Tuesday, February 26, 2008

WKYC 50th Anniversary special End Credits

From WKYC-TV 3's 50th Anniversary special October 27, 1998..Del Donahoo, joined by Romona Robinson in the final portion of the special with Del's closing comments and the end credits, superimposed over some clips from Channel 3 personalities of the past..This is my own first attempt at a YouTube video..I hope to do more in the future once I can figure out how to edit videos down to usable size..This comes from a VHS copy of the special as it originally aired..



@1998 Gannett Corp. Some content courtesy National Broadcasting Company and Westinghouse

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Quick Note on You Tube..


TV Guide ad for "My Little Margie" reruns on KYW-TV 3..This was in the week of January 11-17, 1956..Notice the notation "Formerly WNBK"...WNBK changed over to KYW-TV 3 at noon Monday, January 13, 1956. We may have a posting or two soon on the original Cleveland/Philly swap..as we did last year on the swap back in 1965..


A while back, we started using video from YouTube once in awhile when we found a partixclarly interesting video to share..One problem with YouTube is that some users occasionally have their accounts deleted for "terms of use" violations and the like. Unfortunately, when a video is deleted from YouTube, it disappears from here, too. In the next few days, I will be going through all the YouTube postings here and deleting those YouTube postings from folks that had their accounts suspended..If certain videos of interest return, I will redo them as a new post..Sorry for any inconvenience.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Tuesday, December 16, 1947-The night before TV Day.. In Cleveland


Part of a Cleveland Press special section about the opening of WEWS-TV..Included is an FM primer and a TV 5 coverage area map

Cleveland Press Radio Guide for Tuesday night-Wednesday December 16-17, 1947


I thought we'd share another of our relatively rare postings on Radio... Focusing on Cleveland AM/FM radio the night before WEWS-TV 5 signed on the air for the first time..The last night that Cleveland would be a "Radio-only" city. Cleveland radio personalities of the era included Jimmy Dudley of WJW-850, Tom Manning at WTAM-1100, Bob Neal at WGAR-1220 and Dorothy Fuldheim, already doing commentary at WEWS-102.1 FM in advance of Channel 5's sign-on (WEWS-FM had only been on the air about 3 weeks at this time) The main AM stations in Cleveland were joined by WSRS 1490 and WJMO 1540..As well as a number of FM statons..

Tuesday Night December 16, 1947
5PM-1AM
Courtesy Cleveland Press

WJW-850 ABC

5 Santa Claus
5:15 Terry And The Pirates
5:30 Jack Armstrong
6 News:Dudley-Cato
6:15 Johnny Edwards
6:30 Clambake
7 Jimmy Dudley:Sports
7:15 Tello Test
7:30 Green Hornet
8 Youth aaks Government
8:15 Monitor/News Views
8:30 Town Meeting
9:30 Boston Symphony
10:30 Bandstand
11 News, Sports
11:15 Time For Tunes
11:30 This Is Goodnight
Mid. Anything Goes

WTAM-1100 NBC

5 When A Girl Marries
5:15 Portia Faces Life
5:30 Just Plain Bill
5:45 Front Page Farrell
6 News, Music
6:15 Tom Manning
6:30 Affectionately Yours
6:45 Three Star Extra
7 Supper Club
7:15 World News
7:30 Maurice Spitalny
8 Milton Berle
8:30 A Date With Judy
9 Amos n Andy
9:30 Fibber McGee And Molly
10 Bob Hope
10:30 Red Skelton
11 News:Tom Manning
11:15 Fancy Free
11:30 Frankie Carle
Mid. News, Nusic
12:15 Design For Listening
12:30 Harry George
12:55 News

WGAR-1220 CBS

5 Lum and Abner
5:15 Melody Market
5:30 Range Rider
6 Sidney Andorn:Van Patrick
6:15 News:Bob Neal
6:30 Frank Leahy
6:45 Lowell Thomas
7 Beulah
7:15 Jack Smith
7:30 Club 15
7:45 Edward R. Murrow
8 Big Town
8:30 Mr. And Mrs. North
9 We The People
9:30 Studio One
10:30 Peter Donald
10:45 To Be Announced
11 News, Sports
11:15 UN Digest
11:30 Charlie Spivak
Mid Morgan's Musical Inn
12:15 News:Morgan's Musical Inn

WHK-1420 Mutual

5 Lady Fare
5:15 Superman
5:30 Captain Midnight
5:45 Tom Mix
6 News:Godley
6:15 Monmtana Cowboys
6:30 Dinner Winneer
6:45 Eyesd On Tomorrow
7 Fulton Lewis
7:15 News:Dinner Date
7:30 Newscope
7:45 Inside Of Sports
8 Mysterious Traveler
8:30 Official Detective:Rose
9 Gabriel Heatter
9:15 Real Stories
9:30 Zane Grey Show
10 10 O'clock Tunes
10:30 Club 321
11 News
11:15 Morton Downey
11:30 Disc Digger (Records)
12:30 Lee Castle

WSRS-1490 FM 95.3

5 News
5:15 Kiddie Kart
5:30 Concert Moderne
5:45 Stardust Melodies
6 Ed Falkenstein
6:15 John Lynn:Sports
6:30 Sound Stage
7 News
7:15 Nat Brandywine Orchestra
7:30 Orchestra Hall
8 News:Music
8:30 Melody Mill
9 Trio Time
9:15 Show Time
9:30 Music For Tuesday
10 News
10:15 This Is Music
11 News, Sports
11:15 Al Lewis
Mid News
12:15 Sign-Off

WHKX=FM 100.7

5 Music In The Air
5:30 Gay Nineties
5:45 News:Music
6 SupperTime
7 At Your Service
7:30 South Of The Border
7:45 Vocal Harmonies
8 Great Classics
9 Golden Days
9:15 Piano Moods
9:30 Litle Show
9:45 Name Bands
10 Music Hopper
10:30 Sinfonietta
11 All The News
11:15 Organ Moods

WEWS-FM 102.1

5 News:Musical Cocktail
6 News:Dinner Serenade
7 Dorothy Fuldheim
7:15 Romance In Music
8 News:Footlight Review
9 News:Evening Symphony
10 News:Curtain Call
11 News:Nocturne
Mid Sign-Off

WJMO-1540
(Daytime Only-No programming Thursday night)

Schedule for Friday December 17, 1947

7:45 Jake And Lena (Gene Carrroll)
8 News:Jake/Lena
9 News:Jake/Lena
9:15 Polish Program
9:30 Hungarian Program
9:45 Czech Program
10 News:Your Town
10:15 Songs Of Faith
10:30 Morning Musicale
11 News:Hayloft Gang
11:30 Mysta Time (Parts of the Schedule were hard to read..so may be some guesses from here on out)
Noon News:Cleveland Story
12:15 Noon Timeclock
1 News:Howie Lund
1:15 Flashes:Ballads
1:30 Polka Parade
2 News:Memory Music
2:30 Songs of the Range
3 News:Here's Howie
4 News:Here's Howie
4:45 Mysteries:D. M.
5 Sign-Off

By 1950, TV would pretty much copy the major radio schedule patterns at ths time:News/Light entertainment in the mornings.."Dramas" in the afternoon..News in the early evening and Prime time about 8-11PM..While Radio by 1960 completely changed to music and news..almost no entertainment peograms except for a few soaps on CBS, Gunsmoke, Suspense
and "Johnny Dollar"

I would love to have heard WJMO-1540 is this time period..seems like it might be quite entertaining..

Monday, February 18, 2008

1964-1967 Network Cartoon Shows-"Brought To You By"

These are parts of openings to Cartoon shows from the 1964-67 era..With the "Brought to you by" tags..Courtesy of 12TVcartoons from YouTube..

Monday, February 11, 2008

How Do You Like Your Eggs?-Obscure Bill Cullen Game Show

Here's something I never thought i'd see..A Pilot episode of "How Do You Like Your Eggs?" experimental game show done for 200 Warner Cable Columbus, Ohio customers..They were experimenting with a 2-way interactive Television system called "Qube" in Summer 1977..The producer actually went to a Syndicated "To Tell The Truth" taping and talked Bill Cullen into coming down to Columbus, Ohio and hosting this program...Cullen easily could have balked over coming to "small-town" Columbus, but He agreed to do it..4 Episodes were made..A part of what was the "third" pilot episode is in the "related videos"


While A lot of the production was decidedly amateur, Bill, being the pro that he was, Hosted the show as if he'd been in Columbus for years and was having a great time at it..

While Qube was phased out by 1984, another aspect of the Warner Amex System survives today..Cable Channels for specific interests were introduced..One of these Channels, "Pinwheel" evolved into what is now the Nickelodeon Channel.

While I am sure Bill was compensated for his hosting this show..He was given a gift of..An Atari Pong Game!..


Thanks to Game Show Guru Adam Nedeff for posting this Gem..

Matt Ottinger's Bill Cullen Homepage has a little more about this unique show.


http://userdata.acd.net/ottinger/cullen/shows/howeggs.html

Friday, February 8, 2008

February 1963-The beginnings of Ghoulardi..

Warren Guthrie's last year of "Sohio Reporter" would be 1963. It was said that Warren didnt care much for local news..so Doug Adair followed with "City Report" at 11:10 (Which eventually morphed into City Camera News) At this point Norm Wagy would have nightly editorials at 11:15 followed by John Fitzgetald Sports at the odd time of 11:18, followed by the night movie at 11:23.
TV Guide Ad for The early evening WJW-TV Newscast with Doug Adair, followed at 7:10 by John Fitzgerald Sports and CBS News at 7:15.



Advertisement for KYW-3's "Early Show"..The Late afternoon/early evening feature film was a staple of KYW/WKYC-TV 3 from at least 1959-into the early 1970's.


WJW-TV 8-Prime Time Monday Night lineup in early 1963.



TV Guide ad for Woodrow the Woodsman (Clay Conroy)..He started out as a sidekick for "Barnaby" but proved popular enough for his own daily show..


Today we will look at February 1963..Cleveland was involved in a long newspaper strike in 1962-63 which apparently resulted in extra TV News coverage, though not apparent in schedules of the period..There was a TV Guide disclaimer that said that there may be more TV News because of the Strike..

The major programming news of the January-February 1963 period had to be the debut of TV 8 announcer Ernie Anderson's "Ghoulardi" on January 18, 1963. Anderson, a Massachusetts native who had previously hosted "Ernie's Place" Movie series with friend Tom (Tim) Conway till January 1962, was under contract to Channel 8.

A Channel 8 executive saw Anderson emceeing an in-house Christmas party in December '62 and suggested Ernie host a series of Horror Films Channel 8 had just acquired. Costumer Ralph Guilko came up with Ernie's Ghoulardi Costume-Fright wig, Beard and dark glasses..and Ghoulardi was born..


Ernie really put himself into the part..The studio was darkened so you could only see his face..He was so popular that his catchphrases, including "Stay Sick", "Turn Blue", Ova Dey", "Purple Knif" and "Cool It with The Boom Booms" were part of Northeast Ohio's vocabulary long after Ernie was gone..

He really pushed the evelope with Channel 8 brass resulting in constant lectures "Now don't do that again". His biggest uproar came with the 11-episode "Parma Place" skit which ran most of 1966..A dead on spoof of popular ABC series "Peyton Place" Ernie played "John" a "Lake Erie Muckraker" who lived with wife Janet..There was also "Handsome downstairs neighbor" Jerry Kreegle. played by show Producer/engineer Chuck Schodowski (who had to practically be beaten up to appear on the air with Ernie)..Jerry had eyes for Janet, but John seemed oblivious to that fact..


The skits gave rise to several Parma assumptions..Love of polka music, Pink flamingos and White socks..which still are assumptions today..The series made such a hit that the City of Parma put pressure on channel 8 to stop the skits..By this time Ernie was ready to leave Cleveland..He was gone to Los Angeles by November 1966. He became very well known as "The voice of ABC" into the 1990's..He passed away in 1997...


In honor of Anderson and the TV 8 horror host tradition, Big Chuck and Lil John will host "Ghoulardifest IV" at the Holiday Inn Independence on Rockside Road..October 17-19, 2008.


More Info here:


Some information from "Ghoulardi:Inside Cleveland TV's Wildest Ride" by Tom Feran and RD Heldenfels..Excellent Read if you can find it.. @1996 Gray and Company, Publishers, Cleveland, Ohio.



TV Guide Listings:
Friday, February 8, 1963 (45 years ago today)

3 KYW NBC Cleveland
5 WEWS ABC Cleveland
8 WJW CBS Cleveland
49 WAKR ABC Akron

5:50
3 News

5:55
3 Farm Fare

6AM
3 Continental Classroom

6:30
3 Continental Classroom-COLOR

6:50
8 Meditation

6:55
8 News

7AM
3 Today
8 College Of The Air

7:30
8 Cluitch Cargo

7:45
8 Rex Humbard

8AM
8 Captain Kangaroo

8:55
5 News

9AM
3Woodrow
5 Western Reserve Telecourse-English
8 B'Wana Don

9:30
3 Felix
5 Romper Room-Miss Barbara
8 Jack LaLanne

9:45
3 Tomorrow's Learning Today

10AM
3 Best Of Groucho
5 Paige Palmer
8 As The World Turns

10:30
3 Play Your Hunch-COLOR-Robert Q. Lewis
8 I Love Lucy

10:45
5 TV Classroom-Social Sudies

10:55
49 News

11AM
3 Price Is Right-COLOR Bill Cullen
5-49 Jane Wyman
8 Dale Young Time-An attempt to compete with Mike Douglas and The One O Clock Club-Didnt last long

11:30
3 Concentration-Hugh Downs
5-49 Yours for a Song-Bert Parks

Noon
3 News
5 News-Randy Culver
8 Love Of Life
49 Tennessee Ernie Ford

12:10
5 Noon Show-Captain Penny

12:15
5 King Leonardo

12:25
8 CBS News-Harry Reasoner

12:30
3 Mike Douglas-Guest Hostess Gypsy Rose Lee
5 Noon Show-Continued
8 Search For Tomorrow
49 Father Knows Best

12:45
8 Guiding Light

1PM
5 One O Clock Club-Dorothy Fuldheim, Bill Gordon
8 Adventures In Paradise
49 Movie-The Search Part 2 1948

2PM
3 Merv Griffin-COLOR-Variety
8 Password-Allen Ludden
49 Day In Court

2:25
49 ABC News-Alex Dreier

2:30
5-49 Seven Keys-Jack Narz
8 House Party-Linkletter

2:55
3 NBC News-Floyd Kalber

3PM
3 Loretta Young
5-49 Queen For A Day-Jack Bailey
8 To Tell The Truth-Bud Collyer

3:25
8 CBS News-Douglas Edwards

3:30
3 Young Dr. Malone
5-49 Who Do You Trust-Woody Woodbury
8 Millionaire

4PM
3 Match Game-Gene Rayburn
5 Love That Bob!
8 Secret Storm
49 American Bandstand

4:25
3 NBC News-Sander Vanocur

4:30
3 Barnaby, Popeye and Friends-Linn Sheldon
5-49 Discovery 63 Live
8 Edge Of Night

4:55
5-49 American Newsstand-Bill Lord

5PM
5 Five O Clock Show-Captain Penny
8 Mickey Mouse Club
49 Movie-Luxury Liner 1933

5:05
3 Movie-Singing Guns 1950

5:15
5 Rocky and Friends

5:30
5 Five O Clock Show-Continued
8 Movie-King Of The Jungle 1933

6PM
8 News-Ken Armstrong

6:05
8 Movie-Continued

6:30
3 News-Bill Jorgensen
5 Dorothy Fuldheim
49 Salute To Mental Health

6:40
3 Weather-Dick Goddard

6:45
3 NBC News-Huntley/Brinkley
5 News-Tom Field
49 ABC News-Ron Cochran

6:55
5 Weather-Carolyn Johnson
8 Weather-Howard Hoffman

6:57
8 TV Editorial-Norman Wagy

7PM
3 Quick Draw McGraw
5 Jeff's Collie (Lassie)
8 City Camera-Doug Adair
49 News-Jack Fitzgibbons

7:10
8 Sports-John Fitzgerald

7:15
8 CBS News-Walter Cronkite
49 Weather-Bill McKay

7:30
3 International Showtime-Don Ameche
5 Gallant Men
8 Rawhide
49 Winston Churchill

8PM
49 Father Knows Best

8:30
3 Arms And The Man-SPECIAL
A play presented by the Cleveland Playhouse Road Company..Produced by Dennis Maguire and Directed by Bertram Tanswell. An example of different, eclectic programming Westinghouse presented locally..Pre-empted Mitch Miller and Price Is Right

5-49 Flintstones
8 Route 66

9PM
5 I'm Dickens He's Fenster-Comedy
49 Movie-The Razor's Edge 1946

9:30
5 77 Sunset Sttrip
8 Alfred Hitchcock

10PM
3 Jack Paar-COLOR with The Smothers Brothers, Jackie Mason and Oscar Levant

10:30
5 Third Man
8 Eyewitness

11PM
3 News-Bill Jorgensen
5 News-Tom Field, Joel Daly
8 Warren Guthrie News-Sohio Reporter
49 ABC News-Bill Shadel

11:10
3 Weather-Dick Goddard
8 City Report-Doug Adair
49 Local News

11:15
3 Steve Allen
5 Johnny Carson-COLOR
8 TV Editorial-Norman Wagy
49 Movie-The Man From Dakota 1940

11:18
8 Sports-John Fitzgerald

11:23
8 Movie-Attack Of The Crab Monsters 1957-Ghoulardi (His fourth week)

12:45
3 Movie-Lightning Anne (English-American) 1954

12:58
8 Movie-Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1939 First in the Rathbone/Bruce Series

1AM
5 News