Much obliged, Steve...you've answered another long-standing question. Thanks! And here is the
CD "Dreamsville" is on: Music from Peter Gunn. Click to hear a RealAudio sample of the song at Amazon.com (or to buy the CD). It is now available in the TTM Gift Shop, too. I just added it to my Christmas list.


J. Lee Ready has an article about Reeves TV & Appliances in the December 2000 issue of Oklahoma Family Magazine. Flint Reeves' first career was singing. He sang in Hollywood with the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir and appeared in several movies, including "Going My Way", "Blondie Goes Society", and "Sweet Rosie O'Grady". He has worked with Roy Rogers, Betty Grable, Judy Garland, Eddie Cantor and Cyd Charisse. He did radio commercials for "Pappy" with Billy Parker.

Flint is now 74, trimmed down, looking good, and still making those pitches for Reeves on TV.

When I was first hired, I had never actually set foot in a TV station other than to fill out an application. They put me with one of the projectionist/switchers to train.

At the end of two weeks, they brought me in and informed me that it didn't appear that I had learned anything. They told me they would give me another chance and put me with Pete on the night shift.

After a week of that, they told me everything was fine and I could keep coming in and getting a paycheck.

"Jewelry is the gift to give..." ;)

Erick, remember that Trust House Jewelry (OKC) music I mentioned way back in Guestbook 1 or so? It is on the tape that Steve Smith sent me as a background for a Cy Tuma signoff! I'll get it out here soon. I sure would like to identify it.

About 5-6 years ago - started to hear of them in DC doing political and p.r. work. I asked a producer from their shop here on an edit session about Angus McQueen
and I might have well been asking about STEVE McQueen.

I guess they have grown so big the corporate culture ain't there any more....

Peter Dawson Abrams lives! Last heard of - in GA - workin'in Cable. Pete was from the St.Louis 'burbs and was a child genius as a musician, ingenious engineer, and great live event director. Last heard he was in cable TV. One of the best folks to ever work at 8, too! In the days before the internet - Pete met his wife on a newfangled thang of the early '70's - a BBS. So his romance by long-distance also utilized then state of the art DOS computer technology!

Note to Jim Ruddle - was in Chi for 10 days because my Dad was ill - was very scarey to see a VERY old John Drury doing the late news still! Missed Walter Jacobsen on Fox WFLD and did not see Harry Volkman on weekend weather duty.

Well, wait. Ackerman-McQueen originally produced this jingle, so they probably have figured out a way to charge every year. (You know how those agency folks are!)

 11/21/2003:  Here is a version of the jingle, courtesy of Joe Riddle and Wayne McCombs!

So neat and trim

Little Red Riding Hood

Is chasing him

Burma-Shave!

For Steve Bagsby and Lowell Burch:

The "Take it Off, Take it ALL Off" girl appeared for Noxzema Shaving Cream. She was a beautiful Swedish model named Gunilla Knutson (spellings subject to possible revision).

After World War Twice, the Burma-Shave Company realized automobiles would be traveling at higher speeds in the future (great prediction!) and decided to remove all its signs. This disappearance of American nostalgia prompted a 1965 book by Frank Rowsome, called, "The Verse by the Side of the Road." This contains all, or nearly all, of the verses used by the company. Great light reading when you have time! A few years back, Reminisce magazine organized a project to put at least one sign in every state (but not for shaving cream, of course!). I suspect the sign you report seeing in Tulsa for Burma-Shave escaped the purge for some reason or other. Or maybe a collector grabbed it when he heard it was to come down.

I added a link above to this book at Amazon.com. Also added it to the TTM Gift Shop with your comments, Don. Thanks.

You can see this one on road to Persimmon Hollow near 71st and Garnett:

Car in ditch

Man in tree

The moon was full

And so was he!

Burma-Shave

And speaking of mens' grooming, what brand of shaving cream was advertised on tv with a sultry babe saying "take it off...take it all off"?

The answer can be found in the new TTM Gift Shop, as it happens. Look for the TeeVee Toons "Commercials" CD.

My fave:

The monkey took

a look at Jim

and threw the peanuts

back at him

Burma-Shave

I never thought I'd be quoting Burma-Shave at my age, but as long as they're in the mix, here's my favorite:

He was right, dead right,

As he rolled along,

But he's just as dead

As if he'd been wrong.

Within this vale

Of toil and sin

Your head grows bald

But Not Your Chin

Burma-Shave

I have proven the truth of this longstanding proverb.

Webmaster,

The correct spelling is Bokchito, just 13 mi. east of our beautiful county seat, Durant (pronounced doo-rant).

Not to brag, but I am a former dry shave champion 3 years running (I grudgingly relinquished my crown to Roy Doylefuddleston in a bitter face off in 19and71), in the greater tri-county area. Fortunately for me, my wife said I didn't have to be too sharp to be her razor man.

THE ROAD WAS SLIPPERY, THE CURVE WAS SHARP, WINGS, HALO, ROBE AND HARP, BURMA-SHAVE!

p.s. Mr. Fuddleston, I am still trying to locate a child's wig...

Stubby Kaye was the man when it came to Broadway musical second bananas in the 1950's and 60's. He was a great talent that's really missed.

Sloan Dinklecamp was the maiden name of a very sweet girl here in Tulsa. She's married now with a new last name. She said she got into trouble at school and was sent to the office because the teacher asked her what her name was and thought that she was giving a made-up name.

In recent years, when my brother asked to have Sloan Dinklecamp paged at the airport, the operator refused to do so because she thought he was trying to pull a prank.

I think my chad is dimpled.

The Nexus of the Universe? You're in Bokachita?

Hi there! Noticed that someone was bringing up the name Stubby Kaye. God rest his soul, he was my uncle. Stubby married my dad's sister Angela Kaye. She was a Broadway chorus girl. When I was eleven years old, I attended a show at the O'Keefe Center in Toronto, Canada. It was called Good News. I met Alice Faye and John Paine. Later on in life, I rode in a limousine with my uncle, I sat beside the driver. My uncle was in the back with Linda Cristal from Bonanza! Thanks for the memories, keep up the good work! Wayne! 38 years old now!

Thanks, Wayne. TVparty has a RealVideo clip of Stubby Kaye's "Shenanigans" kid show in the 60s. Another terrific site, Yesterdayland (now defunct except via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine), also had a feature on Shenanigans.

And speaking of strange names...I recall in the 1980s that there was a campaign chairman for one of the local elections by the name of Lee V. Snee.

Check out Steve's new cartoon on the Tulsa Project page.

I am sending in my order for MAZEPPA Volume 3 this week! And I am buying several for my friends for Christmas. (Yes, I do have friends.) Thank you, Santa! Merry Lawzee! Ho, Ho, Ho! On Teddy, On Jack! On Eddie! On Leon and Sherman!

OK, OK, I am a bit carried away, like a kid at Christmas. So, sue me. I am just excited about the new release.

Dick Head and I were in Miss Ruth Draper's Spanish class together in 1948. She was a lusty Cuban lady who was lots of fun in addition to being a good teacher. Whenever she would call on Dick, she would pause, then say, provocatively, Riiichaard.

Perhaps the name that required the greatest control to say straight on the air was that of the ferocious defenseman who played for another city's hockey team against the Tulsa Oilers in the late '40s. He always led the league in penalty minutes. His name: Harry Dick.

We're now accepting orders for "The Lost Tapes of Mazeppa-Volume 3". They will be available after December 1st...It will feature some shots of the old Mazeppa in all his glory, replete with robe and wizard hat.

Great...and just in time for Christmas!

Add to the "Rose" girl/woman comments:

There was a "Tulsa Rose" in Central High School in the l930s. Her senior picture is in the l937 Tom Tom adjacent to that of A. Leonard Rosenberg (later and better known as Tony Randall). (Corrected the date to 1937 per Don's later note in this Guestbook...webmaster)

Clarifications: I "wronged" the Tulsa World; the paper listed Dr. Safety First's death the day after he departed (Saturday, November 4). and again Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, November 8 the World published a news story which Webmaster has linked to my earlier report a couple of emissions back.

The World also came through for Frances Wellmon Anderson; after listing her as a "homemaker" November 20 and correcting that to "retired musician" on Tuesday and Wednesday, the World published a nice news story Wednesday, November 22 on page A 13 opposite a paid obituary.

I must apologize to Don...he previously sent me some pics from the '36 and '37 Tom Tom that would nicely illustrate his comments here. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get them scanned yet. When I do, I will place them with this comment, then link backward to it from the Guestbook.

Noel Confer likewise sent a photo of the crew from the 1st telethon in Tulsa, and one from the T-Town Jubilee country and gospel show. The latter shows him as "Grandpa Hawkins"! We'll get those out here, too.

Be on the lookout for a familiar voice on a "Burger Street" commercial...

Dr. Safety R. First, retired cardiologist, died Saturday, November 4, 2000, at the age of 80. This wasn't picked up by the Tulsa World until Tuesday, November 7. On Wednesday, November 8, the World published a news story (on page A18) which, among other things, quoted him discussing his difficulties convincing his patients that that was his real name. It seems he was also a guest on a Robert Q. Lewis show, titled "What's in a Name?" years ago.

In a previous note I recalled newsman Dick John and his early appearances on WKY as "Charlie Bishop" and mentioned I have a friend named John Dick whom I referred to as a "non-pro." Johnny was not a broadcaster, although even in retirement I think he is known to at least 70% of the engineers and other technical personnel at Tulsa radio and television stations because of his long-time association with Radio, Inc. and other wholesale outlets. I referred to him as a "non-pro" recalling Variety's (in)famous coverage of the engagement and marriage of actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco.

In its section for the marriages, births, etc., of theatrical people Variety reviewed Grace's career in the movies, television, etc., at some length, and then added, apparently as an afterthought: "Groom is a non-pro."

Add to unusual names: When I attended Marquette High School I recall a fellow student was named Rose Bush.

I remember seeing a demo cassette at 8 in the 70's for a sports guy Wade Utay (who wasn't hired), the engineers after seeing it playback, kept parroting back, "Wade Utay, you say...Tell us about that play, Utay!! Do you have a brother named Jose??" and so and so on....His life musta been hell as a kid...

It reminds me of Sasha Foo's name - as mentioned here previously -- now OKC anchor then tv newbie Jennifer Eve (yeah she got teased too re Christmas Eve...) named her llasa apso after her!

The day before she came back to work was ALWAYS Jennifer's eve...

Just archived Guestbook 62. Some of the subjects discussed were weird names, pronunciation, on-screen abbreviations, xmtrs & xtal radios (is that arcane enough, or what?)

The latest issue of FHMagazine includes a Gary Busey article, and the displayed cover of that publication reportedly warmed the cockles of at least one reader's heart. The selfsame reader told a Jim Millaway story. An Australian visitor informed us that John Doremus' voice is still heard across the land down under.

Stay tuned!