! (see January 18, 2002 list at the link)

We almost lost a news cruiser, we were driving down the street around 31st and Memorial, and all of a sudden water started coming over the hood and we started floating. We rolled the windows down instead of opening the doors. We climbed out and pushed it to high ground before very much water got in.

Stan and I had been hired only a couple of months earlier and I was living in fear of Rosser at the time, I just knew if I lost that car in a flood I'd get fired.

Got some great footage that night. I'm the one who shot the body in the trees the next day as well.

It is also on this CD available at Amazon.com:

We then moved our furniture out to my aunt and uncle's house who lived south a few miles on Elm Street. As we went back and forth, Polecat Creek kept getting bigger and bigger until it started flowing backwards. Then, we saw water creeping up from the river towards Elm for several hours before finally engulfing it.

Afterwards, we waded through water to get my grandparents' valuables moved from their downtown Bixby home, and then to get their house sandbagged.

I think they said the water was less than 6 inches from spilling over the levy in Jenks. Whew! Close call.

For lunch today, I had chili and cheese fries. Easily a pound for greasy fried goodness. It seems there isn't as much food variety as in the past. I remember the past few years enjoying a cheese steak sandwich, but couldn't find it. This evening I intend to pick up some tasty cheese strudel. I became a fan of this pastry as a young child attending the Arts Festival in OKC. Was never able to find it in Tulsa until I went to Mayfest the first time.

Also listened to the reigning Miss Oklahoma performing on the stage at the corner of 4th and Boston, and I'm currently enjoying some chocolate Dippin Dots!

For those worried about approaching rain, KOTV has monitors with current Warn Live Radar images inside QuikPrint at the corner of 4th and Main.

Wilma Jeanne Cummins (of "UHF" fame) is playing her musical pop bottles today on the Coke Stage at 12:45 p.m. She appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in late 2001, apparently as a result of a Tonight Show producer leaving a call for unusual talent on this web site (see the sidebar at the link above).

Monte Toon, KTUL artist, has a watercolor entitled "Cape Clover" in the Mayfest Invitational Gallery. James D. Watts of the World said it "incorporates some interesting visual effects without calling undue attention to said effects."

Here is the Mayfest web site.

Also, in the Sunday World (5/11), you can see a photo of Gailard and Mary Jo Sartain in the "People & Places" column.

Thanks, Erick and Rich.

I believe I remember that Bob Gregory report, and that it was Joe Creek.

Several changes had been made, home buy-outs occurred, and even some retention ponds had been dug (but not completed) by the Memorial Day flood in 1984. That flood killed 14, and it became a priority to finish the flood control project.

Since 1984, Mingo Creek has been nothing more than a light trickle most of the time, and quite a bit less than a raging river during heavy rains. In fact, I don't believe any significant flooding has occurred in the Mingo Creek watershed since '84.

I think Tulsa's last major flood was in October '86 when the Arkansas River jumped it's banks. Does anyone remember the big to-do over the Army Corps of Engineers opening the gates at Keystone Dam too late and nearly washing Muskogee away?

I saw those cows when I was in Kansas City in December. It was just a week or so later that the penguins started showing up around here. My partner, McKenna, became obsessed with finding out what the penquins represented, and correctly guessed that it was the zoo. When the two penguins were stolen she was convinced the zoo was behind it for publicity purposes. No one ever uncovered such a conspiracy, but the news story got people to pay attention to the penguins.

Last night we were talking about King Lionel (which is fairly normal conversation around here these days) and I mentioned the "lion-napping" in the 1960s, when some kids from Bartlesville came down to appear on "Dance Party" (Lee was hosting the show at the time). They found Lionel behind a set and stole him. It was a publicity coup for Lee and they even had a story and picture about The King's ordeal in the paper. As I finished the story McKenna was nodding her head in self-satisfaction and said "Just like the zoo and those penquins."

http://www.jayhawksonparade.com/

We were out of town when the '84 storm came around and were quite oblivious to everything until on the way home from the airport we saw the flood ponds near Roy Clark Elementary full to the brim.

My late father's understatement of the decade: "Looks like we had a little rain!" Meanwhile all of our friends and family were making our phone rattle off the wall wondering if our house was still here.

Our competitors were reporting no deaths, but we had film of bodies in trees as high water receded.

You wouldn’t believe the number of complaints we got because we cut in to the Indy 500 (delayed telecast in those days, I believe.) Perhaps somebody out there remembers that particular storm. I did get a nice memo from Mr. Leake.

This year, it was two seagulls for Ocean City, Maryland. You can see 'em at http://www.ocbeachbirds.com/birds/catbird.html and http://www.ocbeachbirds.com/birds/keepsmilin.html

They're fun when they leave the house, and the artist says you learn some interesting tricks about epoxy and Bondo.

I'm wondering if it had anything to do with bringing the storms here last week with all the memories of the weather from my childhood. :(

The other, technical matter: anyone familiar with a Franklin co-linear antenna? I can't say I know exactly what this is. WKY up here is using one, and frankly, I'm studying up on the competition! Thanks Mike, for the congrats BTW!

I'll check with Zeb on that.

OKC went wild annexing everything in sight in the 1960s and surpassed LA back then. The city government web sites for both cities show that today OKC has 622 square miles and LA has 465 square miles.

I don't know if OKC is still the nation's largest. Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Nashville all annexed their respective surrounding counties some time ago so one of them may be on top.

Had a rough few days, being a Muskogeean, I'm not used to it! But a busy newsroom is a happy one...sort of. Gary England actually evacuated Channel 9 at one point Friday night. On the other hand, with the twister bearing down upon us, we here at KOMA stayed put, so did KFOR next door.Not a judgement call on Gary mind you...

Anyway, just a check-in to let you know how its going up here. KOMA still sorting thru stuff, finding what works and what doesn't. This appears to be why we hired a PD last week. Dunno, I thought Bob Sands was doing very well himself!

I promise you though, we're looking at doing an 'offbeat' overnight show (do NOT read 'paranormal' into offbeat), and Tulsa TV Memories will be represented somehow. I fully realise this is OKC, but I want some class on my show, you know? ;)

BTW, got married last weekend, actually honeymooned in Tulsa, and my bride had the most fun chasing those huge fiberglass penguins thru the city! That became the quote of the honeymoon actually; "Where the hell are all these PENGUINS coming from?"

Congratulations! We'd be glad to hear some Tulsa stuff on your show.

KTUL artist Monte Toon decorated the new Tulsa Police penguin, "Officer Justice" (a tribute to Zeb's movie "Cole Justice"?), who may soon appear on the Tulsa Zoo's "Penguins on Parade" page. This is probably the best Tulsa promotion since Zeb and Monte's "8's The Place" campaign over 20 years ago. Zoo Day was an unpredictable element of Zeb's show.

Bruce Tidwell, courtesy of Mike Bruchas

Do any of you remember that at one time in the 80's OKC had a bigger geographical footprint than Los Angeles?

BTW OETA's Bob Allen is back as interim Director there after Mac Wall (or is it Wahl) defected to KY PTV. Some things never change! Joy Reed Belt Personnel had a BIG ad in Broadcasting & Cable mag this week for the OETA Director job. Several of us alums joked that it looked like a job spec'd just FOR Bob Allen only!

Cheetah used to kick back a few cold ones and smoke cigars when he was younger but now he enjoys a trip to the Sonic for a cheeseburger and coke. He looks at magazines, watches TV and likes to paint. You can buy one of his paintings for $125.00.

Okay, I obviously have too much time on my hands. I better go to bed.

Anyone remember a Sunday morning or afternoon show sponsored by Rathbone's Flair Flowers and Gifts? It was a forerunner of Martha Stewart and gave fun little tips on how to hot glue flowers onto wastebaskets to make a lovely centerpiece and things like that. I'm also interested in finding out who the host of the show was. He was a young man (at the time) and I think he may have been a scion of the Rathbone clan.

Mark wrote stories about Gary Chew and Tulsa TV Memories in recent issues of Outline Magazine.

David Letterman announced that Jane Pauley is retiring from NBC - question for JIM RUDDLE - was she at 5 in Chicago when you were there? I remember when she moved from Indy to Chi.....

When did KWGS change formats? I remember in the mid-1970s they used to list the classical programming in the paper next to the TV listings. I remember it being "Morning Edition," Classical music all day, "All Things Considered" then Jazz until midnight, when they would go off the air. I vaguely remember an "underground" radio show in the mid 1970s that was on from 10-Midnight(?)

So when did the underground period of KWGS end? I must have missed out on all of that.

How many left for KTBA or KMOD (underground) after KWGS? Bro' Mathew Bunyon still has a head shop! Bro' Bob Edwards went the way of the coke Queen (about 18) years ago...couldn't DO 'sid anymore....list more if you please & any word of them.

...do the email trip to me (or anyone else w/info)

I got to do an all-nighter (1:00 to 7:00 AM I think) on the weekends. Best summer of my life. Years later I would run into people in Tulsa who remembered that show.

Mike Bruchas used to come in and read news for me, and I would return the favor. Together we concocted the infamous "Looney Tunes" signoff cart which made it on the air a few times, actually. It was a classic. Mike, hope you read this and remember.

Great website. I actually found it when I was surfing for stuff about my old buddy Rance Wasson. To answer someone's query from about a year ago, Rance played with Everclear (he and the late Steve Munson, rest his soul) and Homebrew, along with Randy Crouch among others.

LOVE this website. The memories are flooding back like you wouldn't believe!

Thanks a lot...I'd love to do more on the underground radio scene of the early 70s.

I remembered a Gayle K. Franklin at OU in 1972. She was dating Gary Horn, who lived across the hall from me in Wilson Center's Worcester House dorm (intramural team name: The Golden Nads, hence the cheer: "Go, Nads, Go!"). Turns out Gayle is that person and she and Gary have been married for 30 years!

After we moved the store to the Brookside area next door to S&J Oyster Co. we became known as the "Reality Brothers" for obvious reasons. At one point in the business we were selling cocktails out of the record store, until Howard Smith, owner of S&J, threatened to call the alcohol beverage control board on us.

The great thing about those wild and crazy days was that I met my lovely wife Lindy, the best bartender S&J ever had. Rock on T-town, McLain H.S '67/East Central '68-'69.