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What a site this is! I must be a dumb for sure because I just now found it. I don't have time to write a lot but did want to stop and say hi to all who know me. Wow. What memories.

I'll come back and add some of mine soon.

Dick

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Somebody tell us more about Karl Janssen. When I worked at 8 - he would come in and do spots or PSA's for some group in Tulsa. Everybody liked him but I never knew what the connection was - till I saw him linked at KTUL radio on this webpage. I figured him to be just an old old client...

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A correction to my entry of 10-5-99. I stated that TU's tuition today is $30,000 per year. That is incorrect. It is $13,000, making it $52,000 for four years as compared with the $1,600 for four years in the early '50s.

I made the correction for you below.

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We're proud to call Tulsa our hometown. Rock on!

Millions of girls around the world know Tulsa mainly as the city that is home to Hanson, one of Tulsa's greatest entertainment exports. Are you guys sitting at Elvis Ripley's computer at TU?

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Great to read Jim Ruddle's comments. Jim, you should NOT be humiliated about your Zeta role. Man, it was cool. Never missed it. I still can do the "six" hand sign, which is the left hand up, back side to the camera, all five fingers extended, index finger of right hand placed across the back of the wrist of the left hand. And, by the way, where is Karzoff buried? I assume you eventually killed the bastard!

Terry is a former mayor of Tulsa.

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Mike Bruchas, yes both Theatre Tulsa (formerly TLT) and "The Drunkard" are still going.

Great to hear from Jim Ruddle. I'll add his comments to the page that mentions "Zeta".

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Help me Tulsans!

Besides Tulsa Little Theatre - was it the Spotlight Club that did "The Drunkard" for years on Riverside Drive?

It seems half the Tulsa TV/radio talent of the past did tours at one or the other.

Are both still functioning?

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Questions for Jim Ruddle:

When you first went to Chicago - whom did you work for. I vaguely remember Park-Ruddle News but forget what station you were on.

I also thought you did a stint at WTTW. When did you leave Chicago and where did you go next?

Good to hear from you!

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I got into broadcasting through the Saturday morning KOME programs while at Tulsa Central, under the benign tutelage of the sainted Isabelle Ronan. She had more influence on my life than any other teacher. My first appearance on television was as a member of the cast of a musical comedy show at TU which was telecast on KOTV in the fall of 1949. In 1950, I went to work for KSEK, in Pittsburg, KS, then returned in the fall to KAKC, the basement studios of Sam Avey's Coliseum. Ken Reed, Lewis Meyer,and Mack Creager worked there, too, as well as a hideous host of pay-by-the-quarter-hour preachers.

After three years of government work (chasing icebergs in the North Atlantic and checking the weather in the Pacific for the US Coast Guard, as a radio operator) I came back to Tulsa and got hired by Dick Campbell, at KOTV, where Cy Tuma was the king of the hill, assisted by Don Norton, who did most of the news writing and scut work. Others there were Don Marvin, Lee Woodward, Bob Mills, Jim Newton, and, later, Noel Confer.

Anything for a buck, I did commercials (all live, tape didn't even get demonstated at the NAB convention until 1956), filled in as early morning news anchor, sang on a half-hour daily program called "Memories Are Made of This." God! it was awful. And most memorably, and to this day humiliating, I was "Zeta, on Satellite Six," dressed in helmet, goggles, and a uniform that belonged on an usher at a porn flick. We showed "Little Rascals" films and I introduced each one by looking into my "Zetascope" and waiting for the directors to dissolve into the film. It was worse than "Memories Are Made of This," but I didn't have to sing. It also paid a good talent fee and I was a whore.

The name of the long time sheriff was George Blaine, and I remember him distinctly because on the night before I left Tulsa for the service, I was rousted by Blaine and a couple of his dogsbodies in Clarence Love's Lounge where I had been digging the music and bothering nobody. The problem, in Blaine's eyes, was that I was the only white guy in the otherwise all-black joint. He was set to run me in on some trumped-up charge until he found out that I had enlisted and was leaving the next day. Really a credit to the community, he was.

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Memories come flooding back upon reading the stories about John Doremus. The names Noel Confer and Bill Hyden also bring back memories. Noel was a graduate of Central High School in 1949, two years before I was graduated, and he also had the legendary Isabelle Ronan as speech teacher. Jim Ruddle won the full, four-year KVOO radio scholarship two years before I did. It was for $1,600 for the full four years; now tuition is $13,000 per year! Moody Seibert won it in 1948, Charles Connor in 1950, and Bob Griffin in 1952, the last year the scholarship was given. All but Seibert (I think) subsequently worked in commercial radio in Tulsa while they were going to TU. If I remember right, Bill Hyden would disguise his voice and “talk” with an old man he called “Uncle Willie.”

Two classmates of mine met Frank Simms in New York--- Wally Renegar and Shirley Barbour. He remembered them from “Central Day” on KVOO when we did “Eggs at Eight” on May 8, 1951. (Frank agreed to be best man at Wally Renegar’s network TV wedding.) My father stayed home from work that day and recorded eight hours of the production. I still have the audiotapes. I made a one-hour TV documentary using that material. I showed it in Austin and in several other cities on my public access TV program “Alternative Views.” (At its greatest degree of proliferation, the program showed in approximately 290 cities with over 11 million households served. I produced 560 shows over a 19-year period. It never showed in Tulsa because, shamefully, Tulsa did not have a public access system.)

Pardon the digression. I was very close with Doremus, at least as close as one could get with him. He was my pledge father in Kappa Sigma; he was our intramural quarterback, and I was his favorite receiver; we shared a lot of evenings together after we both signed off; we played tennis together near his home in Sapulpa; I went with him on shopping trips to buy a used car. Finally, he married the girl with whom I had my first date back in junior high school at Horace Mann. (Does anyone know where she is now? Joellen “Jody” Casler. She went to Central for two years, finishing at Broken Arrow.) John was almost overrun with women who were attracted to his voice on his late evening program on KRMG. I had a similar show on KAKC, but didn’t attract the number of females John did. And he wouldn’t share! He frequently would come dragging into the frat house at breakfast after a night of frolic, trying to get the energy to go to class. I envied him, and wished I had the confidence with women that he had.

John was one of those rare people who never had a negative thing to say about someone else, and no one had anything negative to say about him. I loved the guy. I was so saddened when I learned of his death with Alzheimer’s, particularly the long time he was afflicted with it.

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I was announcer/personality with Ch 2, before it signed on, and for some years after. I also was on staff of Ch. 6, in the 50's. I sometimes get the impression that no one remembers that there was TV in Tulsa in the 40's and 50's. I was there.

And now we are glad you are here, Noel.

We are missing a lot of information and stories about Tulsa TV in the 50s...please tell us more.

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I have some comments about John Doremus but first, Noel Confer called...now lives in Tulsa...and Jim Ruddle had called him asking about KOTV 50th reunion. I've e-mailed both the TTM website access info.

John Doremus won a scholarship to The University of Tulsa by winning the competition on a Going To College program. Ben Henneke was emceeing that show then...later Rod Jones and, perhaps, others hosted it. I worked, as a student, with Ben on some of those trips but do not remember whether I might have been on the one Doremus won.

I joined KRMG as an announcer in August 1951. Joe Knight (Neidig), of the "Spinning Round Table" had taken leave of absence from KRMG to engage in his 'tour of military service' and Doremus was hired to fill that void.

When Frank Simms left KVOO radio in November of 1952, I spake with the other co-host of the morning "Eggs At Eight" program, Walt Teas, and he led me to program director Joe O'Neill and I was offered a job on the KVOO announce staff.

At that time, Joe Knight was returning from his military obligation and Doremus was given notice, since Joe would get his old job back. After my work at KRMG on a Friday in November 1952, I talked with manager Bob Jones, telling of my KVOO offer and that it would permit Doremus staying on the KRMG staff. Jones agreed. Quickest move I ever made...finalized after Friday work on one station and went to work at KVOO on Monday.

Of course, Doremus did extremely well in Chicago... and was billed as America's Greatest Voice...with, probably, no dissenters. In 1985, when Sam Stewart and I were endeavoring to produce a feature length documentary re: OPERATION VARSITY, the airborne Rhine crossing of 24 March 1945, I called Doremus to see if he might be interested in investing in this. It was like old home week on the phone and he insisted that I come to Chicago to talk it over. I did.

I got the earliest flight I could obtain and when I arrived at his office/studios, John was not there. I sat in his office for 4 hours before he showed up. He said he must have put the wrong day on his calendar.

I had brought him a videocassette of a promotional tape we had produced to try and interest investors. At one point, John said "I've got a Cronkite tape here we can use to dub over". I explained that we did not need to dub anything...the tape I brought was his.

John left his office...and I noticed his office walls were adorned with autographed pictures of presidents. He had for some time provided the music that was available on Air Force One.

After considerable length of time, I left his office to see why he hadn't returned. He was standing in front of a 3/4" player trying to make the 1/2" VHS cassette work in it. I knew something was wrong then. We terminated our visit shortly after and I didn't have an opportunity to visit with anyone there as to John's condition. A few years ago, he died of Alzheimer's disease.

Prior to his death, I had talked with two of his sons... and was told by one that he was in a nursing home in Naperville, Illinois and that he did not even recognize members of his own family. A tragic end to the life of one so relatively young and so talented.

During John's days at TU he was active in the radio chorus of Arthur Hestwood...his singing voice was as good as his speaking voice.

When Ben Henneke heard that the Alzheimer's Foundation in Chicago was honoring John at an annual function there, he (Ben) wrote a tribute to John that was printed in the Tulsa Tribune.

One thing about TTM...it surfaces memories, both good and sad, of these wonderful people of our past. Another salute to you, Mike Ransom, for building this website.

Thank you for the story, Bill.

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Seeing the comments on John Doremus - he indirectly was a reason for my attending TU.

In Chicago in the 50's/60's he had "Patterns in Music" on WMAQ radio then for a while a TV show with the NBC studio orchestra (before it was phased out). My folks and I loved his shows. He would weave stories around music - mostly classical or show tunes and his always good "ear" picked some of the most listenful, fascinating non-elevator music.

Somewhere in a paper I read he was a TU alumn from Sapulpa and it may have helped me make my decision to go out of state to school.

For years he was 7pm to 10pm on "the Q". Later he went to WAIT then the overnight shift on WGN replacing Chi-town legend (and legendary drunk) Franklin McCormick. He later was off the air doing his canned music programming full time for American and other airlines in the early days of music on flights at John Doremus & Associates.

One of my biggest thrills was to talk to him on the phone one day when home on break from TU. He invited me down to WGN any time. The next year TU roommate Wayne McCombs came to Chicago with me to go to a Cubs game, see the city and as we lucked out went to visit at WLS (then a powerhouse rocker) then a few nights later we spent the overnight shift with John Doremus and got about :90 of airtime on WGN. John had his engineer tape the broadcast and I think I said the dumbest, most insipid stuff in my life in front of one of my Chicago media idols. I still have that tape.

It was neat because WGN was being heard in about 20 states - John put us on "national". WGN was a tight union shop but John had great rapport with his crew.

When I was working up here 20 years later at the NAB - National Association of Broadcasters - I called his office in Chicago to see about him doing voice-over work and got hold of a very saddened receptionist who told me he was not in any shape to do that kind of work any more and was hospitalized. Never knew what with. John Doremus died about 3-4 years....I think his scholarship for TU students may still be helping kids out. The late Bob Lauer and later KTUL's Dick Van Dera (after doing is Nam stint as a corpsman)were 2 Chicago natives that I went to school with that John Doremus helped put thru school on his scholarship program.

He went a long ways from Sapulpa.

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My name is Frank Morrow. I worked at various Tulsa radio stations in the early-mid-Fifties while I attended Tulsa University. In fact, I believe I am the only person to do "live" broadcasts over all the stations at some time or other.

First, there was KOME through which we broadcast Central High’s weekly program "Experimental Theater of the Air" under the direction of the legendary CHS speech teacher Isabelle Ronan. Also at Central we had "KVOO Day" (or "Central Day" if you worked at KVOO), in which the students took over all the production and performance duties at the station. This was at the last of the "Golden Days" of radio.

Next, it was KAKC during my freshman year at TU. I took over the announcing duties from Raymond King and hosted the night disk jockey program, "Music for Listening." ($185 a month for a 48 hour week) After signing off, I would go over to KRMG to meet John Doremus, then go to Bishops for a meal of dollar pancakes. Lewis Meyer did a weekly program on KAKC, and Mack Creager did sports. (It was great fun to create sound to simulate crowd noise, while Mack made the Oiler baseball games come alive with only the Western Union ticker tape to provide minimal information.

After a year I moved to KTUL, working for Karl Janssen and with people such as Jack Morris, Jack Charvat, Ed Neibling, Vic Lundberg, Jack Alexander, Roy McKee, Al Clauser, and Roy Pickett. While at KTUL I co-narrated the Tulsa Easter Pageant for two years over KRMG.

After three years I got a job for a few months with KFMJ where the weird Lawson Taylor was general manager. Squeezed in between all this were a couple of newscasts over KWGS. This was like reading in a closet, because there were no FM receivers at the time.

My last stop was with KRMG, a great place to work. At first I did the night music show "Music ‘til Midnight," taking over from Johnny Chick who had followed Doremus. When KRMG started its newsmobile, Chick was selected to man it. However, because the work gave him ulcers, Johnny was moved to the afternoon disk jockey show, replacing the departing Joe Knight. I assumed duties on the newsmobile, and worked the late afternoon and early evenings while Doc Hull and Johnny spun records. I also did newscasts working with Glenn Condon, a beautiful person. Also at KRMG were Keith Bretz (program director), Bill Minshall, Bob Parkhurst, Larry Strain, and Mack Creager.

Driving the newsmobile was a blank check: It was the first of its kind in Tulsa (maybe Oklahoma). I chased ambulances, interviewed visiting dignitaries, and covered local significant events such as the indictment of the Police Chief, Police Commissioner and some detectives on corruption charges. There also was a crash of a B-52 on the outskirts of Skiatook. But the big thing was another first: taking the newsmobile to the airport during tornadic weather, and broadcasting from in front of the radar screen, reporting where the areas of danger were. One listener called and said, "Take that guy off the air. He’s scaring us to death!"

There are three incidents which are recounted in the new book on professional wrestling, "Theater in a Squared Circle" by Jeff Archer. One was my meeting with the scary Ed "Strangler" Lewis late one night at KAKC, and the other two were my experiences interviewing Gorgeous George and Farmer Jones over the KRMG newsmobile. I have many memories of these years which I will write down sometime. I would like to hear from other announcers and staff members from this era. This is a significant part of Tulsa history which has yet to be documented.

Frank, we really appreciate hearing from you.

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A little anecdote here on Lee Woodward. While in college, Lee came to sing with our band in a concert. He is an excellent singer. While standing backstage waiting for our turn to go on, I asked him why he got out of tv and started selling cars. "I got tired of starving to death," he quipped.

Thanks, Lowell. Maybe we will hear directly from Lee soon.

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In answer to Mike Bruchas' comment about the old jail: Yes, there is a new one, but according to attorney Pat Williams, it is a bit disorganized. Software for the control of the jail was to have been written, but it was not delivered. So there are still problems. It is being administered by CCA rather than the sheriff, which was itself a bone of contention.

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Mike, I can't begin to tell you how impressed I am with this site. You are doing a great thing for Tulsa! Your Friend, Robert Stemmons The Whistler

9/28/99: I just met Robert and his wife Linda in person today, and he is a fun guy to talk with as well as being a world-class whistler.

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Terry Young, here are some questions for Lee Woodward:

What came first: your talent for entertaining people, or a desire to entertain?

Did you and your brother Morgan ever work together?

How did the character of Lionel evolve?

What is your musical background?

Do you ever feel nostalgia for having a public persona?

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Greetings! I certainly enjoyed strolling through the Tulsa TV Memories website! I do the Rockin' John Henry website and have TTM linked there. Thank YOU for linking to Rockin John. Drop by me anytime. I'll be looking for you!  Rita aka Sleepwalk :)

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Re: KOTV Reunion. As Bill Hyden mentions elsewhere on this site, I'm searching for bloopers. (A lot of mine made the KOTV blooper reel.) In mid 60's we had a good one dating back to Jim Hartz.

Also looking for a copy of "Tapes of Wrath," a great network blooper reel of some years past, but still great fun. Anyone who has either KOTV blooper tape or "Tapes of Wrath" please contact me or Bill Hyden. We need copies for the reunion.

Thanks, MM

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In response to Mr. Bruchas' query about what movie I'm doing in Baltimore: The Replacements, featuring Keanu Reeves and Gene Hackman.

Hurricane Floyd has had his way with the production what with the rain and wind and all.

It was great hearing Yahootie Menu on the sound clip. Armin Sebran was a great addition to the company.

Re: the Jeff MacKay telethon "incident" - yes it was a staged situation. I'm still in touch with Jeff - he is well and living in Los Angeles.

Lawzee, G.Ailard

We'll catch up with Yahootee eventually. Thanks, Mr. S., for the info on Jeff MacKay and your movie.

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As Bob Hope once sang, "Thanks for the mammories." Another of Mike Miller's great accomplishments was the interview of a Tulsa stripper who had been "busted" for dancing sans everything. He convinced her to do the interview with nothing on above the waist...with back to the camera...looking at Miller, who did the unconventional thing of looking into the camera (yeah, right) instead of us looking at the back of his head. I believe Paul Murray was the photographer and we all appreciated the fact that he kept the camera rolling at all times...providing some wonderful film that was salvaged from the cutting room floor.

Clearly, Mike Miller is a real newshound!

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I also recall the poor guys at the Creek County Sheriff's Office. One year in the 70's - it seemed EVERYONE was escaping from the old jail whether by the famous knotted bed-sheets gag or jumping over roofs. It was very embarrasing to the department. Maybe they finally convinced the county to build a new jail?

Who was the long long time Tulsa County Sheriff - was it Dave Fowler? He always looked like and talked like a "Western lawman" to me. Though I also remember at one time a lot of the deputies looked almost too large girthed to get into their patrol cars! Foot chase - hell no, just roll them deputies at felons!

I can't complain though - the ones that responded to calls at KTUL were always great.

Then you had in OKC - the colorful (black & white that is) DA Bob Macy who is still wearing black string ties a la a gambler. Talk about a gimmick that folks wouldn't forget you for!

Dave Faulkner.

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Martin Edwards was one of Lester Pugh’s victims. His car was never found, but it reportedly contained incriminating evidence linking Pugh to the crime. Terry Young is correct; I spent many days trying to track down that car.

A friend who worked at KAKC, named Beverly Criswell, and I went to a psychic who told us it was buried near power lines, under blackjack trees and was booby trapped. We searched and even got some Tulsa County Deputy Sheriffs involved, but never found it.

Lester’s wife used to kid me that I was getting close, but she never would tell me where it was.

Several years later, after I had moved to Dallas (WFAA-TV) I got a strange call late at night. “Do you want to know where Martin Edwards’ car is?” the female voice whispered. “You bet,” I said. The lady began laughing. It was Mary Pugh, in town just wanting to say hello.

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Spoke to Lee Woodward yesterday. He said he'd heard that there were some questions for him on a web site somewhere. I didn't pose any. Knew there was interest in finding out the secret behind Pitcock's "Moose" nickname, but y'all give me a list and I'll run 'em by him. I think he'd be delighted to give answers.

We'd love to get him out here to tell us about the origin of Lionel, Granny and company.

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Growing up in Chicago - criminals were refered to as by their given name - like Tony Accardo unless he was Tough Tony aka "Tony the Tuna" Accardo. Mob guys got the extra long name billing when their names were read though not when names were fonted on file/tape.

Culture shock set in when I arrived in OK and TX. All those criminals/murders and fugitives had 3 names (first,middle last - no mobbed-up nicknames) such as Tom Lester Pugh when usually refered to in newscasts. I guess it was to differentiate from the HONEST Tom Pugh or Lester Pugh. Maybe their sometimes odd middle names helped drive them on the road of crime. Freudian.

In Amarillo - I guess to aggrandize their sense of importance as news hounds - we had Bill Tell Zortman, Mildred Ellis McCoy and George Patrick Casey as on-air talent. In the days of names on slides - not electronically generated on a CG - these ego hounds (okay Pat Casey is NOT an ego hound, he just followed a bad KVII trend) never realized this made their names teeny tiny when shot to slide to be visible within "safe title" lines on most TV sets. This was not a case of a married reporter hyphenating his/her name with that of a spouse - just they felt it made them sound mo' big time.

What is that Dan Rather's middle name?? Bobby Joe? Beavis Buford? Spencer Bernard ("that man with 2 first names" was the REAL former OK Lt. Gov's campaign slogan)???

Oh yeah also in Amarillo at one time 2 stations had guys with the same names - Mark (Baker?)#1 was a reporter at 1 station and Mark (Baker?)#2 was news director (though not on air) at the other for a while - talk about potential for confusion!

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Ah, criminality. It was before my time, but I was told of the perp who, on being led out of the courthouse or lockup charged Rex Daugherty, who had to bop him on the head with his Bell and Howell silent film camera. Unlike camcorders, the B&H's were made of cast iron, strapped to the palm of the hand, and could be pressed into service as brass knucks if the need arose.

Was that Brinlee? Seems to me maybe it was, but maybe I've just got Rex on the brain.

When Lilian Newby was assignment editor at KOTV, she'd tell tales of McAlester prison riots from her days on the Daily Oklahoman. She was the only woman reporter, and probably the only woman around those violent and scary happenings. Lil was an old-school newspaperwoman, who could have been a character in "The Front Page." She moved to Washington and worked for Congressman Wes Watkins and one of the other Sooner Congressmen for a while, then went to law school and practiced with one of the big communications law firms up here.

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The Roger Wheeler murder case was in the news again recently. A mob guy has admitted guilt for that crime as well as many others, and he is getting a deal in exchange for fingering two other mobsters who were involved. One of those two was an FBI informant, which is going to complicate the process of prosecuting him.

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Mike Miller's life goal was to find Martin (or Tommy) Edwards' car. Mike, my trusty Bell & Howell was on the scene in Osage County when they dug up Edwards, but, as far as I know, they never found the car. What's the story on that?

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Re: Memorable crime stories. Rex Brinlee Jr., was a small-time thief until he got involved in a bombing in Bristow, Oklahoma. He was later convicted of planting a bomb that killed the wife of a witness in one of his trials. He called KTUL-TV one night and explained to reporter Judy Clayton: "The wrong horse got in the stall," or something like that, indicating the woman was not the intended victim. Rex gave me an interview that was shown in court in which he denied the bombing. In 1973, Brinlee escaped from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary during a prison riot and landed on the FBI's most wanted list before he was recaptured.

Cleo Epps, Queen of the Bootleggers, was coming out of federal court and her brother came at me with a knife. She was a colorful figure who secretly testified before a Tulsa County Grand Jury investigating the bombing of Judge Fred Nelson. The bombing was linked to Lester Pugh and Albert McDonald. Cleo was shot in the head after getting into a car with them and her body found three months later in a septic tank. I believe Pugh is still in prison and McDonald was killed behind bars.

I spent much time covering Brinlee and Pugh and McDonald during the 70's. They were very scary people and shared a love of explosives.

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R-I-D-E-S-H-Y - we need Mike Miller to refresh us with some crime stories on this ring in Tulsa and some other stories below I barely remember but were big crime news.

R-I-D-E-S-H-Y I think was the phonetic numbers to dial on a phone for a "service" for prostitutes as I recall and a big expose'.

Also my little gray cells remind me of the seemingly endless hunt for Rex Brinlee - but I can't remember what for. I did learn later that his Mom was the Mrs. Brinlee at KOTV when I worked there.

Also when I worked at 6 - I shot video out at Locust Grove after the Girl Scout murders. Didn't the presumed killer die in jail before his trial or execution of a heart attack? That was a tragedy and I thought someone said they may have NOT got the right suspect for the crime.

And lest we forget the murder of bootlegger Cleo Epps - we need background on this. It WAS a big story but I can't remember why she was murdered.

Then we have the murder of the chairman of Telex at Southern Hills - that has never been solved.

All so long ago - but all stories got a lot of air-time in Tulsey.

Any newshounds besides Mike Miller out there - write in, too!