August 11 2005 at 17:28:11
Name: Chuck Fullhart
Location: Covering Elvis's shift at Git-N-Go, he got a gig for tonight
Comments:

I saw Donella Gilbert's question on the little brick or concrete buildings, this one on Peoria, that were vending machines, or had vending machines bult into them, that sold milk and ice cream.

Weren't there several of those around town in the 60's that just dispensed milk, ice cream, and so forth?

But then, the colors and the memories of the 60's are just now starting to come back after all of those youthful indulgences. Ahem.

You may be thinking of the Pure Milk Producers Association giant milk carton kiosks.

August 11 2005 at 14:41:10
Name: Donella Gilbert
Email: 06jimm1@cox.net
Location: Sand Springs Ok.
Comments: In response to "CD", I never worked with Mr. Busey, but can tell you that since I have known of him and first saw him on Tulsa Television in the late 60's, he has always been "out there" just a bit, but then, that's one reason he is where he is today, and you and I are not.

Good point. I wouldn't even consider grilling up some road kill as he did on "I'm With Busey", unless I were on "Survivor".

August 11 2005 at 12:13:54
Name: Donella Gilbert (via email)
Comments: In reading pages and pages on this web site, I have found no mention of some sort of ice cream establishment that was once on Peoria (I'm almost sure, but you know how memories can sometime be off a bit.)

It wasn't a store of any kind, just a very small concrete or brick building with one (or more maybe) vending machines (something I had never seen before as a kid in the 60's...not in Oklahoma anyway.) You put money in the vending machine and out popped at least half gallons I'm sure, as I remember a FAVORITE flavor of mine was peanut butter ice cream, the likes of which I have never seen since. This little building didn't seem to be there for years and years, was there was such a place in Tulsa in the 60's?

August 11 2005 at 11:26:35
Name: CD
Location: Livin' on Tulsa Time
Comments: I must admit that I have been watching "Celebrity Fit Club" recently. Primarily because our old friend Teddy Jack Eddie is on the show. I also recall watching "I'm with Busey" a year or so ago.

I have a question for all that worked with Mr. Busey in his Tulsa days. Has he always been so far out there, or has he changed over the years.

August 10 2005 at 19:53:38
Name: Dan McCutcheon
Location: Texas
Comments: I was born in 1955 and wasn't living in Tulsa at the time so I can't say for sure what shows it played on but the animated film series "The Space Explorers" was shown nationwide on shows such as Claude Kirchner's on WOR-TV, Channel 9, in New York, Captain Kangaroo, Captain Video (DuMont), Captain Satellite, Sheriff John, The Merry Mailman, "Officer Joe" Bolton, Romper Room and many others. It has its very own website now which is very well done indeed and brought back a lot of memories from the late 50's for me.

TheSpaceExplorers.com

August 10 2005 at 17:18:52
Name: si hawk
Email: siborg54@sbcglobal.net
Location: Tulsa
Comments: As a kid I remember watching KTUL news' 6PM newscast, "Sam and Cy at 6". They were quite impressive anchormen and provided an absolute first rate news show. It was later my honor to work with Sam at KCNW in the early '70s when he came to work in our news department. I had forgotten what a great news team we had at that station: News Director - Don Stubbs (from KVOO-TV), Kitty Roberts, Terry Stafford, Mark Boyce and Sam Stewart. Great memories, folks!

August 10 2005 at 11:06:47
Name: Monty Montgomery
Email: montym@cdiweb.com
Location: Dallas, TX
Comments: My uncle Sam Stewart, former anchor at KTUL, passed away due to cancer during the night of July 30th in Tulsa. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Monty, I'm so sorry to hear this. Thanks for letting us know.

Here is a photo of Sam with his Saturday Ike's Chili group three years ago.

August 09 2005 at 10:10:33
Name: Frank Morrow
Email: frankmor@io.com
Location: Austin
Comments: Signing-off could be a rather spooky experience for announcers. It gave you the feeling of a cross between being the sandman and being an assassin. All day long there was all this activity---sounds of all sorts and emotions of a significant range. All were being suddenly ended. It also was a kind of sad feeling, too. It broke the connection you felt with the invisible listening audience.

And for the announcer at a station where the combo operation was in place, it was even rather spooky. Suddenly there was silence. The feeling of being there all alone was suddenly palpable. It was only a little comforting to walk into the news room and view the teletype wearily clacking away; but even that seemed to emphasize the feeling of disconnectedness. It was disquieting to close up the silent studios or building, and walk out into the night.

I signed-off at every station I worked for: KFPW, KAKC, KTUL, KFMJ, and KRMG. (Every new, young announcer had to start off on the least desirable shift--the night shift.) KFMJ was no big deal because sign-off was at sunset. At KTUL there at least was an engineer for company. Although being a combo station, KRMG, which was in the Akdar Shrine building with the Cimarron Ballroom part of it, and being located at 4th and Elgin, at least there were usually some cars and some lights to ease the feelings.

KAKC was the most disturbing. After spending the evening alone with the mice and rats in the basement of the Coliseum and being marooned in the far corner of the offices and studios with a tiny, barred window near the ceiling at sidewalk level as the only connection between you and the outside, civilized world, then you had to emerge from the basement and onto a dark, dead-end street near the railroad tracks. As someone who had been afraid of the dark as a kid, I must admit that I quickened my steps to get to my car each night.

But, there also was a positive feeling, too. There was the softness of the night, and along with it the more leisurely pace of the midnight hour. There also was a feeling of accomplishment.

Your story has inspired me to create the Sign-offs page.

August 08 2005 at 22:37:09
Name: Gary Chew
Location: Sacramento
Comments: In response to Robert W. Walker's comments about Bob Brown doing the voice-over for the Peter Jennings tribute streaming at abc.com:

It was my listening to Bob Brown's style of delivery while I was at KOTV when it became clear that that was the way to do it. I've tried to do it that way ever since. And I thank Bob for the example.

You can hear Brown's voice on lots of documentaries that run on cable. It's his clear, clean voice and unencumbered interpretation of the script that do it; not unlike the very essence of the man for whom we all mourn tonight.

August 08 2005 at 19:28:26
Name: Robert W. Walker
Comments: Tulsa's own Bob Brown is the voice on abcnews.com's streaming tribute to Peter Jennings. His read is fantastic.

August 08 2005 at 07:18:16
Name: Mike Bruchas
Comments: Most of us woke up this morning to the news that PETER JENNINGS passed due to his cancer. ABC will run a special on Tuesday night on him but Good Morning America ran a lot of clips of his life on air.

August 07 2005 at 11:44:51
Name: Mike Bruchas
Location: grew up in Chicago but became addle-minded in OK
Comments: I know a fair amount of Chicagoans came to Tulsa for TU and also to work for AMOCO. This may be of interest.

The late Floyd Kalber was a long time Chicago TV anchorman who worked with both Jim Ruddle and Harry Volkman. His son Mick - has a video tribute out now.

It's at FloydKalber.com

August 07 2005 at 01:37:42
Name: Brandon Campbell
Comments: Hi, I found your website about KTUL Channel 8 from doing a search for TV station sign-offs, which used to scare me as a kid, but now I kind of miss them. The "Dreamsville" music used in the sign-off clip reminded me a lot of what I remember hearing on WSAW channel 7 in Wausau, Wisconsin when I was a kid in the early 80's.

I had suspected all along it might have been a Henry Mancini piece, as his stuff was popular with both WSAW and their cross-town rivals WAOW channel 9 at the time. The melody isn't quite how I remember it (although this was 20+ years ago and I was just a kid, so I might not remember it right), but the general mood and style is 100% right on, so it very well might be it.

Thank you for your very educational site about the histories of the various Tulsa stations. I wish there was a website as detailed as this for all the stations in the country.

I'd forgotten how sign-offs could seem scary as a kid (It's still disquieting to wake up to static). They were like a kind of death; you wanted to be under the covers before the static, and it was creepy when a parent fell asleep on the couch and let it go on for awhile.

August 06 2005 at 13:01:52
Name: roy lee
Email: beerdrunk@msn.com
Location: Grotto floor getting kicked by a cop
Comments: DALE LAWTON is in town tonight opening for TJ McFarland at the Venue@ 18th and Boston. Dale left town years ago and I heard he's a highly regarded recording engineer/producer. He played with the Bridgeclimbers-Oil Capitol Kings-The Vindicators who were great live bands and he was always a favorite. Me, I have to work tonight! Crud.

August 06 2005 at 10:17:16
Name: David Bagsby
Email: dcbatsunflower.com
Location: Lawrence, KS
Comments: Not to be to anal but wasn't it the Translyvania Trainstation?

August 05 2005 at 14:31:32
Name: Dale Sams (via email)
Location: Transylvania Trainhouse
Comments: Remember this? When the train depot downtown was dilapidated, KAKC would have a Halloween feature through the Trainhouse...or maybe KAKC just sold the tickets.

August 05 2005 at 08:59:06
Name: Angelique Keenon
Location: back from family vacation
Comments: I was readng about the Git-N-Go sign and the link to the man who was saving the old neon signs. Any chance he has the PENNINGTONS sign? Hopefully he will restore and display them.

Interestingly, that's what I do for a hobby. (Neon, that is). LA is finally getting the idea that they should save their history and suddenly we are very busy with restorations and donations. If you do a search for The Museum of Neon Art, there should be some restorations on display.

We just returned from a family vacation and my sister Joy and I discovered a wonderful display in downtown Las Vegas. They have restored many of the old local signs and they are wonderfully displayed along a pedestrain walk along Fremont street. There is a little store front with info and old photos of the signs at their original business.

Perhaps Tulsa could have something similar? I'll miss the Git-N-Go. Overspent my allowance there for many a year.

Are U-Tote-Ms still in business?

Here's a UToteM on "The Outsiders" page 2. The UToteM stores were absorbed by Circle K in 1984. I'd sure love to see such a display come about.

August 05 2005 at 01:26:43
Name: Chris King
Email: Tulsa99telecom
Location: Apache theater gate
Comments: When did the airport control tower quit shining those blue white and amber lighthouse type lights? Time was you could see those coming over the hill at night near 22nd and Memorial. Used to throw the paper to the house on top of that hill.

The best part was the Git-n-Go running boy neon signs visible at 4 in the morning. Just like standing on the corner of 4 states at the same time. One at 16th and Memorial, next one just west of 21st and Memorial, the other at 32nd and Memorial.

Looking east, you could see all the construction lights from 169 when it ended at 21st. The shopping center strip north of Oertles was where the papers were dropped off. Ma-Hu mansion was alive and occupied...by homeless people who liked to scare the paperboys. It was the best of times.

Git-N-Go went out of business just over a year ago.

August 04 2005 at 07:43:09
Name: Mike Bruchas
Comments: If we ever did a "KOTV EVENING NEWS" circa 1970's re-make - a la "The Dukes of Hazzard" re-make - John Hillis suggested the "following cast": John O'Hurley as Bob Losure, Tony Shaloub (in glasses) as Doug Dodd, Whoopi Goldberg as Johnsye Smith, and Jessica Simpson as Jan Berry Scott. With a special appearance by Al Yankovic as Director Irvin Johnson.

Yeah I like the cast BETTER than the folks at "Dukes of Hazzard - the Movie".

August 04 2005 at 07:24:29
Name: Karl Soliday (via email)
Location: Owasso
Comments: The latest jukebox is dedicated to the memory of Rockin' John Henry.

We lost Johnny on August 10th last year.

At the Rockin' John Henry Tribute Concert last April 17th, they had shirts with Rockin' John Henry's Top 40 Countdown on them. This jukebox contains 10 of those songs.

As Johnny would say "Stay with Rock n' Roll... and you'll stay young forever."

Karl was the first signer of TTM Guestbook 1, on December 29, 1998.

August 04 2005 at 06:52:21
Name: Rob O'Hara (via email)
Comments: I ran across your site while searching for something completely unrelated to this e-mail (isn't it funny how the web works?)

Anyway, I have a pretty interesting UHF website up and I thought you might want to link to it or at least take a look at it. Using Weird Al's commentary track from the DVD, a friend of mine and I visited every location he mentioned in the film and took photos. Then I took screen shots from the DVD, and compared them in sort of a "then and now" article.

I did this in 2003, so it is titled the 15 Year Pilgrimage.

I did link to an earlier version of your site, but then it disappeared, and wasn't even available in the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.

So I will add the link back with pleasure. Thanks for letting me know.

Good work!

August 03 2005 at 19:38:04
Name: John Hillis
Location: West Mayberry, Virginia
Comments:

Harry Volkman sighting: I was down at the American Meteorological Society meeting in Washington's Shoreham Hotel today, and Harry was present, looking hale and hearty and getting around well under his own power. Somebody joked that Harry's AMS Television Seal number was in the single digits. Actually, it's number 23.

August 03 2005 at 08:27:11
Name: Mike (somedays I feel blessed) Bruchas
Location: Not watching 2" tape re-runs of the "Happy" Goodman Family....
Comments: "Thy Kingdom Come with Pastor Charles Pack" aired on KTUL for many years and as a young director working with limited 1970's technology at 8 - Pastor Pack wanted a lot of production values in his shows but his was a small and not rich church. He tried to get his children involved in production but the thrill wore off in a short time. Edwin Fincher can tell us horror stories about shooting Bible verses with a humongous GE camera with a close-up lens, the Pastor using a cut-up normal-sized print Bible!

"Maranatha! The Lord has come!" was his opening trademark phrase!

When someone else started a Maranatha Baptist Church we all "got rightfully angry" for someone stealing the Pastor's trademark word.

Stu Odell and I have been e-mailing on bad movie re-makes of classic TV shows. In a wacky sense - we figured that in time, we would "re-make" the "KOTV EVENING NEWS" of the 70's - it would be far more entertaining than "The Dukes of Hazzard" re-make. Well - maybe just to us who worked on it...

We speculated on starring George Clooney as Claxton, Patrick Warburton ("Puddy") as the Moose but since "Dr." Woodward is UN-imitatable (is there such a word?)- would hafta have the Muppet Labs create a Woody and the King character. Ralph Bardgett would have to be played by Leslie Nielsen. With our luck - John Hillis would be played by Tom Arnold. And camera op/floorman Andy K. Lee by Jim Carrey...there were too many other great and not so great folks at 6 in those days that it would be a casting nightmare...Jeez idle time IS the Devil's playground.

A friend told me that an old mansion down by where I had lived in Tulsey nearly 30 years ago is now a B&B.

http://www.bbonline.com/ok/mcbirney

For some reason on some web searches it is listed out by Mannford!

August 02 2005 at 23:30:01
Name: roy lee
Email: beerdrunk@msn.com
Location: eatin' FRIED FOOD!
Comments: My generation seems to have started Sunday morning with the Gospel Singing Jubilee and Pastor Pack, but my family went to church on Sunday nights, too and often finished the night with a plate of coneys and OETA's great educational Sunday night program called "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Gee, is it any wonder that I ended up so weird?

August 02 2005 at 12:38:54
Name: John Young
Email: johnk662561atyahoodotcom
Location: Looking for Richard Roberts records in the Oertles Bargain Bin
Comments: I remember my dad used to watch "Thy Kingdom Come" with Pastor Pack every Sunday morning. It went off just in time for us to get into the car and make it to Sunday School on time. If I remember correctly, that was on Channel 6 and came on like at 9 am.

August 02 2005 at 11:53:13
Name: Mike Bruchas
Location: DC
Comments: BTW - if ya'll remember Jerry Falwell's folk used to call his Thomas Road Baptist Church telecasts, "The Old Time Gospel Hour" - but as time went on - music was minimalized by preachin' & "important guests". Often they were erratic on paying for their time-buy on KTUL in the 1970's and as I recall - Bob Hower took them off the Sunday schedule several times because of lack of payment. Someone in Tulsa was supposedly helping pay to air the show on KTUL.

Kathryn Kuhlman (long time friend of Tink/DB Wilkerson car family), Faith for Today (on film!) were some of the outta town religious shows on 8 as opposed to locally produced "church programming".

After Kuhlman died - some of shows aired unedited for maybe 6 months - later had "hosts" like "Dino" - her piano player stepping in.

August 02 2005 at 00:37:00
Name: roy lee
Email: beerdrunk@msn.com
Location: Ala-tucky
Comments: Who decided "Sweet Home Alabama" should be the theme for Kentucky Fried Chicken??

The company name became "KFC" to get away from the word "fried". At least they are hanging tough with "chicken".

August 01 2005 at 18:26:25
Name: Patrick Bryant
Email: patrickatmagicchorddotcom
Location: Homeland - Where the Carrots Are
Comments: I THINK Gospel Sangin' Joobilee was produced at WSM-TV in Nashville, though I might be mistaken.

August 01 2005 at 07:48:47
Name: Mike Bruchas
Comments: KTUL's "Moments of Meditation" in the 70s had a rotating cast of Tulsa clergy, but 75% of the shows were probably Warren Hultgren.

July 31 2005 at 01:26:22
Name: roy
Email: beerdrunk@msn.com
Location: bar, not church.
Comments: I remember "Moments of Meditation" but seems like it was a male preacher on there? My dad liked it and we also woke up to "Gospel Singing Jubilee" on Sunday mornings which I don't think was local but not sure.

I personally remember only Dr. Warren C. Hultgren on "Moments of Meditation".

July 31 2005 at 00:55:14
Name: VLFord
Email: VLFord@cox.net
Location: In my office when I should be in bed
Comments: Great web site. The daughter of a long time KTUL figure shared the web address with me today. Does anyone remember "Moments of Meditation" with Shirley Kenslow? It came on very early Sunday mornings. The short meditation was signed (for the hearing-impaired) as well as spoken and they were short Bible stories.

July 30 2005 at 14:50:27
Name: Mike Bruchas
Comments: Found a great Tulsa photo section at pBase - go explore some great images!

Happy 80th birthday, BB King!

July 30 2005 at 09:41:11
Name: Lowell Burch
Email: lburch3atcoxdotnet
Location: Meat Department
Comments: Gary Busey and Victoria Jackson have been losing weight together on some sort of reality show. Maybe Weird Al could use that in his next movie.

On the pink yards: That may have been grass seed, not chemicals.

Lennon, Hendrix, and rock'n'roll fans: Check the Cooper Owen Auction in London. Lots of interesting stuff.

July 30 2005 at 01:27:40
Name: Donella Gilbert Meadows
Location: Sand Springs, OK
Comments: It's late on Friday night here in Sand Springs, and I just ran across this web site, and am still all pumped up to find my Dad's name listed here. I cannot wait to send this to him. My Dad is Don D. Gilbert and he was a radio announcer for KVOO sometime in the early 60s.

I can remember my Mom taking me to the station at night so that we could spend a minute or two with Dad. We lived on Owasso St. just a block west of Peoria. I guess Mom wanted to see her man, so her and Dad would send me off to some huge sound-proof room with lots of pianos and other musical instruments, and I would play around on the piano, while she and Dad spent a few minutes together.

They divorced in 1964, both remarried, and Dad now lives with his wife in Clifton, TX and is 77 years old this year. Mom and I live here in Sand Springs.

This site has brought back many an old memory for me and thanks a lot for that. Dad will be so proud to see his name and to get to read all of this.

I remember a story he always tells of doing a short commercial on the air for Faultless starch and he slipped and said something else. I'm sure he got in big trouble for that. He also tells of slipping again (I think) in a spot for City Chevrolet, you can imagine what he said...and that just may be why Dad didn't work at KVOO too much longer. I don't remember, I was only about 8 years old at the time.

Anyway, thought I would share all this and thanks for giving me the opportunity to do so.

July 29 2005 at 12:03:49
Name: John Hillis
Location: 1976
Comments: I told you that John Erling feller wouldn't last on the radiator.

July 29 2005 at 11:35:11
Name: Lowell Burch
Email: ten.xoc@3hcrubl
Location: Enjoying my brown summer grass
Comments: I am no expert but I think the yards were pink because they had been covered with fertilizer and weedkiller. The pink was a dye that let the applier of said chemicals know that the entire yard had been covered. I believe they use green dye now, perhaps because people did not want pink yards all winter long.

By the way, Joyce, thanks for reminding me. I need to go out and cut the grass. When I am done, I will come in, watch my Mazeppa DVD and have a nice big frosty, icy-cold 7-Up!

July 29 2005 at 09:58:25
Name: Joyce Richardson
Location: fighting a vacation heat wave in Las Vegas
Comments: I have wondered about something for many years. When we were kids, I always noticed that in the winter, yards all over Tulsa were covered with a bright pink spray over the dead winter grass. We would ask what the pink was or did, but always got those "cutesy" anwers grownups give to kids. Can anyone tell me what that bright pink really was? Thanks

July 29 2005 at 06:03:44
Name: Jeff Ballard
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Comments: The pictures of the Village Cinema are great!! They sure bring back memories. I worked there from 1978 until 1983, not long before they closed. That was one of the best times in my life. We were held up a number of times, but the people I worked with were like family.

For a couple of summer months in the years 1981 and 1982 we were "loaned" out to the Admiral Twin Drive-in to help out. Several of the people I worked with had bits or cameos in the film "The Outsiders", which was being filmed one of the summers that we were out there. Coppola and his troupe took over one side to film in.

July 28 2005 at 18:35:04
Name: Webmaster
Comments: The Tulsa World reported today that this was Tulsa Radio Icon John Erling's last day of on KRMG's morning drive show. He will remain with the station in a public relations capacity. His show lasted for an incredible 29 years.

July 28 2005 at 14:53:59
Name: Renee
Email: racerenee@aol.com
Location: Bartlesville, OK
Comments: The Tastee-Freez in "The Outsiders" was in Owasso.

A screen capture of the Owasso T-F is on Outsiders page 2.

A new, deluxe DVD release of "The Outsiders" (Amazon.com link) is coming Sept. 20. According to S.E. Hinton (via an email forwarded today by Jenn at the The Outsiders Book and Movie site), the special features on it are fantastic. Featurettes especially relevant to this site: "On Location with S.E. Hinton" and "The Outsiders on Location".

The price is extremely reasonable...if you are a big fan, you'll want to pre-order it.

July 28 2005 at 00:36:48
Name: Webmaster
Comments:

Sam Jones' show, Ole Time Radio Ranch, can now be heard on KRVT-AM, 1270. It airs Fridays at noon and Saturdays at 7 am. The show is taped 5:30-6:30 pm Mondays in the atrium of the Embassy Suites Hotel on 32nd, the street behind Drysdale's. All are welcome to come by and watch tapings for free. Sonny Gray and his group provide live music. Route 66 author Michael Wallis is a regular. Sam offers an alternative to the uniformity of today's AM talk radio. TTM contributor Joe Riddle plays Tulsa's favorites Monday through Thursday at noon. KRVT also broadcasts the games of the St. Louis Cardinals (long-time parent club of the Tulsa Oilers).

July 27 2005 at 19:17:30
Name: Jim Hartz (via email)
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Comments: In reference to the recent Shuttle launch, Mike Bruchas wondered where I was. He's right; it has been about 35 years since I covered NASA for NBC. Well not quite.

I have been going through a lot of old photos recently and came across the attached. It's a shot of the NBC studio at the Kennedy Space Center.

Seated left to right: John Chancellor, me, and Alan Shepard. There is an unidentified stagehand on the right. This was taken on July 15, 1975 just before the launch of the Apollo-Soyuz. This was the last launch I covered for NBC (30 years ago this month), although I reported later from JPL in California on several unmanned missions.

Incidentally, the US commander of the joint flight was a fellow Oklahoman, Lt. Gen. Tom Stafford, USAF (Ret.) who has a house only a few blocks from where I now live in Alexandria, Virginia. We've stayed in touch over the years.

It's good to see the US is back in the space business and it brought back a lot of warm memories.

July 27 2005 at 15:52:19
Name: Webmaster
Comments: Archived Guestbook 188. A few highlights:

We heard from Harlan Judkins for the first time. Mr. Judkins' career dates as far back as KTUL-AM radio in 1946! Also checking in were Judy Messenger, Ken Ragsdale and Larry Burnett.

Frances Langford, who entertained WWII troops with Bob Hope, and James Doohan ("Scotty") passed away. Miss Langford was married to Tulsa TV pioneer Harold Stuart. Mr. Doohan's Trek Expo 2001 visit was recalled by the webmaster.

Seen via link and discussed: the Plymouth Belvedere buried downtown in a 1957 time capsule, due to be unearthed in 2007. In it we will also find: cigarettes and matches, one package chewing gum, a case of Schlitz, one bottle of tranquilizing pills, one tube lipstick...shoot, a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff.

The webmaster (who observed a birthday) presented selected oddities from his Tulsa newspaper clipping file for your viewing pleasure.

Read all about it in Guestbook 188.