Showing posts with label Ghoulardi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ghoulardi. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Ernie's Place


TV Guide Ad for KYW-TV 3..Heralding its new on air logo look beginning in January 1961. They would stay with this logo till early 1963 when they would begin using the famous Group W "3" which would be used for over 40 years at Channel 3 in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

TV Guide Ad on the occasion of the premiere of "Ernie's Place" Monday, July 17, 1961.



Another TV Guide Ad for "Ernie Anderson:A Man of Distinction"(?)

Today I'd like to look at one of Cleveland's Television icons of the 1960's..Ernie Anderson..More specifically, "Ernie's Place, a morning movie show hosted by Anderson in 1961 on WJW-TV 8.

Anderson had been a disc jockey in his native New England and Albany, New York before moving to Cleveland around 1958 to work at, and get fired from, WHK-AM 1420..After which he did freelance radio work before being hired by KYW-3 in 1960. While there he met up with a young writer-comic named Tom Conway. The two hit it off quite well and they worked together on commercials, as well as Conway doing skits on KYW's "Big Wilson" Movie show.
After they were let go by channel 3, Anderson moved over to WJW-TV 8 in 1961 as an announcer, bringing Conway with hin as a "director". Though Conway was never a director in his life..

Ernie's Place began July 17, 1961 as an outgrowth of WJW-TV's "Morning Movie" which had aired 9:30-11AM..The first movie shown was "Henry Aldrich Swings It" from 1943.

After it became obvious Conway wasnt a director, Chuck Schodowski was brought in to help smooth things out..Ernie and Chuck became lifelong friends. Ernie's Place was supposed to have guests but they couldnt get any, so Anderson and Conway did comedy skits in between movie breaks..

The show's time was moved up a half hour from 9-11AM September 4, 1961, replacing the Ed Allen exercise Show at 9.

Ernie's Place was actually gaining popularity somewhat..But, by the end of 1961, Tom Conway had gotten offers from Hollywood and was gone much of the time..Ernie felt he couldnt carry on by himself..Eventually the show suffered and was cancelled Friday, January 5, 1962. Tom (Now known as Tim) was preparing for his big break in "McHale's Navy" which would make him a star..Anderson, under contract to Channel 8, continued to be a booth announcer and doing other freelance announcing work until "Ghoulardi" began January 18, 1963.

Ernie's Place was replaced Monday, January 8, 1962 by Kids host Bwana Don at 9, Jack LaLanne at 9:30, One day delay of As The World Turns at 10 and I Love Lucy reruns at 10:30.

I am not absolutely sure, but I think this may have been the last scheduled early-mid morning movie series on any of Cleveland's 3 major tv stations..



Video of the first part of "End of an Era"..with mention of "Ernie's Place" and a small bit of Ernie's Place with Ernie Anderson and Tim Conway..

TV Guide Schedule
Cleveland Edition
Friday, July 21, 1961

Cleveland
3 KYW NBC
5 WEWS ABC
8 WJW CBS

Youngstown
21 WFMJ NBC
27 WKBN CBS
33 WKST ABC
45 WXTV IND

Akron
49 WAKR ABC

6:20
3 News

6:25
3 Farm Fare

6:30
3 Business Guidelines

7AM
3-21 Today-John Chancellor (Concluding his first week as permanent host)
8 Home Economics

7:30
8 Rex Humbard

7:45
8 Clutch Cargo

8:15
8 Captain Kangaroo

8:55
5 News

9AM
3 Funsville-Josie Carey
5 Morning Melodies
8 Ed Allen-Exercises
21 Susie-Ann Sothern
27 CBS News-Charles Kuralt

9:15
5 Cartoon Time
27 Captain Kangaroo

9:30
3 Truth Or Consequences
5 Romper Room
8 Ernie's Place Movie-Down The Stretch 1936
21 Halls Of Ivy

9:55
21 News

10AM
3 Give N Take-Tom Haley
5 Paige Palmer
21 Say When-Art James
27 I Love Lucy

10:30
3-21 Play Your Hunch-COLOR-Merv Griffin
27 Video Village-Monty Hall

11AM
3-21 Price Is Right-COLOR-Bill Cullen
5-33-49 Gale Storm Show
8-27 Double Exposure

11:30
3-21 Concentration-Hugh Downs
5-33-49 Love That Bob!
8-27 Your Surprise Package-George Fenneman

Noon
3 News
5 News
8-27 Love Of Life
21 Truth Or Consequences
33-49 Camouflage

12:10
5 Noon Show-Captain Penny

12:30
3-21 It Could Be You-COLOR
8 Search For Tomorrow
27 News-Dick Minton
33-49 Number Please

12:35
27 Movie-Dulcy-1940

12:45
8 Guiding Light

12:55
3-21 NBC News-Ray Scherer

1PM
3 Movie-Summer Film Festival-I Live My Life-1935
5 One O Clock Club-Dorothy Fuldheim, Bill Gordon
8 Dr. Hudson
21 News
33 Ladies Day
49 Code Three

1:15
21 Kitchen Corner-Marjorie Mariner

1:30
8 As The World Turns
33 Ilka Chase Show
49 Cartoon Time

2PM
8 You Asked For It
21 Jan Muray-COLOR
27 Face The Facts-Red Rowe
33-49 Day In Court

2:30
3-21 Loretta Young
5-33-49 Seven Keys
8-27 House Party

3PM
3-21 Young Dr. Malone
5-33-49 Queen For a Day-From Minneapolis
8-27 Millionaire

3:30
3-21 From These Roots
5-33-49 Who Do You Trust-Johnny Carson
8-27 Verdict Is Yours

4PM
3-21 Make Room For Daddy
5-33-49 American Bandstand (5 and 49 carry 60 minutes-33 90 minutes)
8 Brighter Day
27 Club 27-David Allan

4:15
8-27 Secret Storm

4:30
3 Barnaby, Popeye and Friends
8 Edge Of Night
21 Here's Hollywood
27 Life Of Riley

5PM
5 Captain's Clubhouse-Captain Penny
8 Movie-A Child Is Born-1940
21 Capt. Sailorbird and Susie (Sidesaddle)
27 Three Stooges and Stanley
49 Movie-The Great Meadow-1931

5:15
3 Movie-Armored Attack-1943

5:30
5 Three Stooges-1. Scheming Schemers 2. Blunder Boys
21 Bozo The Clown-Russell
33 Rin Tin Tin-ABC

5:50
27 Sergeant Preston

6PM
33 Barney Bean
45 Harness Highlights

6:10
45 Club Calendar

6:15
45 Pezzenti Show

6:20
27 Supper Time-Rex Humbard
45 Baby Showcase

6:25
45 Weather

6:30
3 News-Bill Jorgensen
5 Dorothy Fuldheim
8 Cannonball
21-27 News
45 Channel 45 Hop-Boots Bell
49 Akron Baptist Temple

6:40
3 Weather-Dick Goddard

6:45
3-21 Huntley Brinkley
5 News-Tom Field
27 CBS News-Douglas Edwards
33-49 ABC News-John Daly

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

7PM
3 Quick Draw McGraw
5 Assignment:Underwater
8 City Camera-Doug Adair
21 Highway Patrol
27 Silent Service
33 Tightrope!
49 News-Jack Fitzgibbons

7:10
8 Sports-John Fitzgerald

7:15
8 CBS News-Douglas Edwards
49 Little League Baseball

7:30
3 Give N Take-Tom Haley-Special Nighttime Edition-Possibly for the summer
5 Sherriff Of Cochise-Syndicated
8-27 Rawhide
21 Happy-NBC-With Ronnie Burns-George Burns' Son
33-49 Matty's Funday Funnies
45 Movie-Trouble In The Glen-English 1954-45 was already repeating the same movie 2-3 times a week..This had been shown the previous Sunday and Wednesday

8PM
3-21 One Happy Family
5-33-49 Harrigan and Son


8:30
3 Dimensions 3-Ronnie Barrett
5-33 Flintstones-Classic Episode "The Hot Piano"
8-27 Route 66
21 Tallahassee 7000
49 Movie-Night Must Fall-1937

9PM
3-21 Lawless Years
5-33 77 Sunset Strip
45 Movie-Destination Big House-1950

9:30
3-21 Preview Theater-Harry's Business-Ray Walston, Elena Verdugo in a Series Pilot that was never picked up
8-27 Adventure Theater-Anthology Reruns-RETURN

10PM
3-21 Michael Shayne
5-33 Detectives-Robert Taylor
8-27 Twilight Zone

10:15
45 Movie-Bal Tabarin-1952

10:30
5 Third Man
8 Dick Powell Theater
27 Person To Person
33 Law and Mr. Jones-ABC
49 Movie-Good News-1947

11PM
3 News-Bill Jorgensen
5 News-Tom Field
8-27 News-Warren Guthrie
21 News
33 Weather

11:05
33 Movie-The Loves Of Carmen-1948

11:10
3 Weather-Jim Gerard
8 City Report-Doug Adair
27 News

11:15
3 PM East/PM West
5 Jack Paar-COLOR
8 Sports-John Fitzgerald

11:20
8 Movie-Love Letters-1945
21 Jack Paar-COLOR

11:25
27 Movie-They Were Expendable-1945

Midnight
49 Passport To Danger

12:45
3 Movie-Barbary Coast Gent-1944

1AM
5 News

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