As a lifelong Tulsan, one of my fondest memories is of interviewing Bob Hower, former anchorman at KTUL-TV, Channel 8.

Hower was chosen to speak at my sixth grade graduation at John Marshall Elementary School in 1982. I was given the honor of introducing him, but to do so properly, I needed to know more about him. Hower was kind enough to grant me an interview, so one day after school, my parents and I drove out to the Channel 8 studios on Lookout Mountain to meet with him.

Being inside a real television station was simply the best it could get for this 11-year-old. Everyone was so nice to me, including Hower. He was the ultimate gentleman, patiently answering all the questions my mother, Kay (who taught kindergarten at Marshall), had helped me write. By the time I left the station, I knew enough about Hower to compose (again with my mom's guidance) an accurate introduction for Hower when he addressed my class that May.

One sidenote: Hower's daughter had recently been killed in a traffic accident, and I remember that when he began speaking, he became very emotional. Hower told us that our ceremony was his first speech to a school group since his daughter's death. How touching that he would gather the personal strength to be there for us on a day that I will certainly never forget.

PBS aired a special about the Tulsa Race Riot a few months ago. Don't know if it was just PBS in Texas or if it ran nationwide. It caught me by surprise as I was channel surfing and up popped my good friend General (retired) Ed Wheeler with his unmistakable, booming voice talking about the Tulsa Race Riot. He did a great job. The credits said the producer was Mike Brown. I assume that's the same Mike Brown who has been a long-time fixture in video and audio production in Tulsa--very capable guy. It was a very interesting and well done, albeit painful, show to watch. It was definitely not a whitewash (no pun intended).

In no way condoning what happened in Tulsa in 1921, I do feel that one other slight perspective should be mentioned:

Oklahoma had been a state for only fourteen years at the time of the Greenwood burning, so, while some residents of Oklahoma at that time had been born in the Territory, for the most part, they came from other places--some even from New York.

Interesting the social amnesia about the genocide towards the AfAm community in Tulsa, i.e. the eradication of an entire community.

It is true that the history of the Tulsa Race Riot was actively suppressed. I learned of it long after my school days. The recommendations of the Tulsa Race Riot Commission can be found at The Tulsa Reparations Coalition site. The article by John Hope Franklin, the history of the riot by Scott Ellsworth and the eyewitness reports on the site are particularly worth reading.

Bob Hower, longtime Channel 8 anchor, has written a book on the subject based on material from his grandfather, who came to Tulsa as Director of the Red Cross victim relief effort.

As long as we're on the subject of oil and gas commercials....anyone remember the commercials for "Blue Velvet Motor Oil"? I think that was produced by Kerr-McGee. Seems like I remember that oil being advertised all the time on the old "Chuck Fairbanks Show" back in the 60's and George Gobel was the spokesman. Anyone else remember this? Or am I confusing my dreams with reality again?

I HATE it when that happens! :)

All the large petroleum companies and their campaigns are fine, but I'll stand by tiny little Gibble Gas. I remember one of their stations on my frequent trips to Pawhuska from Tulsa when I was a kid.

I do recall DX sold a cool electric train set (at a reasonable price) IF you you bought a full tank of gas.

Mitch

Would you believe that someone actually has footage of the train commercial? MacDonald & Associates does, though it is not available to the general public. They also have the Uncola commercial (which you can listen to on the 2nd Mazeppa page)...the size of their catalog is staggering.

Other DX commercials listed: the Getaway Chase Game...cop car chases robbers car around mock city...$4.98 with 8 gallons. How about a car antenna banana? Free!

And...they have DX GASOLINE: Gary Busey stars as a country-boy gas station owner, part of the "I Can Be Very Friendly" campaign, with girl friend and old Buick.

The commercial was previously mentioned here in Guestbook 46.

(Added 10/14/2009) I believe the actor in that DX ad campaign resembled Gary Busey, but wasn't him.

One thing you youngsters recalling gas company campaigns WON'T remember (from personal experience) is SKELLY Oil Company's sponsorship, on radio, of course, of "The Air Adventures of Jimmy Allen." Your parents had to take you to a Skelly station of course, but there you got a nice booklet giving you elementary flying lessons. I think the actor playing Jimmy Allen made at least one personal appearance in Tulsa and I remember one air show at Municipal Airport (no pretensions about "International Airport" then) including several fly-overs including small children piloting planes from the laps of their fathers (who were firmly in control, of course). Sheer guess: Circa 1937.

"Jimmy Allen" with his veteran side-kick, "Speed" Robertson, was a midwest radio thing since that was Skelly territory and it probably never reached the east coast. But you can read about it in the reference books and maybe I can get "Radio Joe" on KRMG to come up with a transcription for his Saturday night show from 8:10 to 10 p.m. What a "flash from the past!" Beats Jack Armstrong, the Alllllllllll-American Boy for me, at least!

Return to those thrilling days of yesteryear at Air Adventures of Jimmy Allen, where you can listen to one of the shows. It was created by the same guys who created Captain Midnight and Sky King on radio (hear "...out of the clear blue of the Western sky comes...SKYYY KINGGGG!" from the TV show).

In all the mentions of gasoline station advertising, does no one remember the DX campaign which encouraged people to report employees who provided good service (so they could get a reward)? One spot featured Gary Busey standing in front of a filling station in a pump jockey's shirt wiping grease off his hands with this sinister grin on his face saying: "I can be VERY friendly!"

It was one of his first "real" acting jobs, since the Mazeppa show in Tulsa was a free gig. (I speak from experience having done the show myself.)

I remember seeing the campaign (though not Gary Busey being in it) and wondering how we were supposed to be taking it.

Since we're far away from television, I'll play this game:

Marathon Oil Company--A running guy in an abbreviated toga, or whatever the Greeks called that thing, carrying a torch.

Sinclair--Dino the Dinosaur

And the ever popular Flying Red Horse.

One of the joys of childhood was going to a filling station, back before electrically operated pumps, and watching the attendant work the pump handle back and forth while colored gasoline filled the large glass cylinder on top.

Also the DX Aqua Car toy...it would roll right into the water, becoming a boat with propeller.

Had forgotten about Vickers - are you all sure it WASN'T Fina????

I have had a Texaco card since 1972 - my first credit card and TU students used to near automatically get them. I used it for my '69 Opel Kadett hatchback wagon almost exclusively at the Texaco on 6th for years - the self serve joint was just East of Peoria on a tiny piece of land with RR tracks behind...(geezing now) gas was 21.9 for years...though friends used to say in Joplin/Neosho they had gas wars with regular at 19.9.

As a kid I used to mow lawns for spending money. I can remember taking my empty 1-gallon gas can to the Pemco station at 48th & Peoria and filling it and getting change back for my quarter.

I'm with Sonny, I think it was Vickers that the aging "Lonesome George" did the 70s spots for. When I was a Vickers customer in Tulsa, gas was 49.9 cents a gallon.

It was Gulf that did the orange plastic horseshoes stuck to the back of the car for No-Nox, a response, I think to Esso/Enco's famous "Tiger in your tank." Remember the tiger tails that clipped to the gas cap?

I vaguely recall Fina's pink air, and also its Pflash! campaign. More imagination than real marketing skill, there, I guess.

When packing up my late mother's stuff recently, I found, among other treasures, a gas station glass from the "Heroes of Texas History" series. The Commodore of the Texas Navy, in his eight-gallon fill-up glory after 45 years. I think that probably came from a Fina station in Lufkin or somewhere.

When was the last time a gas war broke out in T-Town? I do remember paying 19 cents a gallon before the first oil embargo in '73. Was it Okmulgee that always seemed to have a gas war going?

Here is Lonesone George Gobel at KVOO-TV.

PEMCO sponsored this election program in the late fifties, also at KVOO-TV.

Note to Mike Bruchas...didn't Lonesome George Gobel do the "V for Vickers" TV campaign?

In addition to Vickers, remember Deep Rock, Arco, and Skelly stations?

Do you remember when George Gobel was the Fina spokesman in the early '70's??? Hilarious - wish I had saved a dub of that flight of TV spots!

Didn't Fina also run a campaign for "No Knocks" gas and gave away plastic orange horseshoes for a fill up? Seems like they also had some promotion where they offered some kind of magazine that had the legend of trolls living under bridges complete with a Medieval crone crossing a bridge at night to her peril. Fina- another occult related fatality.

RE: John Hillis - "Tulsa's DX gasoline was sponsor for the Cardinals for at least some of the glory years."

Does anyone else remember the Tulsa TV ads by Fina gas stations offering "pink air" for your tires? Those were really clever and fun.

Jack Buck's passing last night reminds me that KMOX's signal at night was as loud as a local all over the midwest, including Tulsa, and Tulsa's DX gasoline was sponsor for the Cardinals for at least some of the glory years.

I met Eddie Money at Honest John's in about '77. I think he was at Cain's on an early visit here and actually came by - maybe with Larry Schaeffer - to HJ's to see HJ. I had to work the night of his gig but we sold a zillion records of his...

See What's New for recent additions to the site.

Not strictly relevant, but after running the 5K Full Moon Kidney Klassic a few weeks ago, I walked over to hear the free Eddie Money concert at Veterans Park (21st & Boulder). I had no special expectations, but Mr. Money's show was truly excellent.

Hoo wah! Mike Waters! Welcome!

Mike is about the most civil, laidback professional that I worked with at 5. While I slogged in News with Jim Rankin - Mike did everything else as a Production Director. Don Perryman was our other day time Production Director. Yes - I forgot that Mike, too, spent many an hour with Ed Birchall - aka Ho Ho the Clown (aka staff psychiatrist at times at 5).

I wondered where thou wentest after 5! Mike - you often made many a bad day better for me!

To Mike Bruchas: I just stumbled onto this site today after doing a "google" search for Ho Ho & Pokey. Poignant memories have been stirred from reading some of the contributed emails about the industry, its employees, and talent.

I worked with you at KOCO-TV, Mike. I don't remember the exact years you were there...I've always had problems with chronology. All I know is I was there long before you arrived and stayed long after (too long after).

You were a character and I always enjoyed watching your antics. As you may remember, I directed Ho Ho's show for at least the last ten years of his run. A great experience and so enjoyable. He was a surrogate father for me, also. He was my best man at my second wedding and I couldn't have been prouder.

I think you made a reference to Bill Collard in which you said Jim Rankin told you he had died several years ago. I think ol' Jim had some bad info, there. I saw Bill Collard here in Norman at a Mazzio's Pizza less than two years ago. He had remarried since the death of his first wife and is living with his new wife here in Norman.

Hope to hear from you, Mike.

Mike Waters

This site brings back so many memories! I lived in Bixby in the late 60's and early 70's. The Uncanny Film Festival was my favorite show. I remember saving 7-up bottle caps so I could buy "Scope Them Turkeys Out!" Does anyone know where I could find a copy of this tune nowadays?

Lawzee! I remember Mazeppa came to the Bixby Green Corn Festival one year and I got his autograph.Thanks for putting this on the web!!!!!

You're welcome.

I bought the "UHF" DVD and, as mentioned earlier in the guestbook, it is excellent. Great features and commentary. All addresses of shooting locations (including a few that vary a bit from those listed here) are given by Al as he and the other commentators give the highest of compliments about our wonderful city. It is really a fun DVD.

In addition, a former ORU student has a DVD out, The Simpsons, and it is also excellent.

Paul McCartney is getting married Tuesday. I guess I better run check the mail to see if my invitation has arrived yet.

Reference to David Batterson's comments about KOTV-TV newscast/staff as being one of the hippest around. He's right, and I'm proud to say that I was part of that late 60's early 70's crew, that included, among others -- Mike Miller, Gary Chew, Clayton, Bob Brown, Dino Economos, Gaylord Herron, and, as I said, a few others. We had fun. But I guess I had more fun that I should've. But, I still think the world takes itself -- for the most part -- way too f***ing serious. Hope everyone in T-Town is good. It's been years, but Tulsa is still a cool, down home kind of town. Best to every one.

Larry Thomlinson

Via email, Jacqueline Scott (see sidebar on the new Total 8 Tulsa page) also said:

I'm now the Public Information Director for the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma (my real job). I'm also a (gassssp!!!) lawyer. And on Saturdays, I anchor for KTOK (AM-1000) and the Oklahoma News Network (my fun job).

I was listening to ol' Hawkeye on KRSC-FM 91.3 today, and happened to catch Jacqueline doing a fine job on ONN.

Speaking of slogans, when I was in sports at the Tulsa Tribune (1978-81), we would often try to come up with slogans for the Tulsa World.

The folks at the World never took us seriously as competition, so they were never too worried about beating us (or anyone else) on stories. Thus, our favorite Tulsa World slogan was:

"Yesterday's News Tomorrow!"

You may remember ABC's "The One You Can Turn To" campaign that Carl Bartholomew did great work on.

I worked a year in the Amarillo market while that campaign at ABC was on. I was then at KVII-TV after leaving 6 and a year of selling retail music (don't ask).

Naturally our promos sucked or as a tape op friend said, we were "The One You Could Turd To".....

Don't forget the "Come Home to KOTV" campaign - I still remember the promo called "Kitty Come Home" - really tailored for Kitty Gibbons but on initial glance it seemed KOTV was trying to get into more "multi-cat" households at the time.....

Slogan: "We get it first, but more important, we get it right!" Does this ring a bell with anyone?

All I recall is that where I worked we modified it to: "We get it last, but more important, we get it wrong!"

The George Tomek line reminds me of one uttered by a Chicago booth announcer:

"Don't forget to miss it!"

I think he was the same guy who introduced a documentary about the first decade of the reign of Richard J. Daley by saying in his best stentorian voice:

"And Now, Decayed with Daley."

George Tomek was a great guy to watch. Always very stable on the air. He retired from television several years ago, and is now in management for the Oklahoma Trucking Association, I believe.

This isn't an Oklahoma news slogan but it became the new catch-phrase for a while at KTVY (now KFOR) years ago in OKC. George Tomek was ad-libbing one of those live 30-second promos from the newsroom for the next upcoming newcast and after rattling off about 10 items coming up, he tagged out with "Don't miss it if you can." George was a great guy to work with.

I was trying to find purchasing info for the now-defunct Circle Theatre and somehow ended up here. Thank you so much for your site! Your Mazeppa pages brought back hella lot of fond memories :)

You're welcome.

RE: John Hillis and KOTV

"...the old Robert Hall jingle--"Low Overhead, Low Overhead."

I was an occasional news cameraman stringer; I remember selling some footage to Ch. 6 and getting a check for $10.

KOTV had the coolest/hippest news staff back then (late 60s to early 70s) (unlike conservative Ch. 2 and dorky Ch. 8). ;-)

Did anyone else attend the Subversive Film Festivals at TU in the 70s?

Then there was the line that never got used but shoulda: "KOTV--when the news breaks, so does our equipment."

And after hearing that one quarter in the shared financial data, 6 had 30% of the revenue in the market but 50% of the profit, I suggested the old Robert Hall jingle--"Low Overhead, Low Overhead."

I suddenly realize why Bill Southard was always so grumpy to me.

Ah, Mr. Broo, we could certainly open a new can of worms here...strange news slogans!

Admittedly, I'm a native Oklahoma Citian, but I've heard a few keepers in my life.

It seems news slogans these days are not too creative. Most are something to the effect of, "Where News Comes First" or "Coverage You Can Count On". Or, as with Ken Broo's employer, "First. Fast. Accurate."

Some of the more entertaining slogans I remember are from KOCO in the 80s, "We Are Oklahoma". I thought that to be very assuming. An earlier slogan was equally presumptuous, "It's All Right Here".

KTVY (now KFOR) always used their channel number (4) in their slogans, "We're 4 Oklahoma", "News 4 Oklahoma", "4's The One".

In answer to Erick's question about KOTV promo lines, I don't remember the one he mentioned specifically.

The one that comes to mind is something that lasted for about one or two hours in the late 70's. "If it happens in Tulsa, it's news to us"

You can see why that had a short shelf life!

Question on behalf of a family member...

Does anyone recall a KOTV slogan from the 70s that went something like...

"On a scale of 1 to 5, we're 6"?

I'm driving up for that (the 2002 OK Wheelers bike). We're leaving on Friday. I really need to get my fix of Oklahoma BBQ. You just can't get good BBQ in Phoenix.

To stay more on topic, after listening to KFAQ, it reminded me how stooooopid is was to change the call. KVOO is a much more fitting call.

What are they smoking in Milwaukee?

Hey - tangential msg here....several TTM readers and folks from KTUL and their kin will be doin' the 2002 OK Wheelers bike marathon ride across Central OK starting Saturday thru the following Sunday - go to www.okfreewheel.com to see more about this annual ride. A "source" told me that KTUL may cover part of it on the news next week....

The commentary on the "UHF" DVD is priceless for Tulsa trivia buffs -- "Weird" Al goes so far as to give the street addresses of almost all the Tulsa locations! I haven't slogged thru the rest of the disc yet, but for me it's well worth the $9.95 (Best Buy).

Noted on the UHF page.

It was "Mahcoe's Scene"...he says with a growing sense of fallibility.

Seeing and hearing of KCNW reminded me that I saw a KCNW Top 30 survey on Ebay about 2 weeks ago. Not sure who would have an interest, but I think it ended up going for about $2.

Today, there's a KVOO Big Country belt buckle up for auction!

Cool web site, and love to see some pictures from my time of growing up.

Rumblefish and some other Coppola-lensed SE Hinton film were shot in and around a derelict building now torn down - on 7th just off Delaware. Finis Smith or his wife owned it and previously mentioned Rick Christensen had lived in the same building at one time!

What is SE Hinton doing now????

Though I never have stopped there - the Tonkawa Truck Stop used to buy a lot of spots on KCNW and KVOO at night - as I recall in the '70's.

Brain dump here -- former KTUL projectionist Rick Christiansen used to live up that way in his youth and attended that teachers college there in (what school is that?) before going to get degrees at TU. Wasn't there a WWII POW camp up there, too? I remember a lot of German POW's repatriated to live in OK after their internment.

KVOO and KSOK were the radio stations folks listened to up there.

His late parents (great folks!) farmed by the OK/KS border and "jumped the border" for their church in the wheat fields up there. I remember that their minister of music wrote the supposed state song of Kansas - "Where in the World But Kansas"....he was a local demi-celebrity.

Jim & Mike...I believe it was "Machoe's Place". Anyone know where he is now?

"As previously mentioned here - in the early 70's KORU-FM, KAKC-FM AND KWGS had classical music with KWON or its FM sister station in Bartlesville having classical offerings. What are the B-ville stations playing now????"

Saw this a guestbook back - sorry I overlooked it.

Check www.bartlesville.com/radio for what's going on with KWON, KYFM and KRIG (which used to be in KNFB in Nowata in the 70's.) They are all owned locally. KYFM is the only one with live jocks, KRIG is running the popular "Real Country" format.

Also worth mentioning is KOMH 1500 (the first commercial station I worked for when it was KXVQ in Pawhuska) running nostalgia (big band) and KBVL 103.9 with Adult Contemporary.

I remember KYFM used to be an automated "Beautiful Music" station in the 70's in my teenage years. I used to drive by their studios on Frank Phillips and if you glance carefully you could see that huge reel-to-reel automation system in the main window. I remember that KYFM used to broadcast a symphony orchestra concert every weekened via satellite.

Billy

There's a great review of the MGM DVD release of "UHF" on the following link:

http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID=3567

I am going to get it, Thanks to what MGM has done a lot to the DVD!!! Hope you'll get it, too!!!

For the benefit of new readers today, Weird Al's only movie, "UHF", was shot here in Tulsa. The UHF pages on this site have stories by local people about working on the movie.

This is so cool. Particularly the Mazeppa page. I had the pleasure of being on the show one time with a band called "Bo Velvet & the Desert Snakes" (BVD's). We played "Bend Over, Got A New Pair Of Shoes". I usually played a Dr. Pepper bottle, but because of a contractual agreement, I had to play a 7-Up bottle. I wish I could get hold of the footage of that. The skit was, Gailard was hangin' with his girl friend and we come in the house after practicing in his garage. He asks us to play a song and we play "Bend Over" then leave. Not much of a skit. but it was fun.

Anyway, this is a very cool site. I'll turn all the Tulsans I know on to it. I'm gonna go see if there's anything about the "Big Bill and Oomagog show". (I won a Lone Ranger gun and holster set on it once).

Thanks for checking in, Terry. The "Bend Over" song in particular was remembered by Margi in Guestbook 101. There is indeed a Big Bill (and Captain Alan) and Oom-A-Gog page.

After living in Tulsa most of 15 years, I now live in Arizona :(

It is all a part of my past,...Uncle Zeb, Lewis Meyer's bookstore, Frougs on the main mall, fried shrimp at Penningtons, watching them film Rumblefish, Boom River, MayFest and more...I thought I was too young for nostalgia, but I guess no one ever is... An excellent site.

Thankies... I'll keep checking back...

We'll be lookin' for ya!

Tulsa TV Memories is the Yahoo! Picks Editor's Choice today!

Machoe's World?

Anyone remember the title of Mahcoe Van Dyke's public affairs show that ran for a while on KOTV in the 70's?

Mahcoe was a news photog then at 6....

Great website, I'm originally from Wichita, KS but I have family in Oklahoma and it definitely brings back some memories. I kind of wished that Wichita TV was like that back in the day.

I'm not sure if anyone remembers or not, but during the OETA sign-off in the early to mid 1980's, there was a Smooth Jazz tune that played in the background and I've been going crazy trying to find out the name of the song and artist for the past 20 years. It's jazz that mostly has piano playing the background, does anyone know the name of the artist and title of the song?

You're the second person to ask that question (read the first in Guestbook 101). Anyone?

RE: music videos

Mitch wrote:

"...Channel 6 beat out MTV by almost a decade with music videos!"

This ex-Tulsan had one of his short films shown on "American Bandstand" in 1969!

I remember getting paid the giant sum of $75 for the usage; no wonder Dick Clark is a multi-millionaire! ;-)

With the popularity of MTV and VH-1, my memory (such that it is) recently flashed on a Saturday afternoon series that ran on KOTV around 1970..."Now Explosion."

It was an hour format that played current hit songs to grainy and poorly edited footage of couples walking through parks while holding hands, puppies playing in the grass, etc.

Hah!

So, just as Mazeppa was five years ahead of the late-night comedy trend established by Saturday Night Live, Channel 6 beat out MTV by almost a decade with music videos!

Mitch

On the subject of Citizen Kane....

In the mid-50s, the entire RKO pre-1948 library, including Kane was sold outright to a company called C&C. C&C then sold the film in packages to stations on a life-of-the-print basis. As long as that print lasted, you could run it.

This was a big problem later when United Artists bought the RKO's and would sell them to a station, only to have a station across town with the C&C package running the same titles.

Added to that was the fact that C&C edited their cheaply made replacement titles onto the original negatives on a lot of the films, destroying the original title sequence. The labwork also was very bad. I have a C&C print of Wheeler & Woolsey's "The Cuckoos" that's printed out of focus.

The last station I heard that was still running C&C prints was WHDH, the RKO station in Boston. But that was over 10 years ago.

Archived Guestbook 108.