I happened to come across this page through a search engine. I'm only 26, but fascinated by these old shows. That whole era was fascinating to me, and I learn as much as I can about it. This page is great!

Thanks, Kitty!

I can confirm the "Guy's" slogan. In my early small town radio days I usually got stuck with producing the weekly Piggly Wiggly spot on our radio station. Occasionally the copy included Guys chips or pretzels or whatever and the tag line was "It's a treat to eat Guy's." It was difficult to read that with a straight face, so I changed it to "It's a treat to eat Guy's Snacks," just so I could get through the spot in less than 30 takes.

I enjoyed the recent discussion regarding the Papa Jo "Griesedieck" Radio and TV ads. Being a young-un at the time I of course always heard the off-color pronunciation because that's what it sounded like when I heard the name. Laughs and giggles aplenty by the kids when that came on.

It reminds of a sign reportedly seen in NE Oklahoma way back when. Anyone remember a snack product by the name of "Guy's"? According to legend the sign in question read "Eat Guy's Nuts. And Chip's Too." Don't mean to inject any more low-brow topic matter than necessary, but that's a true memory prompted by recent talks here. Thanks for the memories.

Don't forget Walt's Goobers. They're "awful fresh".

Lee Bayley, former jock at KAKC, will be interviewed on Jerry Pippin's KBIX/internet show tonight! Check the Bulletin Board for links. There may be surprise guests, too!...(later note) Lee, George Basil (Scott/Scooter B.) Segraves, and Steve Suttle all appeared on Jerry's show, as did your webmaster!

For you news ex-pats - I finally found ex-Life shooter/editor Dirck Halstead's "Digital Journalist" magazine. He hangs out with today's hot still shooters and still shoots himself but is making the cross over from stills to mini-DV video - which CAN shoot video and stills.

The magazine is a mix of war stories, great photography (with audio clips from shooters)and new technology reviews. A lot of great stills can be found here - that are for sale, too.

His Platypus workshop HAS been at NPPA (National Press Photographers Association for the un-newsied)in Norman, OK. The Platypus being neither a fowl or a mammal - kinda the way photogs are becoming in many cases. He has an interesting story/commentary on the changing of intellectual property rights/copyrights for photogs on the page right now, too.

Check it out - will be of interest to those who cut their teeth in NEWS.

That's www.dirckhalstead.org......Okay the only link to OK is that they have had classes there - but it be interestin'...

Getting back to 'Ol Diz. It's true he could sustain interest in a boring game but the camera helped too, panning the stadium now and then. One slow afternoon Diz decided to get the fans into the act, especially a young couple who had their own game going in the stands. Seems they were getting more and more amorous each time Dizzy checked on them. It was a great show. Finally Dizzy's well-meaning sidekick(?) put in a comment. The story must be infamous by now. He said "Oh, I get it! He's kissing her on the strikes and she's kissing him on the balls!"

I heard that one recently...a story has gone around for years about Johnny Carson interviewing Arnold Palmer's wife with a similar payoff. That one is an "urban legend", but I don't know about the Diz story.

Read about the Johnny Carson story and many others at the Urban Legends Reference pages.

Aha! So it's baseball this week? Before moving to Tulsa at age 11, I was born and lived in Baxter Springs, Kansas. My late brother, George, worked with me a lot on sports activities (not much took). Because of the constant practice, I became a hotshot peewee league pitcher. I couldn't hit or field...I was even terrible at recess softball...but I had a modicum of control and that's the name of the game when you're a nine and ten year old left-handed hurler.

A man named Mutt (1st name) worked for my dad in the Eagle-Picher mines that had a son my age, who was said to be a real comer. There was already talk of how to skip a stateline so that Mutt's kid and I could some day play for the same team. Wellsir, WWII came along, my brother went to the south Pacific and I never threw another ball. That was the end for me. The other kid's name was Mickey Mantle...I wonder what happened to him.

Wow, that's quite a story, Noel...thanks!

Dizzy, as everyone who ever heard him knows, fractured the English language (as well as "The Wabash Cannonball"), using such neologisms as "he slud into third base." My favorite line from Ol' Diz came when a bunch of tight-assed academics complained that he persisted in using the word "ain't." Dizzy replied: "There's a lot of folks that ain't sayin' 'ain't' who ain't eatin'."

I remember those impromptu renderings of "The Wabash Cannonball", too. Baseball was THE sport then, and color men have never been as colorful since.

Regarding Dizzy Dean, I saw him pitch his first game for the Tulsa Oilers before the war, when he came down from the major leagues to work on his hurt arm. It was the largest crowd in Oiler history up until that time.

There was a great satire on Dean’s broadcasting technique which came out on an obscure 78rpm record in the mid-fifties. It poked fun at Ole Diz’ penchant for going off on tangents. On the record, “Dean” is spinning yarns, while all kinds of important things are happening on the field, including, eventually, a gang fight. He never gets past the introduction of the leadoff hitter, “George Tealy…….2nd Base." He also kept repeating the question, “How can it be so hot today, with so many fans?”

I watched TV while the “me” half of “Me n’ Paul” did commentary during the perfect game that Don Larson pitched during the World Series. As was the long-standing custom at time, there was not a mention of the perfect game while it was in progress, although it was on everyone’s mind. Finally, about the 7th inning, Diz said, “I can’t hold it any longer! I can’t keep quiet! I realize that it’s against all baseball tradition, but I gotta say it. Don Larson is pitching a perfect game!”

That broke the ice. The possible perfect game was the main topic of conversation for the rest of this remarkable performance.

Wow, you saw Dizzy Dean play! I wonder if I can find out anything about that record...

Photos of Dizzy Dean with the Tulsa Oilers in 1940 (courtesy of Frank Morrow) can be seen in the Briefcase.

My old friend and former boss, Bob Gregory wrote a bio of Dizzy Dean. According to Amazon.com it's out of print.

Diz : The Story of Dizzy Dean and Baseball During the Great Depression by Robert Gregory.

I recall doing some research with the Library of Congress for Bob when I worked on Capitol Hill. Bob must be the Tulsa expert on the Diz.

I understand he's recovering from a bypass.

The book is out of print, but there is a good essay by a reader on the Amazon page linked above. Hope Bob recovers soon from his bypass!

Carl Mark, the owner of KAKC in the 60s, died on July 3. There is a story in the Tulsa World this morning, but it is not yet on their web site. Judi Bentley of KBIX' Jerry Pippin Show asks if we know anyone who Jerry might talk to on the air about KAKC in the old days. Jerry is doing a tribute on his Thursday show at 6 p.m. See the TTM main page for links to KBIX.

I would want to hear from PEPINO of Real McCoy's Fame if still alive - but I think Pepita is no Swede! Could be Could be Could be Could be Could be an error in scripting....................................................................

Whew, got back the ability to delete and edit this morning! I think I think I think you are right about a scripting error that caused Pepita's note to be proliferated. By the way, Pepita seems to be a nice person and "Club Happy" is not what I initially feared; it's just a club she started on Excite.com .

Tony "Pepino" Martinez is indeed still alive, and appeared on the TNN Real McCoy marathon recently along with Richard "Luke" Crenna and Kathleen "Sugar Babe" Nolan. Tony was a successful band leader in Puerto Rico (as was Desi Arnaz in Cuba) before being cast.

Interesting history of Griesedieck Bros. I was familiar with Papa Joe and Falstaff but not with the root family story. Live beer pours had to be a challenge, especially under the hot lights. Simultaneously pouring and extolling a tongue-twisting Teutonic title. Another reason Woodward's a legend.

I remember hearing the story that Dizzy Dean supposedly was filming a spot where he kept messing up the pour and consuming the evidence through about 40 takes before he finally got it right, buttoned it up with his trademark, "Podners, you'll like it!" and sloshed on home to Wiggins, Mississippi.

Dizzy and Pee Wee Reese were the announcers on the Saturday afternoon "Game of the Week." Unlike Curt Gowdy, who, if bottled, could drive Sominex out of business, Ole Diz and Pee Wee could keep you awake even when the Yankees were up by 12 in the 7th, which they often were back then in the days of Oklahoma's Mickey Mantle.

I had the opportunity to meet Mantle briefly in the mid-80s, while he was doing games on New York's SportsChannel and plugging his autobiography. Even then, long after his playing days, he still had that mix of arrogance and humility that was so remarkable.

A Falstaff history notes that another name for Griesedieck beer was "Slippery Richard" among aficionados.

I now introduce you to another person whom I have not seen anyone make mention of. This "Free Lance Talent" was the spokesman for "Sooner Federal Savings and Loan." I have no recollection of him working for any radio or TV Station. He just showed up on a regular basis to do live spots during the early evening news. He was a rather thin fellow and had a nice voice. But the thing that was singular about him was...That he always showed up to do the spots..."STONED!" To make matters worse, he also always had a "bimbo" with him who generally was in the same shape!

There were handlers of course, but they seemed to have little control over this routine, part of which was, for the two of them to go into the conference room and practice CPR! Finally, the handlers would come get the Talent and go into the studio to go through the spot. I remember looking at this man's eyes as he was rehearsing, they were bloodshot and glazed. But on the black and white cameras and monitors, you couldn't tell! (remember when we pre-drew things in red because it didn't show up on B&W TV?)

He would stand there and wait for the cue, kibitzing all the while with the bimbo. The cue would be given and remarkably, he would do the spot perfectly and then they would all rush out of the building for where ever! Obviously, he lasted only a year or two...but to this day, I will never forget..........BEN AVERY !....and his friends....Tricksie 1, Tricksie 2, Tricksie 3!

I had to look through the list of TV-Radio people to see who I remember that no one has written about. I also realize that a small number of people will remember just as I have no idea who some of the later people writing in are. So, I hope to just recall some amusement that everyone might identify with.

I mentioned the late Perry Ward earlier. He was the spokesman for Safeway and also handled their advertising. I suppose that is why he was helping with the live... "Griesedieck" beer commercials that I did when I first came to KOTV. I have tried to stir my memory banks for the correct spelling of this beer, but some historian will have to get it right (Done!...webmaster). The thing that first threw a new talent for this spot was the pronunciation. The correct way was, "Greasy Dick." Then of course you had to do the spot. This was a very popular brew and I have no idea whatever happened to the company.

The other trick to these live spots was timing your "pour" of the beer into a glass, just as the spot aired! The ideal was to have a head on the beer and maybe a little going over the rim of the glass. Perry was the official pourer and it got pretty interesting at times. Mayhaps someone out there as the correct spelling and history of this extinct brew?

I'd heard of this beer, but it was gone way before I reached my majority. After exhaustive internet searching, I found the correct spelling, and the Griesedieck Bros. web site, with a complete history of the company!

Remember the old Sun Up Show?

My first visit to the Mayo was when we played for some kind of NBC convention in 1968, at least that's what I remember. Our music was too loud and everyone crowded out into the hallway to talk except the one couple who stayed to dance. I thought that's why they called us, for dance music. Another band member and I decided to explore and went into the basement of the old hotel. We found a number of sub-basements to boot! I did not know that most large buildings had such deep foundations.

While in college, I worked at the hotel coffee shop for awhile. Dale Robertson came in fairly regularly. Most of the big shots, Elvis and guys like that, used room service. The fellows with the most seniority got to run orders up to the celebs.

Anyway, here's my caption for the picture:

Good Morning! It is 7:58 and this is our live report from Summerfest. In the background, we see Dickie Ray Rubottom of Plumber's Local #367 on his mark and waiting for the shot that will signal the opening of the Glug Beer Tent, Dickie Ray's favorite festival attraction!

Caption contest!

Write in your caption for this picture, forwarded by a reader who will remain nameless!

Here's one to kick it off:

Good afternoon, ladies and germs...but seriously, allow me to introduce...the Celebrated Jumping Human of Calaveras County!

Mr. Woodward's mention of the Mayo Hotel as his first domicile in the Magic Empire triggered memories of my own Mayo stories.

I came to interview at KOTV on Thanksgiving. Actually, I traveled on Thanksgiving, and the interview was supposed to be the day after. To get from Atlanta to Tulsa was no mean feat in those days, involving two now-departed airlines, Eastern and Braniff, and a connection at Dallas. I made it to Tulsa, my suitcase, containing the bright orange sport jacket and brown-red-rust checked pants I had carefully selected for the interview (hey, it was the 70's. You had to be there.) didn't. Suitcase never appeared. I didn't shed tears when either airline went belly-up.

So, bag-less, with a voucher from the Braniff baggage office to buy a toothbrush, I went to the Mayo, where channel 6 had reserved a room for me.

At that point, to put it kindly, the Mayo was un-restored to its previous glory. In trying to wash out the shirt I had been wearing with a bar of hotel soap, I met hard water and challenging plumbing that Mr. Mayo himself installed. Moreover, the Miss Teenage America pageant (or some such) was in town, with the contestants out of reach, but not earshot, on my floor. All night long, doors slamming down the hall and giggling. Between clothes that smelled of Ivory and travel and the bleary eyes, I've always suspected that Doug Dodd hired me out of sympathy as much as anything else.

So when I rolled into town a few weeks later, my first lodgings until I could apartment hunt were once again, in the Mayo. I drove in on a Saturday. This time, the room was nicer, a spacious corner deal with high ceilings and good-sized windows. After three days on the road, I was ready to relax and sleep it off, which I did, until 8 O'clock Sunday morning. BOOM!

A building down the block had been demolished by dynamite implosion, a planned event that everybody in town knew about but the tyro who rolled in the previous night. After clinging to the chandelier for a few minutes and finally looking out the window to see if there was anything left of this town that I was supposed to move into, I was finally calmed down.

The Tulsa Press Club was also in the Mayo, but for some reason, I didn't go there a lot.

I meant to mention the Lionnapping, but as usual I got side tracked. Somewhere in some clippings, is a picture in the World or Tribune, of Lionel behind bars in Bartlesville (the home of the criminal). I will try to locate said article and do a piece on that.

When L & L hosted the P.M. Movies, the crew was always creating different sets, so a pyramid interior certainly was possible as well as wearing many hats including pith helmets.

Also, an addendum to the earlier recollection of "contracts." While my statement that Bill Pitcock was the reason they were instituted is correct, in recalling the "Spanky story", I remembered that he was the first person I know of who actually had a lawyer handle the contract for his coming and performing at KOTV. His contract predated the Pitcock era by a number of years. I have no idea what the dollar amount was.

By the way, Spanky ended up being a very successful wine distributor in Dallas,Texas.

Regarding the note from Ruddle, asking who I am, ignore that posting, please. The poor old soul has forgotten.

Just read a note by a Noel Confer. Who is he?

I just finished reading the pages by the King and Mr. W. They were fantastic! So many of my questions were answered. I still want to know about the kidnapping. Also, I thought there was a set that looked like the inside of a pyramid. I think it coincided with the Stooges Mummy short. Also, I think Lee and Lionel wore pith helmets.

It is true, the show was not set up for an audience. Dad took me to one and we sat in a couple of folding chairs against the wall. It was still really fun. Thanks so much for the memories. I really recommend everyone read these pages.

Frank was right about Miss Christina. She owned Christina's Flowers on 18th near "Little Mexico" restaurant. Both Ruddle and I worked for her, delivering at holidays.

By the way, several of your postings, concerning Chicago, start with "Jim Ruddle may remember...." Jim is damn near as old as I. Jim Ruddle may NOT remember!

I have not finished reading all of the new Lionel Files yet, but wanted to thank Lee for mentioning Time for Richurt. Sartain and I were discussing him via this guestbook back in vol. 14, but we could not remember the name of the show. Ah, memories!

By the way, my grandma said she would buy me a toy once when I was eight and I insisted she buy me, what else? A lion puppet. She said it was too expensive. It was one time I really wanted something enough to plead a little and she bought it. I had it for many years, but lost it in a move as an adult. I named him, what else? Lionel, of course.

Jim Ruddle may remember this from his Chicago days.

WVON - the first African-American major station in Chicago (now Gannett's WGCI) had an early FM - WSDM - whose call letters stood for w - Smack - Dab - in the Middle. Played great jazz, longer cuts, kicked out a strong signal 24/7 and had for several years an all female announcing staff. Yvonne Daniels went to WSDM after a stint at WLS overnight, she was a known commodity in Chi-town, but most of the announcers had character names like Hushpuppy or single name artist names.

Sexy voiced women to a pubescent listener in his late teens. Their great jazz programming got me to buy my first "thing" as a workplace member - a Panasonic AM/FM radio! Saved up with earnings from my first h.s. job at Dunkin Donuts.

This too after my Dad gave up on me borrowing his then high tech, leather cased and heavy "Transcel" AM-FM that ran on 6 "D" batteries but had a 5" speaker and heavy bass response...I don't think WSDM was stereo then but went to it later. Somewhere in the '70's, format changed and the silky/sexy/sultry voiced announcers went away....

Side bar that I may have mentioned before. On an early UHF station - I think now the Telemundo station in Chi- tried about this time having AP copy read at 10pm by "the Girl in The Circular Bed". It sounded pure hype but didn't last long, but it got folks to tune in on UHF!

I need to find the following photographs: 1.0 Late 1920s vintage CBS or NBC announcer at microphone with network logo on mic. 2.0 Mid to late late 1940s vintage CBS or NBC television camera on pedestal in studio with network logo on camera. One should be CBS and one should be NBC. Prefer CBS for television but we could use the invert. Thank you. Tom Tamarkin Office: 916-482-2000 Fax: 916-482-2020 Cellular: 916-549-5000 Home: 916-974-1800

I've just been catching up on comments of the past few weeks and saw a brief discussion about advertisers who did their own spots. It made me think of people like John F. Lawhon, the Reeves boys, Ernest Moody your jeweler, and others. Also, for the old timers, wasn't there someone named Christina who did radio spots for Christina's Flower Shop in the early to mid 60s?

Until recent decades women were almost completely shut out of radio. During World War II, despite the shortage of men, there were very few women announcers. Living in Georgia during the war, I heard only one female voice as a regular announcer. This was in Atlanta. I witnessed a breakthrough of sorts in Hawaii in 1960, when a Honolulu station changed its call letters to KNDI (“Candy”) and hired an all-woman announcing staff. This was still a form of the female ghetto, though, only expanded.

After the war women were ghettoized into “women’s programs,” usually 15 minute shows Monday through Friday which featured lots of information on food, housework and child rearing as well as other lighter subjects and announcements. KVOO had Estelle Blainer’s “For Feminine Ears,” a program at 9am following “Eggs at Eight.” There were a lot of commercials for laxatives and soap. KTUL’s program was “Women are Wonders.” I don’t remember the name of the hostess.

KAKC had a program around noontime which featured Marge McCartney. She would have been great on “Saturday Night Live.” Although she was a nice person, her voice was very irritating, sounding something like a parrot seeking a mate. Her regular voice was not that bad, however. One evening she came by and asked me if I would record her next day’s show, because she wouldn’t be in town to do it live. When I played some of it back to her, she was horrified by the way she sounded. She asked me what she could do. I worked with her to lower her voice and talk more naturally and intimately. After she re-recorded her program, she was elated to hear the transformation.

The only problem was that now she had fallen in love. Although she was nice, she was "fair, fat and forty” without the “fair.” She occasionally would come down to the station to tape her show, then stand right behind me while I was in the announcers’ chair and rub her breasts in my back while I played the tape back. One evening she came in and told my girl friend, who soon would become Miss Oklahoma, that “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”

That was another good reason for moving from KAKC to KTUL.

It appears that the Guestbook is back in operation. I copied Frank's entry from the temporary guestbook into this one, and it was fast and error free.

Hi,

Roger Burch here. I was at KTEW (KJRH) in the mid-seventies. Did anchor work and reporting with John Hudson, Frank Lilly, George Hummingbird, Jack Morris, Jerry Webber and Judy Messenger. I am enjoying the web site and saw many familiar names not only from channel 2 but the other stations also.

My claim to fame in Tulsa was doing the first local microwave live shot. That was Valentine's Day 1977. Must have been a slow news day since we did the live cut-in from a candy store and card shop.

I would love to hear from some of the old timers from Tulsa Broadcasting.

Thanks,

Roger Burch

Welcome, Roger! Your old cohort, Frank Lilly, visited back in Guestbook 3. Please write again; glad you are enjoying the site!

You must read the 6 new Lee & Lionel pages from Lee Woodward!

Just archived Guestbook 42; this is #43. Miss Peter Pan continued to be a popular topic. We heard again from Gary Chew, out Sacramento way. We received some great text and pics from fledgling web wiz Lee Woodward. TV/radio contracts and unions were discussed, as was Glencliff ice cream. Perry Ward and Spanky McFarland were remembered. Whew! Some terrific stuff...check it out!