Just sitting here this Monday morning, drinking coffee and doing some remembering.
First one that came to mind was how we all used to listen to Don McNeill and his Breakfast Club that broadcast from Chicao. It was a morning ritual, when not in school.
I remember on a few occasions Dad would take us for a trip to Chicago, stay at the Palmer House, and in the morning, go to the Merchandise Mart and watch them broadcast the show. They almost became "family" because over the years you got to know them well.
Much like Arthur Godfrey and Ruth Lyons, they were all costant companions while driving in the car or being at home.
Some information on the Breakfast Club ..........
The Breakfast Club helped to establish the morning show as a radio desirable. Until the popularity of The Breakfast Club, morning spots were ill-filled and not very profitable. Hosted by Don McNeill, the Breakfast Club was plugged as "a get-together time for all of us who smile before breakfast and then can’t break the habit all day long – a place to come to when a feller needs a friend.The show began with corny jokes, no sponsor, and a host with a dream. McNeill soon dropped the script and began doing the show by the seat of his pants, interviewing audience members and earned the The Breakfast Club its reputation as "radio’s most unrehearsed show. Listeners started tuning in, Cream of Wheat put up a sponsorship, and guests got better. Among the Breakfast Club regulars lie Jim and Marion Jordan (just before their fame as Fibber McGee and Molly), Marion Mann, Patsy Lee, Johnny Desmond, Alice Lon (famed later as the "Champagne Lady on Lawrence Welk) and Homer and Jethro.
Some more information that you probably don't know ..............
The Breakfast Club was a long-run morning variety show on NBC Blue Network/ABC radio (and briefly on television) originating in Chicago, Illinois. Hosted by Don McNeill, the radio program ran from June 23, 1933 through December 27, 1968. McNeil's 35-and-a-half-year run as host remains the longest tenure for an emcee of a network entertainment program, surpassing Johnny Carson (29½ years) on The Tonight Show and Bob Barker (34⅔ years) on The Price is Right.
Early radio, it don't get any better than that ..........
I actually have my earphones on and listening to a few old episodes while typing this ...
