The man who once urged people to "Use Your Noodle. Vote for Tootle" was sentenced to five years' probation Tuesday on charges stemming from an armed chase outside a topless bar.

Harry Tootle, 46, is best known in Las Vegas for founding TootleVision, a UHF television station covering government and politics from his right-wing perspective.

The station is now off the air. Tootle has run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate, Clark County sheriff and chief of the Cherokee Nation.

He was arrested in November 1995 on charges he threatened the life of a bouncer at Larry's Villa, a topless bar on Bonanza Road. The bouncer then called police, a chase followed, and Tootle hid from the law behind a trash bin, prosecutors alleged.

Tootle claimed that the incident was a misunderstanding and that he came to the bar to meet a tipster with inside information about the Oklahoma City bombing.

Tootle now lives in Idaho.

Re: old eateries. . .

Anyone remember Steven's hamburgers, a little north of 31st on Yale? Known for their pies, as I recall.

And Kay's restaurant, on 31st east of Yale.

One more question, unrelated to any of this other stuff: Wasn't there some sort of weird, abstract moving art type program on ch. 8 for a short while sometime in the 1970s? I seem to remember it was on very late at night, maybe Saturday and it didn't last very long. I think it was pulsing light or random shapes moving and changing in sync with music. I don't remember if this was filler material, a real show, or if it is just me having some sort of "senior moment."

Note to Lani B (posting below): You might be thinking of Denny Delk, a former Tulsan who's now out west in LaLa Land doing voice work and audio production. He checks in on this site every once in awhile.

That program was "Maintain: A concert of video realizations". TTM contributors Edwin Fincher and Ricardo Wilson had a hand in it...see Guestbook 68 and Guestbook 69 for more.

I remember seeing that GCC trailer at the Village Cinema at Admiral and Garnett. I drove by there recently and they have two gigantic garage doors cut in the walls now. It's been some kind of auto restoration shop for several years, but it looked like they hadn't changed the lobby very much.

That's where I first heard it, too. I strongly recall seeing Peter Sellers in "The Party" there, and being transported to the strange world of Hollywood (and falling into the aisle with laughter). I had a similar reaction to "The Shakiest Gun in the West" when nervous dentist Don Knotts dropped his mirror into knockout redhead Barbara Rhoades' cleavage.

I was just listening to Henry Mancini's 1962 "Combo!" CD, and his use of harpsichord (played by Johnny "Star Wars" Williams) reminded me of the animated "Coming Attractions" and "Feature Presentation" clips that General Cinema Corporation used in the 60s and 70s.

Hey, I found it...see the Tulsa Drive-In Theatres page!

Yeah, Griff's hamburgers were pretty good. I remember a buck would buy you a fairly large sack of them. I cracked up when I saw the Griff's menu you posted because I can remember when all the hamburger joints had a pretty short list to work from. Nowadays if you go to the "Golden Arches", the dern menu stretches all the way across the back wall and spills across the counter!

A couple of weeks ago, I was working a little dance gig and Ted Creekmore was there. He let me play his fiddle on some tunes, then somebody asked for some old fiddle breakdowns. I asked for Ted to come up and play, and he got after it. I sat out in the crowd and watched him do his thing. The crowd ate it up and so did I! When I was first learning to play music, I would see Ted on John Chick's show, and I always thought he would be a cool guy to work with. Well, 25 years later...I wasn't dissapointed.

We know a bit about KOTV's "Shock Theater". It signed on in October 1957, was on at 10:30 p.m. Saturday nights and lasted a couple of years; Bob Mills (aka Robert A. Millisor, also a host of "Sun Up") played "Igor, Your Ghost Host"; cameraman Leon Meier, Lee Woodward and others played Igor's assistant, "Hornstaff", outfitted in rubber masks from Ehrle's Party Barn...

Can anyone add to that?

I just saw in the World that Ruby's restaurant near 31st & Yale has closed. Glen and Ruby Gibson have retired. Someone told me back in the early 70s that Leon Russell hung out there...oops, maybe that was Kay's.

Someone may have answered this awhile back but I'll ask anyway. What ever happened to "TootleVision"? The man who ran it had it on two low-powered stations. Channel 4 if I'm not mistaken, and a UHF station. The channel was 32(?) or 33(?)

M. Reynolds said in Guestbook 19:

"Of course the #1 TV crazyness of all time was Harry Tootle's Tootlevision low power station at 26th and Sheridan. I loved his lava light broadcast. It was great watching the lava light for hours."

Scroll up for a recent TootleUpdate.

I was sitting in the stands at the Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte NC in May, reeling with the memories of my brother and I both racing slotcars at Norman's (later to be called Roy's) Hobby Shop that was in the strip center behind Griff's Hamburgers on 21st, across from Casa Bonita. I still have one of the cars sitting here on a shelf, does anyone remember that place?

My other brain thought is of a guy who used to DJ in the building where KQEN? was at and I think his name was Denney Dent. I saw him recently (boy is that a perceptive phrase?) c. 1994-96 on TV, his real talent coming to the surface being a two-handed painter. With the music of the person he was painting playing very loud, he would paint, in a matter of minutes, a huge full head shot of the artist 6 foot tall.

I was also in thought of the Parkey's Restraurant at 11th and Yale Sheridan. Our dad had a DX station at 11th and Richmond in the early 60's and my first trip to the movies was to see Ol' Yeller at the Will Rogers right up the street. Telling my age has never been an issue!

Courtesy of Patio Culture

Courtesy of Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library & Tulsa Historical Society.
Click to see the same scene today (4/4/2009), courtesy of Erick Church

Webmaster: My dad and brother and I raced slot cars up there on at least one occasion (was the strip center called "Hilltop"?) My uncle built slot cars from scratch as a hobby in the 60s and gave several of them to me and my brother. Weren't there about eight lanes? Wasn't the scale something like 1/24? I think our rheostats were a bit substandard (or maybe it was just the drivers).

Frank's Country Inn, next to the old Oertles, has been around for a long time, with countless items, all bodacious. Once when I went there with my friend Duane, he found a dirty spoon, caked with dried food, dirt and hair, lying on the floor. He laid it on the table for the waitress to pick up. A little later he noticed the dirty spoon was gone and a clean one was on the table. The only other spoon was the one he was using. He still hopes that the waitress picked it up and replaced it with another.

I read Rex Daugherty's resume on the opening page. I, too, worked for Tulsa Public Schools in television, a few years earlier than Rex.

I saw Rex on Tuesday at Wendell Monger's funeral, the father of Susie Daugherty, Rex's wife. Among other distinctions, Mr. Monger was a long-time musician here in Tulsa. I had the honor to sing with my three oldest sons at the service. In addition, Diane Dickerson, the daughter of Charles Dickerson, played the harp prelude.

When I was a kid, Bordens was by far the place to go. My Bordens was at 51st & Peoria.

I was in Tulsa a few weeks ago and had CFS at Nelsons. Nelsons was an every other day visit for me when I worked at channel 41 on the main mall. It's still as good as ever.

"Say nothin', get nothin'"

Speaking of eating places in Tulsa, I'm still mourning the loss of Martin's Bar-B-Que. When I first moved to Texas in the mid-'80s, no trip home was complete unless I brought a gallon of Martin's sauce back with me. The last time I saw a Martin's was at 21st & Memorial and it closed about 5 years ago. Does anyone know if they might have popped up anywhere else?

I don't see it in the phone book. The slogan was something like, "Everybody eats here except me, and U can see what I am" (attributed to a donkey).

Mike Miller trivia note. He told me that he lived on (pronounced as) Sycourt. Knowing weird VA spellings-I figured it was something like Psych Court or Siecourt.

When I went to visit him - it is really CY Court.

I joked - it was his homage to Cy Tuma!

Cafeteria quiz, kids. We all loved Nelson's Buffeteria but whom else do you remember? Buffet chains count but not sure if White River Fish Market on N. Sheridan is one. Quay's Downtown was a Cy Tuma hang-out - decent but I never liked their gravy and chicken-fried steak but the portions were good. Always looked like it had not been painted in 15 years and needed some fresh grease on the walls...

Bordens, Furrs (with the old lady organist/pianist at Utica Square), now Luby's I lust for.

Cannot go to Tulsey or Tehas without a Luby's "visit"! Think the Luby's downtown off 15th now is a Tulsey PD sub-station some nights with detectives, motorcycle, dawg and regular uniformed cops chowing at big clumps of tables!

Matt Bunyan and I used to hit The Royal Fork (he called it Royal Gorge) out on Admiral. It was run by a group from Utah.

For some reason Oklahoma State Prisons turned out a million chefs for these places - for after serving your time behind bars. In OKC we went to a place frequented by tour buses and church groups by Baptist Hospital that was owned by a mega-buffet company out of IL or MN. Can't remember the name. But their kitchen staff was 95% ex-cons! OKC still had several locally owned chains in the 70's.

My favorite and I think Ron Stahl's - was the Olympic Cafeteria on Brittan Road - it moved a few times but was a Greek joint open till 8pm most weeknights but not Friday or weekends. This ancient Greek couple owned and staffed it - him in the serving line, she at the register. Many a night after doing the 6pm KOCO newscast I was the only client there at 7:15pm and as a "growing boy" often got extra portions free - rather than them throw pasticho, wonderous stuff in grapeleaves and moussaka out! Everything was steamed but sooooo good.

Whom else do YOU remember....no diners this posting, please!

According to the 7/13 Tulsa World, Gailard Sartain will act in a made-in-Oklahoma movie, working title of "Cockpit". The movie is about cockfighting and behind-the-scenes political machinations. Wilford Brimley stars as the governor. It's due for release late this year or early next year.

Steve in Phoenix...you're thinking of Valerie's younger sister, Veronica, who was dating Michael Aloisio (whose father owned Mondo's). Veronica is married (but not to Michael) with 2.5 kids and living in a small town near Santa Cruz, CA.

Randy

Speaking of childhood memories, I grew up about a block west of Peoria at 48th st. (Behind the fire station and the Brookside Bowl) I had one of the biggest playgrounds around. They were building the Camelot Inn in the mid-60s and that construction site was like Disneyland to us kids. Later, in '68 they had the Republican Governor's convention at the Camelot. My friend and I walked into the lobby, dressed in cut-offs and torn T-shirts, and got the autographs of most of the governors. I actually got my picture in the Kansas City Star talking to Ronald Reagan.

The cafeteria in Utica Square was Danner's. It later became a Furr's.

Spent a week in Oklahoma last month for Freewheel and had time to see what's changed. Found out that KBEZ has done a little format change. Sure beats the elevator music format. I also found out that one of the regulars, Frank Morrow, went to school with my mother. She has a picture of him at their last Central High reunion. I'll post the picture unless Frank sends $1M in small bills. :)

It was fun driving through Tulsa and remembering what Tulsa was like. One of my better memories was the Quik-Trip #1 at 51st and Peoria. Used to go there all the time. Purchased my first beer there when I was 13. The guy would sell it to us if we would stock the pop container at the front of the store. We would then head out to Heller park and drink it while sitting on the swings.

On a side note, QT has invaded that Valley of the Sun. Rumor has it there will be 80 QT's in Phoenix in the next 5 years.

On a sadder note, I remember going to High School with Valerie Shaw. I think when I knew her, she was dating another classmate of mine. This guys dad owned another Tulsa tradition, Mondo's. Great Pizza, great pasta. Sadly, it's gone. When I worked there, we would have pizza dough fights behind the building. Broke a few windows if I remember correctly. Mondo's would serve wine with your meal as a part of the Oklahoma "liquor by the wink" policy.

I remember going to Mr. Zing and Tuffy for my birthday. We always got to go from my birthday, but my sister's party would get cancelled because my mother wouldn't drive up Lookout Mountain in the January ice. I remember Mr. Zing would open one end of a gate to let the kids out so they could jump at the end of the show. Being the helpful little brat I was, I opened the other end and the entire gate fell over on the air. Hey, you work with kids, this is what you get.

Someone mentioned Bordens. I remember going to the one at Utica Square (might have been another place like Bordens) with my grandparents. They had a house on Wheeling behind St. Johns hospital. In the late 70's, the hospital was purchasing all houses from 21st to 19th and from Wheeling to Yorktown(?). To make a long story short, my grandparents house ended up as the last house in the one square block. St. John's built a parking lot that completely surrounded the house. It was like this for years until St. John's made an appropiate offer. I lived there during my time off from college. We had some great parties since there wasn't any neighbors to complain. Had plenty of free parking also.

I'll be back in Tulsa next year for my 25th year reunion. I went to Mason High. You know, the school that was so good they closed it after 6 years.

Thanks for writing, Steve. The library has a book about QT with some pics of the first one. I'll pick it up and scan it one of these days.

Yes, the Paradise Cafe is still running. I think the best burgers are at the Free State Brewery. Was the Mad Greek here when you were?

Thanks Mike. Yes, I have seen that site about Fargo. It is nice to be able to learn about the history of my "new" city. I really enjoy being able to go to your site and keep up to date with my home (especially since the World started charging an access fee to their site).

David Bagsby. I spent several years in Lawrence before moving further North. Is Paradise cafe still the best breakfast in town?

A few other memories about the Admiral and 11th st. corridors that come to mind.

There used to be an ice cream place (I think Tastee Freeze) around Admiral and Garnett that we would get to go to if we won one of our little league games in the fields across Admiral.

Forever, the NorthEast corner of the traffic circle was just a big field with a single small stone house in it. We always wondered what was in the house. Later Don Thornton Ford went in there and they turned the house into part of the dealership.

There is an apartment complex just North of the old Lewis and Clark (which was formerly the East Central school system). The pool at the apartment complex is in the shape of an ace of spades because it is on the site of the former home of some type of gambler or something of the sort.

On 11th out by East Central, I remember that there used to be a huge hotel/roadhouse left over from the Route 66 days.

Also on 11th was (is) the Saratoga where my Grandfather used to like to take the grandkids to eat. Across from the Saratoga, where the police station, etc. now are was a Thrift T Wise grocery store and a green stamp redemption center. After we received enough green stamps from Sipes, we would ride our bikes over to the green stamp place and trade them in.

OK, I will quit rambling. Thanks for the site.

The Admiral & Garnett area was my neighborhood starting in 1965...didn't the Tastee-Freez become Hatfield's Hamburgers?

Is that Tee or Eff or Casper the Friendly Ghost with goo on his head?

Great site! I've seen a lot of familiar names and places mentioned in these pages and it brings back a lot of fond memories. I grew up on The Rebel, Maverick, Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Wanted Dead or Alive, Rawhide, Combat, Highway Patrol, and The Rifleman. Does anyone remember Whirlybirds with Kenneth Tobey?

I remember cruising Peoria, Pennington's, Webers, the Bellaire drive-in, the Continental Theater, Reflections, Whiskers, and 20th Century Electric. I remember the old Oiler Park and going to the ballgames during the Charlie Metro / Warren Spahn years. I can still recall some of the names on those teams: Bobby Pfeil (who ended up on the '69 Mets team), Coco Laboy, Walt Williams, Danny Breeden, Ted Simmons, Joe Patterson, Jim Cosman. I even remember a few visits to the old park by the late Max Patkin. When we didn't go to the games, we would sit out in the back yard and listen to them on the radio.

The best friend I ever had was Mitch Schauer (of Angry Beavers fame). I noticed that he posted a few messages back in 1999. We kinda lost touch over the years, but I think of him often. I used to spend nearly every weekend with Mitch at his Dad's apartment in Brookside and we'd tune in to the Horn Brothers (for laughs) and Mazeppa (for the serious stuff). Then it was up in the morning for Lewis Meyer's Bookshelf so we could get tall. It would be nice if someone could put me in touch with Mitch out there in LA-land.

I've never been in the RTVF business but my wife, Valerie Shaw, worked at KRAV and K95FM in the early 80's as a news reporter. Some of you may remember her and recall that she was murdered in 1984 (during that huge Memorial Day flood). She went to OSU in the late 70's and worked at KSPI (I think that was the OSU station) during that time. We got married in 1980 and she finished up college at TU. Then she got on at KRAV and after a couple of years there, Carl Smith cut her loose and she ended up at K95FM.

I met quite a few people in the business (mostly radio) during that time: Jim Goss, Mark O'Connell, Gary Reynolds, Charlie Derek (who I see is now in Florida), Joanne Downs, Bob Cooper, Rick West, Rex Daugherty, Paul Langston, Bob Carpenter, Jack Frank, and Mike Ziegenhorn. BTW, Jim Hill (weatherman and voice extraordinaire) is my stockbroker at Prudential.

Anyway, I really enjoy reading through all of the postings. This site is now atop my favorites list. As Arnold would say, "I'll be back."

Randy

Yes, I do remember the story about your wife. At least there was finally some closure, though it took a very long time to happen.

Speaking of the old Warner Bros. westerns, Will Hutchins of "Sugarfoot" has a site in the "Cult-Classic TV shows" webring. Try this Whirlybirds site. Max Patkin, the Clown Prince of Baseball...Walt "No Neck" Williams..."Speedo" Joe Patterson...be sure to check out the Oiler Park page here. Also the liquor-by-the-wink cards pages, but I think you have already. We'll see what we can do about finding Mitch...

House of Hobbies...bought many Estes Rockets and Godzilla kits there. Didn't they have a large train kit set up there with trees and the whole megilla? The Cartoon Hut at Sipes...seems like that thing almost never worked and we would just goof around inside it till the fateful day I slipped off one of the benches and split a lip. Mom banished us from that from then on...guess it's better than being banned from the Cains.

Estes should have put out a flying Mecha-Godzilla rocket.

Do you remember when - almost every Robert Hall - had a Kinney Shoes next door? At least in Illinois where I grew up - they did.

I guess FootLocker is Kinney Shoes now. I joke - at a mall near my home we have Footlocker, Footlocker for Women, Footlocker Kids, Footlocker surplus outlet and used to have a Kinney Shoes. But alas - Robert Hall is no more!

Still remember being in 7th grade and my Dad taking me out to buy a blue-green near-iridescent mock-sharkskin suit at Robert Hall's that lasted me till I was a high school freshman - thought it was cool!

A day late but - Happy Birthday, Art Linkletter. Think Art is 92.

Bob Allen used to jam Art down folks throats on OETA for various things.

I used to think Art a big hypocrite after his daughter's death due to drugs nearly 30 years ago, my opinion of him has changed thru time.

He's got all his marbles - was a champion handball player for many years and has a really smart head for business. Maybe because of his daughter's death - he holds his kids, grandkids and great grandkids close to the heart now and is known for all-family vacations and activities and I think he has a family of about 35 in this group!

His grandkids are building green, energy-efficient housing - bankrolled by Art.

I guess I loved him as a kid on House Party and other shows, disdained him as a college kid and now think he's pretty neat old fart now that I am a medium-old fart.

Sidebar note: Incidentally there were 2 games based on House Party and Kids Say The Darned Things tv shows that are highly collectable now. In fact almost any bigtime 60's/70's TV had a spin-off home game based on them - which we forget now (but probably wouldn't have bought back then either though!).

I saw a snippet of "House Party" this weekend within the movie "Matinee", with John Goodman as the William Castle character. Castle was a director/producer/promoter who used some cheesy gimmicks to fill the seats, e.g., "Percepto", which consisted of joy buzzers installed under selected seats in the theater for "The Tingler" in 1959. Anyway, House Party's music was provided by Muzzy Marcellino and his group with accordion and clarinet. Muzzy was also an amazing whistler. Our own whistler here in Tulsa, Robert Stemmons, is organizing a world-wide whistling event in Tulsa this October, "Puckerama 2001".

I have great memories of both Sheridan Village and Eastgate. The card shop at Sheridan Village was called the Postman and for years it was located in a small store underneath the escalator that went upstairs to Borden's Cafeteria. Borden's had a treasure chest where kids could pick out a prize after eating. I don't remember a Brown Dunkin in either location. One shopping center had a Penney's (I think Sheridan Village) and the other (I think Eastgate) had a Froug's. I clearly remember watching cartoons every "grocery day" at Sipes. The Presidential visit I remember is Johnson in the late 60's. He was in town to view progress on the Port. We stood out on the curb on Admiral and watched his motorcade go by. My other big Admiral Blvd. memory is the House of Hobbies. We went there for models, trains, chemicals for our chemistry sets, etc.........I miss those days.

Thanks for that additional detail, Charles. You may already be aware of it, but there is a well-written site about your city's past: James Lilek's Fargo. I learned about it from a site that helped inspire this one: Wes Clark's "Avocado Memories".

Prez candidate in 1960!! "I am not a crook!", Richard Milhous Nixon. In an open Cadillac convertible with Pat by his side.

I'll bet you're right!

What a great trip down memory lane - so great to see all of the names and read so many wonderful stories! I look forward to connecting regularly. So sorry to hear of the passing of Mr. Leake. What an amazing man he was. I look forward to sharing some fun and interesting stories about him!

Welcome, Barbara! Your comments are now alongside your picture on News, page 2.

Barbara can also be seen on Channel Changer 1 with Bob Hower.

Sheridan Village - spent many a day there as a kid. There used to be a library branch just down Sheridan about a block north. It's a TV or Pawn shop now I think. The shops at the village I recall were: Rexall/Crown Drug Store (fountain & grill), Buster Brown Shoes, T.G. & Y., Brown Duncan (or was that at Eastgate?), Otasco (across the street), a post card shop called something like "The Jolly Postman" or some such, Penney's (or was that the one at Eastgate?) Frougs (Eastgate?), my old family Dr. was upstairs via the elevator, Singer Sewing Machines, Barber Shop, Sheridan Bar (which I think is still there). The supermarket on the end went through a couple of hands...Sipes was the one I recall...they had the best sellection of comic books and monster mags...untill Warehouse Market at 21st & Garnett came along.

About the library on Sheridan just north of Admiral...I recall sitting in the family car waiting for a presidential candidate to come by in a motorcade, in 1960, I think. It seems like it was Kennedy...but that can't be right...can it? I know someone out there can set me straight.

Was it Buster Brown? Seems like it was a more boring name like Florsheim or Thom McAn. Nothing like getting a free X-ray of your foot. I remember the excitement of a free golden egg with a prize inside at the Red Goose shoes dealer (maybe at Eastgate). I know Eastgate had a Sipes...with a little cartoon theater up front for the kiddies.

The Sheridan Village OTASCO was right across the street from the ramp. If your car should stall while on the ramp, it would roll backward into OTASCO's garage...nah, I think there is a curb there.

I'm delighted that Kazuo Gomi has been "found"--after 45 years--"alive!" Apparently his son Robin of Boston by chance ran across my first comments on a search engine and took things from there--contacting Mike Ransom, our esteemed webmaster. I went up the wrong tree by writing NHK in Japan because I used to be an active SWL (Short Wave radio Listener) and I remembered "Radio Japan, the overseas service of NHK, the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation," completely overlooking NTV, Nippon TV. It's too bad we couldn't get him here for the 1999 KOTV 50th anniversary reunion. The next major anniversary comes in 2002, when KOTV "joined the (AT&T) network" and began broadcasting "live" network shows instead of that huge number of kinescopes and films. But I haven't heard any local concrete sentiment for another reunion despite the pleas of out-of-town alumni that they couldn't make the Thanksgiving weekend in 1999!

KJRH is still auditioning today for a new Saturday late night host for their coming show, "The World's Worst Movies". It's going on in a tent out in front of the station on Peoria. See the Bulletin Board for more details.

Added a postcard and several new comments and links to James Lawrence's comments two down from here.

From DC...

Lay-offs - just after July 4 - BET (Black Entertainment TV) wannabe - NUE-TV (New Urban Entertainment TV) laid off all but 2 of the staff - rumors of the buy by AOL are still out there. They have been a pale imitation of BET in the old days - when BET did more than just rap programming. Hey - I do know who Li'l Bowwow is now!

Then again - see this week's Newsweek article on MTV - it makes money but now its viewers are "the important 12 to 24 year old" group. Yipes - Hanson rules...Wait a minute - is Hanson still out there working or are they doing gas station openings in West Tulsa?

That demographic now excludes most of this page's readers. Oh well - I am more a VH1 guy now. Wait a minute - I don't have cable any more! Therefore I am no longer a blip on the cable radar screen...MTV2 is the old The Box Channel - formerly music "by request" for C&W or Rock fans depending on the channel - it never really worked!

Yesterday - VIACOM - owner of now UPN, BET *and* CBS laid off 40 in the BET news dept. That's about the whole staff! At last count BET/BET on Jazz had lost 280 tech/production staff BEFORE this lay-off of supposedly untouchable newsies. VIACOM claims it can find "economies" with CBS/DC doing BET's news work.

VIACOM is spinning off its UPN stations in some markets - WDCA here now is operated by Sinclair Broadcasting staff and CBS laid-off staff from other UPN markets - very weird.

There is still a rumour here that CBS will move studio operations from the M Street corridor to the BET on Jazz mega-studio by the AMTRAK yards - its closer to Capitol Hill but in a rough section of town that is turning around.

I have often been amazed that the US has never spawned another network for African-American viewers. World African Network may still be flailing around on direct to home satellite and some Nigerian supposed "businessmen" have tried to launch a "Nigerian" channel in the US but so far it seems like a scam to fatten their own wallets.

We are about to get our THIRD Hispanic-viewer-oriented network, TV Azteca.

I have so many memories of Tulsa (TV). I was on the Mr. Zing and Tuffy Show in the audience. (Like to find that film!) Fantastic Theatre scared the heck out of my sister and me. Particularly, 'Kaltiki, the Immortal Monster'. I remember Jack Morris and Bill Pitcock - I can still remember what their voices sounded like.

As I got older, Mazeppa provided much fun for me and my friends. I used to hang out with Bob Demers (weather man) and Bob Losure at Reflections - the best nightclub in Tulsa ever! Demers was a wild man - he was young and liked to party a lot.

My grandad took me to the Oiler games when you could see the ground down below the bleachers! My friends and I in grade school liked to stop at Claude's on Admiral for an order of fries after driving the sales ladies at the Sheridan Village TG&Y nuts. They would follow us around to see if we were stealing!

The Sheridan Village rooftop Bordens has been supplanted by a bingo parlor today. Bordens was owned by the parents of KAKC DJ Roger Borden. Remember that car ramp on the west side of Sheridan Village that got you onto the roof parking? What were the other stores? A drug store (Crown?), a supermarket (Humpty Dumpty?), a shoe store (Florsheim?), J.C. Penney...

Escalator at Sheridan Village, March 31, 1955. One of the first escalators in a suburban
Tulsa shopping center. Courtesy of the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa

4/15/2007: I remember this escalator all too well. It once seemed like a fun idea to sit on one of the escalator steps and wave backwards at the upcoming riders. "But" the escalator took all the fun out when it nipped me at the "end" of the ride.

Scroll up for several more memories of Sheridan Village.

Looking northeast at Admiral and Sheridan from Sheridan Village, February 1959. The building pictured is the
McCormick Machinery Company, which manufactured Caterpillar machines.
Courtesy of the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa

Believe it or not, Caltiki was mentioned here in Guestbook 38. Must have been a real nail-biter.

As Jim Bouton noted in his book, Ball Four, there was also a good upward view for the ballplayers from under the bleachers at Oiler Park.

We have an old Reflections liquor-by-the-wink card here on the site.

Here is a TG&Y radio. Most of their stuff was branded "Golden T", though.

Don Norton, Jim Ruddle, and all my old friends at KOTV, Kazuo Gomi, here I am. I'm still alive in Tokyo. My son who lives in Boston has just called me telling about the Tulsa TV Memories. It's been almost 45 years since I was in Tulsa. I worked for NTV Nippon TV Network, not NHK. From 1966 to 1974, I was in New York as a head of NTV's NY office. While I was there, Dale Hart came to see me at my apartment. My three children were born in Manhattan. Frank Effron with his wife, from Houston, visited Japan about 15 years ago (I don't remember exactly when), and we enjoyed a nice reunion here.

I retired at age of 60, and worked for the Australian Embassy in Tokyo as a senior public affairs officer. I am 73 now, and still working casually as a public diplomacy advisor and keeping myself busy.

I have very fond memories of Tulsa and all the people I met at KOTV. I will try to keep in touch with you.

My e-mail address: gomi.k@japan.email.ne.jp

Kazuo Gomi

I just left a phone message for Don Norton to let him know that you had written. Jim Ruddle will be surprised and pleased when he next checks in. Thanks for writing, Mr. Gomi....(later) Don spotted your comments before he got my phone message.

The webmaster in Tokyo

Archived Guestbook 83.

In #83, we just heard from the son of Kazuo Gomi, who worked at KOTV in 1956! Kazuo Gomi may write in shortly. He was remembered in Guestbook 74 by Don Norton and Jim Ruddle.

Ricardo told a story about Leon McAuliffe and extolled the American Theatre Company's current production, "Always...Patsy Cline". Ricardo got a complimentary mention in the World's glowing review of the show...I plan to see it. The passing of guitar great Chet Atkins was noted. Humorists John Henry Faulk and Central High's own Cal Tinney were discussed in depth. There is an outstanding query about the music used on OKC's "HoHo The Clown" show. Jim Back posted an OKC quiz, answered by Erick.

KTUL founder and car collector James C. Leake passed away and was remembered here. A page about him is coming up soon.

The old Peaches Record store and its cement blocks with handprints came up again. We learned that Channel 2 is auditioning a late night bad movie host on Monday and Tuesday. Is there a successor to Mazeppa among us?

As always, there is much more to check out.