Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Soupy Sales..1926-2009


Soupy on a 1970's Match Game appearance-courtesy born-today.com



Soupy in Detroit-Courtesy TVParty.com

Sorry to be a bit late on this, but we were away over the weekend and have been under the weather since..

Soupy Sales, the rubber-faced comedian who made pie throwing into an art form, passed away last Thursday at the age of 83 after a long illness..

Born Milton Supman in Franklinton, North Carolina, Sales' family moved to Huntington, West Virginia..After graduating from Marshall College, he worked at WHTN radio in Huntington, then moved to Cincinnati in 1949 hosting one of the nation's earliest dance shows on WKRC-TV..

After being fired from WKRC, Sales headed to Cleveland, where about 1952-53 he worked at WXEL-9 hosting an afternoon show, Soupy's On..The following are some remembrances from former historic FOX 8 web pages, which are no longer on their website..The complete archive is in our links..


"Bob Soinski: Soupy Sales also started here, only back then he was known as Soupy Hines. He wound up changing his name because he didn't want to be linked to Hines ketchup.

Soupy Sales [Host]: I had been hosting a dance show on a station in Cincinnati for a couple of months when they came up to me and said, "Who wants to watch a bunch of teenagers dancing on television?" Rod Serling and I got fired from the same station on the same day. The day I came up for the interview at WXEL, someone robbed my car. When I discovered it had happened, I just sat down and cried. They hired me to do a show every afternoon called "Soup's On" where we pantomimed records and had guests like the Hilltoppers and the Four Aces. Johnny Ray made his TV debut on my show. That was also the show where my "pie in the face" routine started. We did a bit about an Indian and a cowboy; this was when the movie "Broken Arrow" was popular. A farmer who lived next door to the station let us use his horse for the skit — it was a wild horse — and the skit wound up that the Indian threw a pie in my face.

Helen Celke: Soupy was doing a show with this girl singer, and together they did comedy.


Soupy Sales: Her name was Patty Rowe. She was a piano player. We did "Soup's On" for about a year and won the Plain Dealer Award for best new TV show. The station took it off the air the next day, and I headed to Detroit."

(Patty Rowe later would appear in the Gunsmoke Parody "The Stranger" for the Ghoulardi Show)

Soupy became a hit at WXYZ-7 hosting "Lunch With Soupy Sales" and an 11PM show..

Soupy later appeared on ABC Network and Local Shows in Los Angeles and by 1964 moved to New York to host local shows.By the 1970's he was appearing on the syndicated "What's My Line?" and other Game Shows...After a 1978 syndicated TV effort, Sales was host of WNBC Radio's afternoon show (1985-87)..One of his later TV appearances was in 1997 on the "Woodrow The Woodsman" revival series aired over WJW-TV Fox 8..Sort of coming full circle from his early Cleveland days..

Our prayers are with the family..Soupy had a rich, full career and was much loved by his fans..



Portion of a 1965 Soupy Sales Show..

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

WEWS-TV-5 Classics-YouTube-More "Turn Blue" Clips

Hello...A full plate today..
I thought this morning we would feature a couple of videos from my YouTube page with classic WEWS-TV 5 local programs..


Music programming on Channel 5..Featuring Upbeat, The Gene Carroll Show and Polka Varieties..


The Kids' Shows on Channel 5..Captain Penny, Mr. Jingeling and Romper Room (Miss Barbara Plummer). This is by far the most popular video of the ones I've uploaded, with over 13,000 views and 41 comments...

These are taken from the WEWS 50th anniversary program December 17, 1997..Recently retired TV 5 News Anchor Ted Henry is the narrator..

I'd like to at some point find some more to upload soon..Though it does take a lot of time and effort..I will start working on some more as soon as I can..

JUST IN:
Two new clips from "Turn Blue" The PBS special about the Ghoulardi Legacy to air next week..


Chuck Schodowski talks about his start in TV..


Outtake:Big Chuck talks about his first skit with Ernie Anderson-"The Batting Coach"
Courtesy Phil Hoffman

Some updates:

My wife and I will be at the Ghoulardifest this Friday Night and all day Saturday ...We'll try to bring pictures and a report next week or in early November..Also, with the holidays coming up,as is our tradition..we will try to find Thankgiving/Christmas TV schedules, ads and video, etc..To feature..Also this year..We have 2 new Christmas TV-Themed books that we will be reviewing..As always, I appreciate all who stop by..Thanks..

Friday, October 16, 2009

Encore Post-End of an Era. (May 2007)

Hello:
Here is a Cleveland Classic Media encore post from May 25, 2007..Big Chuck and Lil John
were about to retire their show from Fox 8:My thoughts at the time about their retirement and my memories about the 44 year Movie host tradition at WJW-TV.























As I type this, "The Big Chuck and Little John" Show will have taped its last regular program at WJW-TV Fox 8 (Thursday, May 24). "Big Chuck" Schodowski has announced his retirement from the Station in June 2007, after 46 years on Channel 8..47 in Cleveland TV (He was at KYW-3 for a short time in 1960). While Chuck and John will be busy with personal appearances and preparing DVD's of the BC&LJ/Hoolihan/Ghoulardi skits, It will effectively be the end of an era in Local TV. The last classic entertainment show in Cleveland Televison. The Friday/Saturday Horror Host movie has been a staple of TV 8 through 4 station ownerships for an astounding 44 years!



In 1968 a TV 8 station manager was going to cancel Hoolihan and Big Chuck, but the resulting furor changed his mind...My first experiences with Ghoulardi as a 5 or 6 year old..When we went to visit relatives in East Canton, Ohio On Friday nights. They wanted to watch Ghoulardi but I was scared of him..LOL..He sort of spooked me out..As I grew older, Like many in Northeast Ohio, I watched (with pizza, pop and chips) Hoolihan and Big Chuck-More for the skits than the movies most weeks..spoofs of current and long forgotten movies, tv and commercials..Some worked better than others, but Chuck, Hooli and John would. within the bounds of good taste, try almost anything at least once. The great Characters, Stosh, (Certain ethnic), SoulMan, Ben Crazy, Kielbasy Kid. Batguy and Rinaldi, Readings By Robert..And those were just the most well known skits..not to mention other one-shot skits..most a laugh riot..I think of supporting players..Art Lafredo, Jim Syzmanski, Mary Allen, Tom Bush, Bill Ward..and how much they added to the show, Not to mention other TV 8 personalities such as Robin Swoboda and Dick Goddard, who didnt mind hamming it up in occasional skits..I have been watching the "Skits" shows the last several weeks and Big Chuck many times refers to the show as a "Family". I'd like to think that Chuck and John thinks of the viewers as an "extended family" ..That would be invited into their house every Friday or Saturday night for the last 4o years (or more)..Guys..thanks for letting us in..Its been a great ride..Thanks for the memories..

The show taped Thursday will be shown Saturday morning at 10AM on Fox 8. There will also be a prime-time special on Fox 8 Friday June 22, 2007 at 8PM..

Thanks to bigchuckandliljohn.com for the title picture..Doktor Goulfinger for the Cleveland Press Ghoulardi Picture..clevelandseniors.com for the Bob Wells Picture and the TV 8 Logo from Wikipedia..

A lot has happened since 2007..Big Chuck and Lil John have hardly "retired"..They still do personal appearances..And headline the "Ghoulardifest", which is coming up a week from today..Several new DVD collections have come out with more on the way..Big Chuck , with Tom Feran released his biography last year with a Paperback version (including a new chapter) being released shortly..The legacy does continue..

Personal note:One of my dear friends online WIXYGrad74, is featuring yours truly and Cleveland Classic Media on his blog today..Thanks WIXY!!..You're one of the good ones..

http://wixygrad.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-like-tim-lones-because.html









Monday, October 12, 2009

Fall Preview:1959-60

Sort of a fun ad for TV 8 movies..





In The Style of Dateline Hollywood and New York Columns..TV Guide goes over some of the Local changes in the fall..Click to read more clearly..


WEWS-TV/WKBN/Fisher Foods' Ad for Ken Coleman's "Quarterback Club"



Double page spread with two ads..A Jerome Kern Special and Fibber McGee and Molly, In Their second week..














Ronnie Barrett, Cleveland Radio DJ..Had hosted Classical Music on KYW-FM in the mid 1950's before becoming part of the first cast on Channel 5's One O Clock Club in 1957..Here, he hosts the 11:20 Movie after the Pete French News..
Note:I copied these pages at the Akron Downtown Library months ago..Looking at the above ad many times I just now got the pun.."The Late Night Show is well above Pa(a)r"..I can be so dense sometimes!LOL!











TV Guide Sitcom preview for 1959-60




Today, lets look at the Fall TV season of 1959-60..Fifty years ago..TV guide was touting it as the "Year Of The Special" as it were, with 400 specials on Network TV for this season..Amazing, when you consider there were only 3 networks..In those days, when a show was pre-empted for a "Special" it was usually a more different, interesting or exciting program than the normal program in that time period..These days, with 500 or more channels, the lines become blurred as far as a "special program" is comcerned.




As far as series programming, the Western reigned supreme, with a total of 29, including 10 new shows. The only Western of this group to last a long time was "Bonanza" which aired for 12 and a half seasons on NBC..Though Laramie on the same Network lasted four seasons..



Next were Private Eyes, mostly on ABC, with Warner Brothers Shows like Hawaiian Eye and Bourbon Street Beat Making their debuts., as well as The Untouchables. Most of the detective shows of this era were gone by 1963..




According to TV Guide, the Situation Comedy was making a comeback, However, of the seven new sitcoms, only 3 lasted past 59-60..Dennis The Menace, Dobie Gillis and Henessey..NBC's ill-fated attempt at remaking Fibber McGee and Molly for TV barely lasted past the Holidays..






Locally, Myrus The Mentalist made a comeback on WJW-TV 8 Tuesdays at 8PM..Bozo also premiered this season on Channel 8 with Ed Fisher in The Clown Costume..New Bishop Sheen films were to air on WEWS Channel 5, along with Notre Dame Football Replays and Mike Hammer with Darren McGavin (Incidentally airing on Retro TV Network weekends in 2009)..KYW picked up Brave Stallion (Fury Reruns) in Syndication..


Lets take a look at a couple of sample program schedules:


Stations:

3 KYW NBC
5 WEWS ABC
8 WJW CBS
21 WFMJ Youngstown NBC
27 WKBN Youngstown CBS
45 WKST Youngstown ABC
49 WAKR Akron ABC

Saturday September 19, 1959

7:30
3 Land Is Ours
8 RFD
8:30
3 Albert P. Worm
8 Mr. Banjo's Carnival


8:55
5 News-Bill Prentice


9AM
3 Fife And Drum
5 Stu Erwin Show
21 Bugs Bunny


9:30
3 Cartoon Carnival
5 Christophers
8-27 Captain Kangaroo


10AM
3-21 Howdy Doody-COLOR
5 Uncle Al-ABC

10:30
3-21 Ruff And Reddy-COLOR
5 Movie-Western "Throwback"
8 Mighty Mouse
27 Cartoon Classics

11AM
3-21 Fury
8-27 Heckle And Jeckle


11:30
3-21 Circus Boy
5 Kit Carson
8-27 Robin Hood


Noon
3 Movie-1943 Comedy "Higher and Higher"
5 Dance Party
8 Rex Humbard
21 True Story
27 Serial Theater


12:30
8 Film Feature
21 Detective's Diary


1PM
5 Command Performance
8 Movie-TBA
21 Mr. Wizard
27 Movie-Lillian Russell 1940
49 Looney Tunes


1:30
5 Waterfront
21 Movie-TBA
49 Uncle Al-ABC


2PM
5 Movie-You Belong To Me 1941
49 Movie-Without Love 1945


2:30
3 Movie-This Man's Navy 1945
8 Bandstand-Phil McLean (Local)
27 Movie-The Flanagan Boy English 1954

3:30
5 Movie-You Were Never Lovelier-1942
21 Movie-TBA

4PM
3 Barnaby, Popeye and Friends
8 Roller Derby-RETURN
49 Movie-Pursuit-1945

4:30
3 Football Warmup-Jim Graner
8 Wrestling
27 Space Rangers

4:45
3-21 College Football-Rice at LSU-RETURN/COLOR-With Red Grange and Lindsey Nelson

5PM
49 Movie-Song Of The City-1927

5:30
5 Three Stooges-Saved By The Belle
8 Movie-TBA-Nikita Khruschev's arrival for a US Visit was scheduled at this time possibly pre-empting programming at this time..
27 Three Stooges

6PM
5 Lights, Camera..Questions-Panel
49 Movie-Ringside Maisie-1941

6:30
5 You Asked For It
27 News Of Today
45 Uncle Al-ABC

6:45
27 World Of Sports

7PM
5 Jamboree-RETURN-Tommy Edwards
8 Death Valley Days
27 McKenzie's Raiders
45 Cisco Kid
7:15
3 Football Scoreboard

7:30
3-21 Bonanza-COLOR
5-45 Dick Clark
8-27 The Reckoning
49 Movie-The Unholy Night-1929

8PM
5 Herald Playhouse-Syndicated
45 Jubilee USA-Red Foley

8:30
3-21 Man And The Challenge
5 Jubilee USA
8-27 Wanted-Dead Or Alive


9PM
3-21 The Deputy
5-45-49 Lawrence Welk
8-27 Brenner

9:30
3-21 Khruschev Visit-Pre-empts Cimarron City
8-27 Have Gun, Will Travel

10PM
5 Indians Baseball-Cleveland at Kansas City A's Ken Coleman, Bill McColgan (Indians won 13-7)
8-27 Gunsmoke
45 Sherlock Holmes
49 Movie-Presenting Lily Mars


10:30
3 Bold Venture
8-TBA
21 It Could Be You-Bill Leyden
27 Border Patrol
45 Movie-The Twonky-1953


11PM
3 News-John Mahoney
8 News-Jim Doney
21-27 News


11:05
3 Weather-Dick Reynolds


11:10
3 Sports-Jim Graner
8 Sports-Doug Adair
27 Movie-Silent Raiders 1954


11:15
3 Movie-Operation Manhunt-1954
8 Weather-Howard Hoffman


11:20
8 Movie-The Horn Blows At Midnight-1945
21 Movie-The Prowler-1951


11:45
49 Movie-Reducing-1930

12:25
5 Baseball Scoreboard


12:30
27 Wrestling

1AM
3 Movie-Powder Town-1942
8 Movie-Dead Man's Eyes-1944


Thursday, September 24, 1959
6:30
3 Credo-Channel 3 used this title for Interfaith religious sign-on messages into the 1980s..
6:35
3 Morning News Roundup
6:45
3 Today's Classroom
7AM
3-21 Today
8 Morning Meditation
7:15
8 Rex Humbard
7:30
8 Spunky And Tadpole
8AM
27 CBS News-Richard C. Hottelet
8:15
8-27 Captain Kangaroo
8:55
3 News-Tom Haley
5 News-Randy Culver
9AM
3 Movie-The Stranger's Return -Part 2-1933 (Cash On The Line)
5 Western Reserve Telecourse
8 Movie-Lady Gangster-1942 (Watch And Win)
21 Coffee Break-Drama Probably antholgy reruns
27 Movie-The Keys Of the kingdom-Part 2-1944
9:30
5 Paige Palmer
21 Bugs Bunny
10AM
21 Dough Re Mi-Game
10:20
8 News-Jim Doney
10:25
3 Window-Women
10:30
3-21 Treasure Hunt-Jan Murray
8-27 Sam Levenson
11AM
3-21 The Price Is Right-Bill Cullen
5 Red Riley-Kids
8-27 I Love Lucy
11;30
3-21 Concentration-Hugh Downs
5 Stu Erwin Show
8-27 Top Dollar-Game
Noon
3-21 Tic Tac Dough
5 News-Randy Culver
8-27 Love Of Life
49 Movie-The Good Earth-1937
12:05
5 Noon Show-Captain Penny
12:30
3-21 It Could Be You-Bill Leyden
8 Search For Tomorrow
27 Movie-The Man Who Lived Twice-1936
12:45
8 Guiding Light
1PM
3 Movie-Christopher Strong-1933 (Big Wilson)
5 One O Clock Club
8 Movie-Notorious Gentleman-1947
21 News Headlines
1:15
21 Kitchen Corner-Marjorie Mariner
1:45
27 Carousel-Women
2PM
21 Queen For A Day
27 For Better Or Worse-Serial
45-49 Day In Court
2:30
5-45-49 Gale Storm Show
8-27 Linkletter's House Party
21 The Thin Man
2:50
3 News-Pete French
3PM
3-21 Young Dr. Malone
5-45-49 Beat The Clock-Bud Collyer
8-27 Big Payoff
3;30
3-21 From These Roots
5-45-49 Who Do You Trust?
8-27 The Verdict Is Yours
4PM
3-21 Truth Or Consequences-COLOR-Bob Barker
5-45-49 American Bandstand-Dick Clark
8 Brighter Day
27 Cartoon Classics
4:15
8-27 Secret Storm
4:30
3-21 County Fair-Bert Parks
8 Edge Of Night
27 Movie-Armored Car
49 Movie-High Noon-1952
5PM
3 Barnaby, Popeye And Friends
8 As The World Turns
21 Looneyville
5:30
3 Movie-The Iron Major-1943
5-45 Adventure Time
8 Movie-The Duke Of West Point-1938
21 Popeye And Friends
27 Three Stooges
6PM
5 Three Stooges-Ants In The Pantry
21 Huckleberry Hound
45 My Hero-Early Robert Cummings sitcom
49 Looney Tunes
6:15
27 Suppertime-Humbards
6:30
5 News/Comment-Dorothy Fuldheim
21-27 News
45 Film Short
6:45
5 News-Tom Field
21 NBC News-Huntley/Brinkley
27 CBS News-Douglas Edwards
45 ABC News-John Daly
49 Zip Interviews-Akron U. Sports
6:50
3 News-Pete French
5 Weather-"Sunny" Day
6:55
3 Here's The Pitch-Sports
5 Three Stooges and Friends
49 Weather, News
7PM
3 77th Bengal Lancers
8 City Camera-News
21 Target-Adolphe Menjou
27 Roving Camera-Stu Wilson
45 Abbott And Costello
7:10
8 Sports Camera-Warren Moran
7:15
5 NBC News-Huntley/Brinkley-For a time in 1959-60..Up till Friday, July 1, 1960..WEWS carried Huntley/Brinkley..Monday, July 4 1960 Huntley/Brinkley moved over to KYW-TV 3
8 CBS News-Douglas Edwards
49 ABC News-John Daly
7:30
3-5-8-21-27-45-49 Khruschev Visit-Reporters/Commentators:NBC-Ray Scherer, Richard Harkness-ABC:John Secondari, Robert Fleming, Charles Ashley-CBS:Walter Cronkite, Howard K. Smith, Paul Niven and Whitman Bassow..
8PM
3-21 Who Pays?-Mike Wallace..Panelists-Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Celeste Holm and Gene Klavan.."Bat Masterson" Moves to this time next week.
5-45 Zorro-To be replaced by Donna Reed The following week..
8-27 December Bride-'The Betty Hutton Show" premieres next week at this time..as December Bride moves to Weekdays
49 Movie-Tugboat Annie-1933
8:30
3-21 Staccato
5 Real McCoys
8-27 Yancy Derringer-Last Show-"Johnny Ringo" premieres at this time next week
45 26 Men
9PM
3-21 Bachelor Father
5-45-49 Leave It To Beaver-Moves to Saturday Nights at 8:30 Pat Boone returns next week at this time
8-27 Zane Grey Theater
9:30
3-21 21 Beacon Street-Last Show-The Ford Show with Tennessee Ernie Ford returns to this time slot next week
5-45 Rough Riders-Last Show-After an expanded Pat Boone Show and an episode of "Meet McGraw" "The Untouchables" premieres Oct. 15, 1959
8-27 Playhouse 90
49 Movie-Words and Music-1948
10PM
3-21 Groucho Marx
5 Waterfront
45 Confidential File
10:30
3 It's A Great Life
5 Quarterback Club-Browns Highlights with Ken Coleman
21 Masquerade Party-COLOR-Last Show
11PM
3 News-Pete French
5 News-Tom Field
8-27 News-Warren Guthrie
21 News
11:10
3 Weather-Joe Finan
8 Press Box-John Fitzgerald
11:15
3 Sports-Jim Graner
5 Jack Paar
8 Weather-Doug Adair
11:20
3 Movie-The Squaw Man-1931
8 Movie-Crash Dive-1943
21 Jack Paar
27 Movie-The Queen Of Spades -English 1950
1AM'
5 News-Paul Wilcox











Monday, October 5, 2009

"Turn Blue" Special to premiere on PBS 45/49

WJW-TV Station ID slide from late 1962-1963 (courtesy Phil Hoffman)
Hello:

Several months back, we announced that Phil Hoffman, Media Professor at Akron University, was producing a new special about Ernie Anderson and The Ghoulardi Phenomenon from 1963-66 in Northeast Ohio..


Well, the Special is just about finished, and after a premiere showing at the Ghoulardifest October 23-25, "Turn Blue:The Short Life of Ghoulardi"will be telecast for the first time on Western Reserve PBS (45/49) Tuesday, October 27 at 9PM..Other Showings:


Regular 45/49:

Wednesday, October 28 2AM

Saturday, October 31 4PM


Fusion 45-2, 49-2

Thursday October 29 9PM

Saturday, October 31 7:30 PM
Here is a short YouTube clip from Mr. Hoffman..Looks to be very well done..
Here, Tom Feran, Ron Garsteck and Mike Olszewski talk about how widespread the Ghoulardi craze was..
A personal note:Phil credits me and Cleveland Classic Media for the use of some material from here in the program..Really appreciate it..