Cleveland Classic Media: October 2009

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