March 21 2007 at 08:11:39
Name: Jim Ruddle
Topic: Dominic
Email: jruddle@earthlink.net
Comments: Got an email from Dick Russ, Managing Ed. at WKYC-TV, in Cleveland, who's a friend of Virgil Dominic's and is digging out his address. Apparently, Virgil splits time between Cleveland and Florida. (I'm assuming that the split is Summer/Winter and that Cleveland loses in the latter.)

March 20 2007 at 18:35:16
Name: Joy Cooper
Topic: eBay 60s KOTV Pepsi promo photos
Comments: Hi Mike, watched your interview, very nice!

Don't know if anyone has written about this yet, but on eBay right now seller paulbanyo is offering some 60s photos of KOTV and Pepsi promotional stuff. Item #110103515077 looks like me and a date who won the Rolls Royce contest...got to go out on a date in a vintage Rolls. Picture might not be me, too fuzzy to tell, but the experience of riding in that car was a cool Tulsa memory!!

Thanks, Joy. I think I recognize Mike Flynn in the grainy online photo. Caption says:

"Notice the 'Come Alive' tag on front of Rolls, Pepsi Cola and KAKC radio station rock 'n' roll promotion."

As I recall, Amos Burke (aka Bat Masterson, aka Gene Barry) had a radiotelephone in his Rolls. Did you have one in yours?

March 19 2007 at 13:03:29
Name: Stan Ruth
Topic: Horn Brothers
Email: kdsaradio-stan@yahoo.com
Comments: I have a remembrance of some of us in high school going to the taping of the Horn Brothers show in an effort to be shown in the audience. We all dressed up in what we thought would be our "country"-looking clothing, including my father's straw hat and my reflective sunglasses.

Somewhere in my photographs I have some pictures of that event, and they were not unlike the audience pictures posted on this site. Of course, the following week we all had to watch the show to see if we would be on TV.

March 17 2007 at 17:15:10
Name: George Tomek
Topic: Virgil Dominic
Email: mranchor@cox.net
Comments: Re: Jim Ruddle's question about the whereabouts of Virgil Dominic, former WKY-TV, WKYC, NBC news reporter/anchor. As far as I know, he's still in the Cleveland, OH area.

I did a search through one of the Drudge Report search engines and came up with somebody with that name with the age of 72 which would be about right. I never had the opportunity to work with Virgil and only talked with him once or twice but from what I can ascertain he was a solid TV journalist and anchor and a very decent person to boot.

There is a recent RealVideo of Mr. Domenic at the Baldwin-Wallace College site.

Try this page at ClassicTeleproductions.tv for a bio and email address (thanks to John Ettorre at Working With Words).

March 17 2007 at 16:42:51
Name: Craig Roszel
Topic: Horn Brothers Show
Email: kc5tfi@gmail.com
Comments: Gailard comments about a kid he had on his lap during the audience shot of the Horn Brothers Show. That kid was ME! My dad, the late Ron Roszel was the Producer of that show and Gailard and he were friends.

Those days were great for me. Kent Doll was the floor director at KTUL at the time. He used to kid me a lot and make me go sit in the lobby with a note pinned to my shirt.

March 16 2007 at 22:21:20
Name: edwin
Topic: hep me
Email: edwinfincher@aol com
Comments: TPS is a being silly.....I need a job, boys.

March 16 2007 at 20:26:02
Name: Mike Bruchas
Topic: Gary England
Comments: Surprise - after going thru reels of weathermen stuff from around the country on a project, tonight I am working on digitizing some Gary England video from 4-5 years ago. Talking about "the chase" when weather changes drastically and high adrenaline amongst the weather folks and newsies. Also how technology has changed so much on tracking violent weather and the greater accuracy in tracking weather. I felt like I was back in OK, not in wintry mix DC tonight!

March 16 2007 at 18:32:45
Name: John Hillis
Topic: Broadcast Heaven
Comments: I been away for longer than I thought.

Virgil Dominic was, when I last heard, retired from WJW Cleveland, but still in Ohio. This was six or so years ago, so that may have changed. I seem to recall an e-mail correspondence with Virgil, but I can't find the address in my files, so it may have been even longer ago.

Speaking of "Sustaining Programs" like The Big Picture and Across the Fence, anybody remember "The Space Story" from NASA? A 15-minute weekly 16mm film sent out to stations for when the ball game had a rain delay, etc. Narrator was none other than Willard Scott, then a local weatherman and DJ in Washington.

I can't contribute much else to the Bat Masterson discussion, but I can remember the lyrics to "Wyatt Earp."

Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp,
Brave, courageous and bold.
Long live his name and long live his glory,
and Long may his story be told.

The stuff that sticks with you over a lifetime, and blocks out the important stuff you should remember.

March 16 2007 at 17:44:44
Name: Bob Cooper
Topic: Checkin' in!
Email: bobcoopertulsa at sbcglobal.net
Comments: Thoughtt I'd spend a moment reading about some old buds and even older ones I may not have known but admire for the contributions to Tulsa Radio and TV.

Left Clear Channel in June 2006...have just been named Manager of Tulsa's Hague Quality Water office. We install whole house water cleaning (not just softening!) systems. Yep...we can TOTALLY remove the pig and chicken doo-doo from your water, Tulsa! Cutting edge biz, since water's only getting worse, and gov't really can't do that much without making your water bill higher than your house payment!

Good to be in touch!

coop

March 16 2007 at 07:21:45
Name: Jim Ruddle
Topic: Query
Email: jruddle@earthlink.net
Comments: Does anyone know how to contact Virgil Dominic, onetime Tulsa broadcaster, later in Cleveland, and NBC News?

March 15 2007 at 23:33:20
Name: David Worrell
Topic: Maverick
Email: david.j.worrell@gmail.com
Comments: You can watch high-definition episodes of the old Maverick shows for free on AOL High Quality Video. All you have to do is install the app and download episodes.

I personally also like the old Kung Fu episodes.

And/or watch Superman and other series for free without an install. Caveat non-emptor on the Hi-Q Player.

March 15 2007 at 22:15:01
Name: David Batterson
Topic: Country music
Email: davidbat(at)yeehaw(dot)com
Comments: Ex-Tulsans in L.A. can hear country music again on the ray-deo. There's been no country station since last August, but now we have the new KKGO, 105.1, "Go Country 105" in LaLaLand. The new owner expects it will do well, since a lot of big city folks like the music too!

KKGO was once the home of my all-time favorite jazz DJ, Chuck Niles, who was heard on KLON on Tulsa Cable in the 90s.

March 15 2007 at 20:17:49
Name: Mike Bruchas
Topic: Layne Beaty - Across The Fence
Comments: In my time at NAB (broadcasters trade association) we had the Broadcast Pioneers Library there. NAB later "gifted it" to Howard University, I believe, to make yet another conference room. The former librarian/director of many years was retired; she had too much pull with NAB board members for years. I am sure she was unhappy that her baby was ousted from NAB HQ and a stream of researchers.

I worked sometimes with a Layne Beaty who did aural history tapings for it. He was a "former radio newsman". I wonder if he is/was the same guy who did "Across the Fence" on TV?

This NAB library was also where I taped voice tracks of messages on DAT and audiocassette about the Constitution with former Chief Justice Warren Burger maybe 18-19 years ago. The DAT machine was unofficially brought in by Sony from Japan, as at the time there was a brouha about "digital music thievery" before Congress and the courts. NO DAT machines were to be allowed to be sold then.

Seems like the last century before Napster and iPods! But it WAS the last century!

Correction: just learned that the Broadcast Pioneers Library merged with assets at the University of Maryland, to make The Library of American Broadcasters (LAB). This was in 1992. When I worked at NAB, they wanted to give it to Howard U to have it still in the city. I guess that fell thru.

March 15 2007 at 04:33:38
Name: Lowell Burch
Topic: Sunnyside
Comments: Sunnyside School was a part of Children's Medical Center back when it was on South Lewis. It was a facility for severly retarded children, sort of like Hissom.

March 14 2007 at 19:39:32
Name: Scott Fields
Topic: Across the fence
Comments: Thank you, Mr. Bruchas! That does ring a bell; it seemed like some kind of "official" informative program. All the people smiled a lot, too! I was prolly around six or eight years old at the time, so I doubt any memories I have are very accurate.

Now if I could just get Doc Rock out of my head...

Here's a photo of a 1961 taping of the USDA TV show "Across The Fence".

Chuck Fullhart told us in GB 163 (2004) that he believes Doc Rock passed on around 1999. Lowell told us in the same GB that he had spoken with Linda (Verin) Soundtrak and that she is alive and well in Birmingham, AL.

New! As of 6/7/2007, Doc Rock is alive and well in Owasso, running "Papa Dogs" at 86th N. and I-169!

March 14 2007 at 17:22:03
Name: Mike Bruchas
Topic: ACROSS THE FENCE
Comments: I think ACROSS THE FENCE was a USDA film show. Might be wrong.

Growing up in Chicago in the 1950s, we "had" to watch THE BIG PICTURE, an Army produced film series at 7am or 7:30 am Saturday mornings on WBBM Channel 2.

I think mentioned previously finding 16mm film reels of an NBC weekly newsreel series when at KOTV in 1977 at one time. It seemed funny as we always think of KOTV as CBS (or also DuMont).

It was a 15 minute reel of 16mm silent film highlights of news of the past week (often with several military tank or rocketry stories which were probably Army hand-outs). Scripts had been provided with some reel cases for local anchors to voice over the stories. Maybe some had a music track, I forget, but no actual talking on film.

March 14 2007 at 15:31:12
Name: Scott
Topic: "Across The Fence"
Comments: Man, I love this place!!

Here's my question: Does anyone remember an old black-n-white show that might have come on early in the mornings, late '60s/early '70s, that I think was called "Across The Fence"?

I seem to remember that it was one of those bizarre educational-type propaganda shows from the 1950s. Maybe it was about being a good neighbor or washing your hands frequently or something else like that. I remember it coming on the TV really early when I would spend the weekend with my grandfather. He typically left his TV on all night which I would naturally stay awake through, since this type of thing was not allowed at home. I think it was either KTUL or KOTV.

No big deal here, just an old memory that popped into my head the other day and I thought I'd post it here to see if I dreamed this or was it real.

March 14 2007 at 15:01:37
Name: Lee Woodward
Topic: WBAP Cow Bells
Email: Nicole.Org____!
Comments:

Ringing those cow bells on FM Radio? As Kurtz would say; "The horror, the horror!"

March 14 2007 at 10:53:01
Name: Rick Brashear
Topic: Sunnyside School
Email: Yeti Nation@Nepal.mt
Comments: As I recall, Sunnyside was a school for retarded kids. There were jokes, bad as that was, that you might accuse somebody of attending Sunnyside if they were acting really lame: "He goes to Sunnyside."

March 13 2007 at 20:52:43
Name: tlg
Topic: Sunnyside School?
Comments: Can anyone supply information of a school in the Tulsa area (or outskirts) by the name of Sunnyside School?

In the early 60s I would hear of this school, but the name was never mentioned without a "tsk", paired with a knowing look. Was never sure what the "look" was all about. Thanks.

March 13 2007 at 14:15:15
Name: Mike Bruchas
Topic: Bill Mack?
Comments: Ran into Boyd Matson in the NatGeo convenience store here today. We were joking about the WBAP Cowbells (as mentioned previously on TTM by "Doctor" Woodward).

Matson worked as a young sports guy at WBAP-TV. He said Bill Mack (Bill Mack Road Show fame) is out there somewhere on XM Radio; Boyd stumbled across it. May not be every day. Anyone else heard him?

March 13 2007 at 13:33:02
Name: Steve Bagsby
Topic: Canes
Comments: And don't forget the fancy sticks you saw in the movies where a guy might pull a long slender sword out of his cane. Or he might pull the handle -- which served as a cork -- and have himself a drink! John Steed, where are you when we need you?!

March 13 2007 at 10:49:40
Name: David Batterson
Topic: Canes and sticks
Email: davidbat(at)yahooie(dot)com
Comments: I looked up "cane" on dictionary.com, and the first definition was: a stick or short staff used to assist one in walking; walking stick. [That's not to be confused with a zombie, who is a walking stiff, or those of us who are working stiffs!] ;-)

I wonder when the cultural change occurred, from carrying a shillelagh or cudgel to knock the stuffing out of someone, to a genteel Englishman carrying a cane as a fashion accessory.

March 13 2007 at 10:32:11
Name: Jeff H
Topic: Bat, Lucas, and the Boys
Email: A day's ride
Comments: I am glad Encore has brought back "Bat Masterson" and "The Rifleman". It's great to see the westerns you grew up with.

It's interesting to see a lot of actors getting their start on these late 50s and ealy 60s shows, Warren Oates and Dennis Hopper, just to name two. I also noticed Sam Peckinpah wrote some of the "Rifleman" episodes.

Every episode you wonder how is Lucas going to save Micah's ah, er, bacon.

Now, if we can get them to air "Have Gun Will Travel","Rawhide" and "Maverick" I would pull out the ole "Fanner 50" and whoop it up.

A final note.... I wish someone would explain to me, why with over 250+ channels on cable or dish all the old great programs are not being shown? TV Land should be ashamed of the @%&* they're showing. All the old programs are just sitting somewhere collecting dust. I know you can buy DVD sets on some of these shows, with air play and exposure the DVD sales would explode. You can find a fan website on just about any old show so I know there is interest for this entertainment.This is what we (Boomers) grew up on. We need OUR T.V.

I watched a "Rifleman" a couple of weeks ago that focused on a Chinese family. I noticed in the credits that it was directed by James Clavell, who later wrote Shogun and Noble House, and wrote and directed "To Sir, With Love".

The latter movie included in the cast a young "Mrs. Bucket" of the British TV show "Keeping Up Appearances". "Onslow" from the same show was the cartoon voice for Paul McCartney in "Yellow Submarine". I'll stop now.

March 13 2007 at 09:12:42
Name: Wilhelm Murg
Topic: Shameless self-promotion
Email: Wilhelmurg at yahoo dot com
Comments: I've been busy, so there's only one new review this week. I took on David Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE this past Sunday, which is playing locally at The Circle Cinema. My take is basically that it's a very annoying masterpiece.

This week's Tiger Beat From Hell (visit NONzine.com for the bigger picture) is on my hero, Yoko Ono. Since John died someone's got to defend her as an artist, and I'm more than up for the job. The piece was inspired by the new release YES, I'M A WITCH, where other artists took Yoko's vocal tracks and either created new arrangements or completely new music tracks. The outcome is fascinating, and far superior to anything McCartney's released in the last quarter of a century, and actually more interesting than the recent Beatle remix, LOVE.

March 13 2007 at 07:25:04
Name: Jim Ruddle
Topic: Sticks
Email: jruddle@earthlink.net
Comments: I believe it was Gene Fowler, writing of his early newspaper days, who told of buying a shiny walking stick because he thought it looked cool. His editor, one of the old, crusty sort, offered the opinion that such an item might be useful for keeping a dog away from your leg.

His son, Gene Fowler, Jr., directed the interesting 50s sci-fi movie, "I Married a Monster from Outer Space".

March 12 2007 at 23:40:05
Name: Rick Brashear
Topic: Cane/Stick
Email: Under the 11th Street Bridge
Comments: I have a very lovely stick sticking out of my groin that I received at Anzio during an altercation. It's a nice maple wand, bereft of knots and with a nice grain suitable for cricket on Sundays. The German who presented it to me had several such limbs, being a son of a cane maker, and offered it free of charge during a charge towards Monte Cassino. It helps me on daily walks after a 5th of bourbon.

March 12 2007 at 22:11:23
Name: Bat Rose
Topic: Cane
Comments: The Esteemed Webmaster is not sure he wants to know how Bat Masterson "wore a cane".

One should have said, "Stick".

The proper Brit term for what so many Amis call a "cane", and Brits call a "stick".

Those of us with premature arthritis call it as we wish, and I say "stick".

"To wear a stick" means you don't just hobble along, but you twirl it, flourish in the air, even if it makes one stumble a bit.

My legs started giving me fits at age of 20, and I thought I'd do something fine with the ailment. When I need support, it is the "stick".

So, I'm sure I could shoot from the hip, but I often hobble along, and if you need another straight-shooter, send a telegram to my friend and pard'ner, "Paladin, San Francisco."

I "stand corrected". Thanks for both Bat-grams.

March 12 2007 at 17:07:01
Name: Webmaster
Topic: Bat Masterson
Comments: The Encore Westerns digital channel (Cox 202) recently added the old "Bat Masterson" series with Gene Barry. It's a pretty decent oater, a ZIV production (that's Frederick W. Ziv, who also made "Sea Hunt"and "Highway Patrol"). But the theme's lyrics are a little odd.

One line is "He wore a cane and derby hat". I don't know how you "wear" a cane, and maybe I don't want to know. Lest you get the wrong idea, Bat was depicted as a two-fisted dandy.

Frankie Laine possibly could have sold the line, "...those with too ready a trigger, forgot to figger, On his fighting fame." But the chosen male singer sounds mild-mannered and enunciates as clearly as Julie Andrews, so his rhyme of "figger" with "trigger" is risible.

To bring it on home, Lee Woodward's brother Morgan guested on the episode, "The Big Gamble".

(Later) I just received this gentlemanly e-pistol from Bat himself:

My esteemed friend,

Of course one can "wear a cane", and it isn't something one needs to send the women folk and younguns into the barn while one does.

Of course, the term is "stick" ... in NYC, I "wore a stick" because of my arthritis, and once, an English guy, at a benefit, accidentally trod on my stick, and said, "Sir, please forgive me: I trod upon your stick", and I said, "Sir, if one says 'trod', one may trod upon my stick any day".

"To wear a stick", in the English sense, means to carry one. I have a small collection, most for show, one upon which I can rest my weight, when necessary.

Bat

Bat Masterson. Courtesy of the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa

March 12 2007 at 09:34:36
Name: Darth Clue
Topic: EOI
Email: darthclue no sp am at gmail dot com
Comments: I'll start digging thru the boxes (just moved).

March 12 2007 at 09:13:43
Name: Lee Woodward
Topic: Clyde Kammerzell
Email: 36North
Comments:

Just out of curiosity, I keyed in my old classical guitar teacher's name and up popped a web site called JohnnyWalkerGuitars.com.

It turns out that Johnny Walker (who lives in Bartlesville) is a fine luthier and also studied with Clyde Kammerzell. Check out his site.

March 12 2007 at 07:26:00
Name: Steve Bagsby
Topic: Some-such and what-nots
Comments: I remember seeing Ronald Radford in concert at Nathan Hale in the early 80's. His playing knocked me out and I bought his record. Glad to hear he's still making it happen.

On the KVOO topic, it would be nice if they went back to the country format, provided it had the local feel and wasn't the canned variety. Recently, I've noticed a lot more music across the AM dial at night time. Wondering if this is a trend or what?

Used to listen to a late night show on WJR in Detroit called "Night Flight". Featured the same jazz and swing that Johnny Martin was doing. Very Good.

March 11 2007 at 20:16:45
Name: Dana LeMoine
Topic: Expo Un-Fairgrounds/Bell's
Email: d4wdw at valornet.com
Comments: I sure hope someone besides the Expo Square folks own the locomotive. I could see them selling it for scrap so there could be room to expand the new 10 acre parking lot. After all, it has no long-term viability....

If anyone has any contact info for the Bells, I'd appreciate it if you would email it to me. I'm friends with Bob Sr. but have lost track of him over the past few years.

March 11 2007 at 18:44:14
Name: Rick Brashear
Topic: EOI
Comments: I understand, now. I didn't connect with the EOI letters. I was a regular listener to KTBA with "The King Biscuit Flower Hour" and "National Lampoon Radio Hour" (Sluts From Space!). It was great listening to complete albums with no interuptions and, "underground music".

I'm thinking King Biscuit was carried on KMOD, but I can't say it was never on KTBA. Speaking of KMOD, it's time for a page about it in the 60s and 70s.

March 11 2007 at 16:13:17
Name: Stacy Richardson
Topic: Expo Squaregrounds/Bell's
Email: stacyr-at-usadotnet
Comments: Who owns the Dierks Forest locomotive next to the remnants of Bell's Amusement Park? Does that stay with the fairgrounds, or is it part of Bell's?

Stacy is a former EOI'er himself.

March 11 2007 at 15:47:43
Name: Rick Brashear
Topic: EOI
Email: Sleeping with the fishes
Comments: What is an EOI? Something new that blows up in Iraq?

March 11 2007 at 01:42:45
Name: Darrell
Topic: AM 1170
Comments: I read on Radio-info.com that 1170 will go back to Classic Country. Is that true? I sure hope so. They should return to the KVOO call letters.

I think it is pure speculation.

March 10 2007 at 23:01:06
Name: Darth Clue
Topic: EOI
Email: darthclue no sp am at gmail dot com
Comments: (Remove spaces and nospam)

I was wondering if there might be any chance of an EOI page on TTM? I was put to sleep many nights (chronic insomnia) by the sounds of insanity. I was beside myself when they went off the air and survived by listening the taped recordings that I had made. Too bad the tapes didn't survive.

It would also be nice to know what happened to the people behind EOI. I don't remember any of them, but seeing the response Mother Theresa posted brought back some memories.

I still have my certificate of insanity...

If you could email a scan of that certificate to me, I'll start an EOI page.

March 10 2007 at 21:40:50
Name: Lowell Burch
Topic: Ronald Radford
Email: lburch3-at-cox-dot-net
Comments: Ronald Radford not only plays some formal concerts but he does over a hundred programs for school kids every year. He came to Webster when I was teaching (I use the word loosely) music there in about 1998. Radford did a fantastic motivational program, speaking of his transistion from rock to flamenco, and the success he achieved through hard work. He actually learned the genre by listening to records, the way most of us learned guitar back in the sixties.

I got to spend a significant amount of time talking with Mr. Radford, finding him to be a very personable and interesting individual. I was as impressed with him as a person as I was a performer.

March 10 2007 at 19:56:16
Name: David Bagsby
Topic: R. Radford
Email: dcbatsunflower.com
Comments: Thank you for posting the Ronald Radford gig. I've never had the chance to see him but have heard him play via an LP my brother used to have. This guy is amazing! Tell Lionel his check is in the mail for bringing this gig to light.

March 10 2007 at 19:19:21
Name: Lee Woodward
Topic: Ronald Radford
Comments: I went to the archives to see if anyone had ever written about Ronald Radford in this blog and discovered that they hadn't.

All the guitar talk in the last blog got me thinking about my own adventures with that instrument and then when I opened the new edition of "Urban Tulsa," I saw an ad for an upcoming concert by Ronald Radford, Flamenco guitarist; March 31st; 8:00 pm at the John H. Williams Theatre.

This is not the first concert Ronald has given here and I stand remiss in my not mentioning him before.

The first time I met and heard him play was on KOTV's "Dance Party." He was playing with a rock band at that time and no doubt from an area high school. He was very good. His group appeared more than once and I remember him mentioning that he had an interest in classical guitar. This caught my attention as I had the same desire. That would have been in the sixties.

Well, Ron went on his way and I lost track of him until years later when he turns up in Tulsa to do a Flamenco concert, I believe at a local church. The publicity on him pointed out that he was the only American to have gotten in with some of the top Flamenco and classical teachers in Europe, even some time with Andres Segovia.

Since that time he has become well-established as one of the premier interpreters of Flamenco guitar music. I am sad to say, that I have not had the pleasure of hearing him as each time he has come to town, I have had some conflict. I hope to correct that this month.

As to my parallel attempt to conquer classical guitar? That was a different result. I found a very fine teacher here in Tulsa, whose name was Clyde Kammerzell. He had been a concert guitarist until a stroke ended his career. He spent the rest of his life teaching and also translating single note guitar music into full staff renditions which solved many problems for many classical players.

He also taught what I think I remember as the "Tárrega" method of playing. That is, using the fingertips on the strings as opposed to the nails. This gave a much more lush sound and also more power in some cases.
Clyde also insisted that you study theory and harmony along with your guitar lessons and I actually ended up writing some music. Alas, one either has an ability or not; I did not. I took lessons for two or three years (along with Bob Brown's brother) and only was able to play a few exercises. But, it was worthwhile and I still love the instrument.

I suppose that John Williams is still the number one classical guitarist. I have no idea who would be the top Flamenco master. I know years ago an illiterate gypsy named Manitas De Plata (Little Hands of Silver) was the top player but I haven't kept up with that genre.

Perhaps it is Ronald Radford?

Side note: Tárrega (born in 1852) is the composer of perhaps the most-heard tune in the world today, the default Nokia ring tone. Wonder what he would've thought of that.

March 09 2007 at 10:28:45
Name: Webmaster
Topic: Previous GroupBlog summary
Comments: Archived GroupBlog 235.