Thursday, November 15, 2007
WNEW, 1130 In New York: From 7/16/06
Writing about Louis Nye and Steve Allen along with working on this site brought back memories of listening to the radio in the 50's and 60's. Michael Meeropol (Rosenberg) also talked about listening to the Lone Ranger when they came to arrest his parents back in July of 1950 (see the clip of Witness to Execution two posts below) Anyway I wrote this in July of 2006. Now I have the option of putting the movie I made here (above) instead of just linking to it.
"The WNEW post jostled my memory. I started to remember (and I can picture) the radio situated in the kitchen, above the refrigerator, of 14 Monroe Street. It played WNEW all the time-Klavan and Finch, William B., Williams, Ted Brown and later Julius LaRosa. There was the Make Believe Ballroom and the Milkman Matinee and Ted Brown and the Redhead. That was one thing my mother and father agreed upon, the music of that era. Maybe that's why I listened faithfully to that old fashioned style, while the whole world around me went to rock and roll, folk and later the Beatles. Uncle Hy had his radio, same station, situated in the back of his store, Hi-Mart Pants And Tailors, near his sewing machines. When life was simple and I had time to do non-sensical things (now I have time, but life isn't simple). I once wrote a letter to WNEW management giving them advice on how to save the station. "Stop playing schlock like Jerry Vale and Frankie Laine, Instead mix Ella and Frank with classic jazz like Lester Young, Oscar Peterson, etc." I still think that would make for a great station. Jonathan Schwartz does it to some degree on WNYC , but then you have to suffer his bloated ego." Here's a WNEW slide show complete with theme music.
The post I'm commenting on was written so long ago, I doubt anyone will ever see this comment. Still, thanks for the memories of WNEW. How I miss New York radio, having transplanted to Florida in 1982. I was in kindergarten and grammar school when my Mom listened to Ted Brown and the Redhead. Remember that funny song The Redhead used to sing? It was PS 149's school song. I still remember the words.
ReplyDeleteI guess Ted Brown was no big name in the grand scheme of things but, to my childhood mind, he was as well known as Dwight Eisenhower. Lack of info when googling Ted Brown proves he was just a local blip on the radar.
ReplyDeleteThank you for naming The Milkman's Matinee and Make Believe Ballroom. My Dad listened to them while reading, before we had a TV. And that WNEW theme song: how many years was that played?
It's now Nov. 2013. I live in Israel. For some reason, I was waxing nostalgic, and reminded myself of Ted Brown and the Redhead. They were among my favorite radio programs when I was growing up in Brooklyn. If you see this, please send the words to PS 149, as I don't think that I know it accurately. I think that Ted used to say "warm up that coffee Mama, cause I'm comin' upstairs"?
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