Classic Cleveland Personalities-1954

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Joe Portaro, Beauty and Fashion Expert, moved over from WNBK-Channel 3 to WXEL-8 recently. His show aired daily from 3:00=3:15PM. It was apparently a big ticket according to this TV Guide ad, even for a 15-minute show..

Here is a wonderful photograph from Cleveland Memory Project/Cleveland Press Collection..Original photo descruption:

Seven veterans.

"In point of service, these are the oldest performers on WEWS which is celebrating its seventh birthday today. From upper left to the bottom: Paige Palmer, Crandall Hendershott, Rachel VanCleve, Bob Dale, Randy Culver, Dorothy Fuldheim, and Gene Carroll. WXEL observes its fifth year on the air today." End quote

This would appear to be from on or about December 17, 1954. Brief profiles below:

Paige Palmer, Beauty/exercise hostess
Rachel Van Cleve-Hosted "Mixing Bowl" cooking show
Randy Culver-Announcer, Newsman, musical soloist on various programs
Crandall Hendershott-Organist-Teamed with Culver on several shows
Bob Dale-Hosted many variety shows-Probably the most popular personality on WEWS at the time. More on Dale Below
Dorothy Fulheim-News Commentator
Gene Carroll-Kids Host "Uncle Jake", Gene Carroll Talent Show


TV Guide Ad Map advertising WNBK-TV's coverage area due to it's recent (April 25, 1954) move from channel 4 to channel 3..This was done to reduce/eliminate interference with WWJ-4 in Detroit and WEWS-5.


Bob Dale at the "weatherboard" from his days at KNSD 7/39, the NBC-TV affiliate in San Diego. Special thanks to Kerrie Briggs, Art Director of KNSD 7/39 for the use of the photo.


The main reason for this blog post is to mention one of the fine early performers of Cleveland Television, Bob Dale, who passed away May 26, 2008 at the age of 83.He was born Robert Dale Bergmayr in Canton March 26, 1925. After serving in World War II, he attended Case Western Reserve University on the GI Bill. He began at WEWS-TV 5 around May, 1948. He jokes that "They were looking for anyone over 21 who could talk." Dale, like many performers in early TV did many kinds of programs..Among them The Bob Dale Show, and Ten Thirty Theater. He also appreared on such shows as TV IQ, Fun With Charades, and Pooch Parade, which was revived as a segment of "Captain Penny's Camedy Clubhouse" in the 1960s. He was best known in Cleveland for Dinner Platter, a informal show featuring other WEWS employees and special guests, generally airing at varied times around 4-6PM weeknights. He also served as weatherman.

After winning several awards as most popular performer in Cleveland TV, he moved out to San Diego, Califoria in 1956. Because of a World War II injury to his ears, doctors suggested he move out west to help the healing process. He started at KFMB-8, the CBS affiliate, where he did many of the same things he did at WEWS. His popularity was such that he became an Icon in San Diego, Hosting Movie Shows, doing weather and many other kinds of programs. His biggest regional/national success was Zoorama, featuring the San Diego Zoo, broadcast locally from the 50's, on CBS in 1965 and in national syndication 1968-70.

Dale moved across town to KNSD-7/39, San Diego's NBC affiliate in January, 1978 where he was part of the weather team and did other shows and specials until his retirement in 2001.

Condolences to his wife Marilyn and his family.

Link to Plain Dealer Article:

http://www.cleveland.com/obituary/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1212222781195010.xml&coll=2

Link to San Diego Union-Tribune Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080528-2152-bn28dale2.html

Much of the information comes from these two articles.

TV Guide Listings:
Cleveland Edition

Channels:
3 WNBK NBC
5 WEWS CBS
8 WXEL-DuMont/ABC
27 WKBN CBS/ABC/DuMont Youngstown
49 WAKR ABC Akron
73 WFMJ NBC Youngstown

Friday, April 30, 1954
7AM
3-73 Today
5-27 Morning Show-Guest John F. Kennedy and his recent bride Jacqueline Lee Bouvier

8:55
8 Preview Corner

9AM
3 Movie-A Guy Could Change
5 Mixing Bowl-Rachel Van Cleve
8-27 Breakfast Club-Don McNeil-ABC
73 Movie-Danger, Women at Work

9:30
5 Western Reserve Telecourse

10AM
3-73 Ding Dong School
5-27 Jack Paar
8 Maggie Wulff

10:30
3-73 One Man's Family
8 Charming Children

10:45
3-73 Three Steps to Heaven

11AM
3-73 Home-Arlene Francis
5 Dionne Lucas-Cooking
8 Alice Weston-Cooking
27 I'll Buy That-CBS

11:30
5-27 Strike It Rich-Warren Hull
8 Rena and Bob Ledyard

Noon
3-73 Bride and Groom
5 Valiant Lady
8 Treasure Party-Bob Neal
27 News

12:15
3-73 Hawkins Falls
5-27 Love Of Life

12:30
3-73 Betty White Show

12:45
5-27 Guiding Light

1PM
3 Movie-My Dog Shep
5 Women's Window-Cooking
8-27 Brighter Day-CBS
73 News

1:15
8 Portia Faces Life-CBS
27 Home Cooking-Resch
73 Hal's A Poppin-Hal Fryar

1:30
5 Garry Moore
8 Fan Fare-Wullf-"Maggie and Pre-Game Interviews"

1:45
5-27 Garry Moore
8 Baseball Previews-Danny Landau

2PM
5 Double Or Nothing
8-Baseball-Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees-Jim Britt/Ken Coleman (Indians won 9-4)
27-Movie-Adventures of Casanova
73 Movie-Meet The Missus

2:15
3 Maggi Byrne

2:30
5 Art Linkletter-Jack Slattery subs for Art
73 Kitchen Corner-Marjorie Mariner

2:45
3 Nancy Dixon-Shopping

3PM
3-73 Kate Smith
5-27 Big Payoff

3:30
5 Bob Crosby

4PM
3-73 Welcome Travelers
5 Dinner Platter-Bob Dale
27 Woman With A Past-CBS

4:15
27 Secret Storm

4:30
3-73 On Your Account
5-27 Robert Q. Lewis

4:45
8 Scores and Squaws-(Yes, that was the name of the post-game show)

5PM
3-Pinky Lee
5 Uncle Jake's House-Gene Carroll
8 Movie-Riding The Dusty Trail
27 Barker Bill-CBS
49 Hinky Dinks-Kids
73 Susie Sidesaddle

5:15
27 Grizzly Pete

5:25
5 News

5:30
3-73 Howdy Doody
5 Movie-Texas Buddies
49 Corral Time

6PM
3 Supper Time Comics
49-73 News

6:10
49 Social Whirl

6:15
8 Sports-Bob Neal
49 Humbard Family
73 Sports-Eddie Lane

6:25
5 Professor Pet
73 Weather

6:30
3 Dports-Tom Manning
5 Dorothy Fuldheim
8 TV Weatherman-Dr. Annear
27 News Today
49 Adventure Time
73 In Our School

6:40
3 Coyne for Auditor
8 Cleveland Today

6:45
3 Today's News
5 Sports Page-Jack Graney
8 Home with the Graham-Browns QB Otto Graham and Family
27 Sports-Don Gardner
49 Custom Ranch-Western

6:55
5 Weather-Johnny Price
27 Weather-Stu Wilson
49 Weather

7PM
3 Badge 714
5 Primary Preview
8-27 Captain Video-DuMont
49 News-Jack Fitzgibbons
73 Turn Of a Card

7:10
5 TV IQ-Bob Dale
49 Sports-Bob Wylie

7:15
5 The Greatest Drama
8 News Parade-Bob Lang/Jimmy Dudley
27 Rambling Reporter-Stu Wilson
49 ABC News-John Daly
73 Telerama-Film

7:30
3-73 Eddie Fisher
5-27 CBS News-Douglas Edwarda
8-49 Stu Erwin-ABC

7:45
3-73 Camel News Caravam-John Cameron Swayze
5-27 Perry Como

8PM
3-73 Dave Garrpway
5 Mama-CBS
8 Ozzie and Harriet-ABC
27 TBA
49 Teen WHO Club

8:30
3-73 Life Of Riley
5-27 Topper
8-49 Pepsi Cola Playhouse-ABC

9PM
3-73 Big Story
5-27 Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars
8 Life Begins at 80-DuMont
49 Paul Hartman Show-ABC

9:30
3-73 TV Soundstage
5-27 Our Miss Brooks
8 Boston Blackie-Syndicated
49 American Of The Year-Danny Thomas

10PM
3-73 Boxing
5-27 My Friend Irma
8 Chance of a Lifetime-DuMont
49 Movie-Miraculous January

10:30
5 I Led Three Lives
8 Down You Go-DuMonr
27 Person to Person-CBS

10:45
3-73 Greatest Fights

11PM
3 News-Tom Field
5 Movie-13 Lead Soldiers
8-27 News-Warren Guthrie
49 News-Bill Murphy
73 Stage 73-Swamp Fire

11:05
3 Weather-Joe Finan

11:10
3 Sports-Joe Mulvihill
8 Today's Top Story-Ted Malone
27 News-Sid Davis
49 Sports-Bob Wylie

11:15
3 Custom Inn-Cy Kelly, Glenn Rowell
8 Carling's Sports Final-John Fitzgerald
27 Movie-Welcome, Mr. Washington

11:30
3 Movie-Crown Jewels

Midnught
73 Late News

12:30
3 Hoot Gibson
5-27 Local News

12:45
3-News