WOW, since I made mention of Ruth Lyons I have gotten a lot of response from a lot of people. Some remembered her, some vaguely remembered her and some had never heard of her. Here is a bio I got off of the internet.
Ruth Lyons is a Cincinnati institution, known both for her work as one of the nation's premier broadcasters in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, and her charity, the Ruth Lyons Children's Fund. Ruth began her career in radio in the 1930s at Cincinnati's WKRC. She moved to WLW and WSAI in 1942 to host an afternoon show for women called "Petticoat Partyline." Next came "The WLW Consumer's Foundation" featuring Ruth, Frazier Thomas and organist Arthur Chandler. The show was later renamed "Morning Matinee." In 1949, while continuing her duties on "Morning Matinee," Ruth debuted the "50 Club" on WLW, the show for which she is best remembered. Named for the number of people in the studio audience each day, the 90-minute weekday show soon became the "50-50 Club" when it began simulcasting on WLW and WLWT television. By 1951, Ruth Lyons was a household name outside of Cincinnati. NBC aired the "50-50 Club" nationwide for 11 months that year, one of several programs produced in Cincinnati by WLWT and broadcast by every station in the network. The show marked another milestone in 1957 by becoming the first color TV broadcast in Cincinnati. Ruth had a number of co-hosts during her years on the "50-50 Club," including Paul Jones, Willie Thall, Peter Grant and Bob Braun. It was Braun who stepped in when Ruth retired in 1967. She died in 1988.
I remember listenting to her on the radio, and then TV. She had some regulars, a band, several vocalists, and her audience was always involved in the show. I remember when she was on TV, if anyone wanted exposure in the Midwest, you tried to get on her show. I remember “big stars” being on her show, and an appearance on her show got not only regional attention, but national as well.
She chatted with her regulars, the audience, her guests, the band, it was a “family” and you did not want to miss one day of it. It took years to get tickets to her show. They were in great demand.
I forget the products now, but many were introduced by Ruthie, and shelves were empty by the end of the day. Ruth said the product was good, that was all the public needed, they went out and bought it. I still only use Hellman’s Mayonnaise to this day. One of my doctors at our local hospital is sometimes referred to as Dr. Mayonnaise, I could remember her name by association, her name is Hellman.
Christmas and Ruth Lyons went together. She loved that holiday, and as you can see from above, she started a Children’s Fund to give to children when they entered a hospital. It got bigger and bigger each year.
Ruth Lyons was definitely a “pioneer” in broadcasting, both radio and TV. I am sure there were others around the country, but Ruth and Arthur Godfrey, started it all, their formats are still copied today, whether they know it or not. I don’t think either one get the recognition that they should.
Ruth is a part of my growing up, being sick and staying home from school, listening to her on the radio, some of the first TV I ever saw, Ruth Lyons, my first color TV show, Ruth Lyons.
Technology moves so fast that sometimes we forget those who have come and gone, yet did so much. Ruthie is one of those.
