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Is Uncle Al Lewis and Wanda Lewis still alive?

  • Thread starter SteelersBRSeven
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SteelersBRSeven

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I found a site several years ago on the internet where you could buy copies of the old Uncle Al Show. I just was wondering if you could get old copies of Paul Dixon's show and Bob Braun's show too.
 
SteelersBRSeven said:
I found a site several years ago on the internet where you could buy copies of the old Uncle Al Show. I just was wondering if you could get old copies of Paul Dixon's show and Bob Braun's show too.

AL and Wanda are both alive, article from Feb 2008 http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2008/02/uncle-al-and-cincinnati-television.asp

I have a video of the Dixon "Chicken Wedding" and a commemorative video for Bob Braun both of which I purchased a few years ago from the WLWT website. I suspect there might be some on E-Bay by now. Bob's nephew Bucks Braun in currently doing a morning show on WBZI AM1500 Xenia, he has a lot of audio that he sometimes uses on his show which is probably from his personal collection.

Unfortunately I don't think many of the programs from WLW television have survived. They did not videotape most of them as they were mostly broadcast live. You Tube has some Ruth Lyons stuff but that is about all. Videotape was very expensive in the early days and a lot of it got erased and reused which happened to the early Carson Tonight Shows too. Uncle Al was, I think kinescoped, for the ABC network so more of them have apparently survived.
 
Al and Wanda Lewis reside on a farm in Adams County in south-central Ohio, east of Cincinnati.

With regards to WLW-T programs, I'd like to see the Paul Dixon "Hot Pants" show from about 1972 or so. Most of the women in the audience, along with Colleen Sharp and Bonnie Lou, are wearing hot pants and knee-high boots in that one.
 
Both are alive and in Hillsboro. You might find him at the Shell station occasionally getting gas.

Onto what exists on videotape:

Most of Uncle's programs are just a memory, except the last two years, which Al owns (and on U-matic).

WLW-T programming is different. There are tens to hundreds of hours of Dixon and Braun shows on tape, along with some Midwestern Hayrides, Ohio State Fair and AVCO Hour of Stars that are in an environmentally controlled atmosphere at Union Terminal (Historical Society).
 
Toddy-0 said:
Both are alive and in Hillsboro. You might find him at the Shell station occasionally getting gas.

Onto what exists on videotape:

Most of Uncle's programs are just a memory, except the last two years, which Al owns (and on U-matic).

WLW-T programming is different. There are tens to hundreds of hours of Dixon and Braun shows on tape, along with some Midwestern Hayrides, Ohio State Fair and AVCO Hour of Stars that are in an environmentally controlled atmosphere at Union Terminal (Historical Society).

Very interesting, I hope it is true. I know from experience that a lot of recycling of video tape went on back in the days of the 2" Quad tape machines which is why NBC does not have any early Tonight Shows with Johnny Carson. I think that Ruth Lyons did not want her shows taped, they did some of her Christmas Fund shows where the musical numbers were for production reasons pretaped for the "live" broadcast. The old black and white "Honeymooners" were done on Kinescope for the old Dumont Network so they are out there. I think some of the Steve Allen shows were also kinescoped. I Love Lucy was filmed (using three cameras) and Desi Arnaz owned them with Lucy so they have survived in excellent condition.

Video Tape machines were only introduced in the late 50's, like 56 or 57. They were very expensive as were the tapes so only networks and possibly Avco could have afforded them. The later "U-Matic" machines (precursors to Beta-Max and 1" Helical Scan) made taping affordable for local stations and then Cable TV operators. Actually Beta was at first meant to be for ENG use and the idea of home video was afterthought to sell more equipment. My first home machine had a familial resemblance to it's 3/4" cousins. I have a lot of hours of experience from my days of doing local access shows for cable. We also had to edit all of the local ads onto 3/4" reels for the local ad insertion equipment as well, no digital servers in those days.

Is there any potential for this library to be digitized? If not they will eventually deteriorate, no one knows how long Magnetic Tape will last. Old audio was largely done on acetate so it is gone unless it has been re-taped on a better more durable base or digitized. For major stars there is an economic value so they are being done but I suspect these videos are more of a liability and that they will languish in the vaults.
 
How great it would be to see some of the old Dixon shows. Happy to read Uncle Al and Captain Wendy are alive and hopefully well. I was on the show in the early 60's and still have the photo.

Now, another great Cincinnati broadcaster who I have always wondered about since leaving the area. I can't imagine he is still alive but how about Bob Shrieve? Maybe a new thread is necessary.

If you never saw Shrieve's late night movie shows on Saturday night you really missed something. Corny but absolutely hilarious. He did not come on until somewhere around 1am and it got funnier and wierder as the night wore on. Great memories.
 
1316wwood said:
How great it would be to see some of the old Dixon shows. Happy to read Uncle Al and Captain Wendy are alive and hopefully well. I was on the show in the early 60's and still have the photo.

Now, another great Cincinnati broadcaster who I have always wondered about since leaving the area. I can't imagine he is still alive but how about Bob Shrieve? Maybe a new thread is necessary.

If you never saw Shrieve's late night movie shows on Saturday night you really missed something. Corny but absolutely hilarious. He did not come on until somewhere around 1am and it got funnier and wierder as the night wore on. Great memories.

Never saw Shrieve but in Columbus there was Jerry Beck on Saturdays and Fritz "The Night Owl" on WBNS, Channel 10 weeknights but not all night. I met Fritz at WOSU where he co-hosted a Saturday Jazz show. When I moved to LA there were all night movies but no host, just the constant Cal Worthington commercials and I was disappointed.

On a commercial note does anyone remember Harry's Carpet City? "What'd you say Harry?"
 
1316wwood said:
Now, another great Cincinnati broadcaster who I have always wondered about since leaving the area. I can't imagine he is still alive but how about Bob Shrieve? Maybe a new thread is necessary.

If you never saw Shrieve's late night movie shows on Saturday night you really missed something. Corny but absolutely hilarious. He did not come on until somewhere around 1am and it got funnier and wierder as the night wore on. Great memories.

Here you go: http://www.bobshreve.com/

The kids will say WTF, but us geezers will be grinning the whole time we watch. Buddy, have a drink.
 
BobointheH20 said:
1316wwood said:
Now, another great Cincinnati broadcaster who I have always wondered about since leaving the area. I can't imagine he is still alive but how about Bob Shrieve? Maybe a new thread is necessary.

If you never saw Shrieve's late night movie shows on Saturday night you really missed something. Corny but absolutely hilarious. He did not come on until somewhere around 1am and it got funnier and wierder as the night wore on. Great memories.

Here you go: http://www.bobshreve.com/

The kids will say WTF, but us geezers will be grinning the whole time we watch. Buddy, have a drink.

I didn't recognise the name but now I have a distant recollection of the bits with Willie Thall on WLW TV. I think that I may have seen the Schoenling All Night Theater. Watching the video I also learned where Jerry Beck in Columbus borrowed his "wanna see chickie a little longer" gag. Thanks, great memories!

I was always a big fan of all night movie shows because when the movie was awful ( they usually were) the antics of the hosts made it worthwhile. I think the last one I can recall was Joe Bob Briggs on TNT. Infomercials have taken over the overnight hours now. Even old movies with the Cal Worthington and his dog Spot commercials would be better. I think he singlehandedly kept Channels 9, 11, and 13 here in LA on the air, at least after midnight, but you got the movie between sales pitches, not like the whole show being a sales pitch.
 
Buddy have a drink - you are so right! Thanks so much for the link.
 
I was on Play it Safe once. It was taped after the 6pm news...so we were to get to the studios around 5-5:30 which meant we got to see the end of the Early 9 Movie. Forget Play it Safe...the highlight of the day was seeing Wirt Cain!
 
Who hosted Play It Safe? I think during its run they had more than one host of the show. Writ Cain showed some good movies :)
 
Toddy-0 said:
I was on Play it Safe once. It was taped after the 6pm news...so we were to get to the studios around 5-5:30 which meant we got to see the end of the Early 9 Movie. Forget Play it Safe...the highlight of the day was seeing Wirt Cain!
Me too...maybe 1963-1964?? Cub Scouts...
I remember not talking loudly enough to be heard very well...my 15 minutes of TV fame squandered.
 
1316wwood said:
How great it would be to see some of the old Dixon shows. Happy to read Uncle Al and Captain Wendy are alive and hopefully well. I was on the show in the early 60's and still have the photo.

Now, another great Cincinnati broadcaster who I have always wondered about since leaving the area. I can't imagine he is still alive but how about Bob Shrieve? Maybe a new thread is necessary.

If you never saw Shrieve's late night movie shows on Saturday night you really missed something. Corny but absolutely hilarious. He did not come on until somewhere around 1am and it got funnier and wierder as the night wore on. Great memories.

I had the pleasure of working for Taft Broadcasting while Bob was doing PPP. On Saturday nights, I use to enjoy going into the TV studios and watching Bob work. And, I can tell you the reason things got funnier and weirder as the night wore up was the Bob did a bit of drinking while he worked. Funny guy, and I loved him and was thrilled to make his acquaintence.
 
cbenhur said:
1316wwood said:
How great it would be to see some of the old Dixon shows. Happy to read Uncle Al and Captain Wendy are alive and hopefully well. I was on the show in the early 60's and still have the photo.

Now, another great Cincinnati broadcaster who I have always wondered about since leaving the area. I can't imagine he is still alive but how about Bob Shrieve? Maybe a new thread is necessary.

If you never saw Shrieve's late night movie shows on Saturday night you really missed something. Corny but absolutely hilarious. He did not come on until somewhere around 1am and it got funnier and wierder as the night wore on. Great memories.


I had the pleasure of working for Taft Broadcasting while Bob was doing PPP. On Saturday nights, I use to enjoy going into the TV studios and watching Bob work. And, I can tell you the reason things got funnier and weirder as the night wore up was the Bob did a bit of drinking while he worked. Funny guy, and I loved him and was thrilled to make his acquaintence.
He went to channel 7 in Dayton around 1971. Seems I recall Schoenling being the sponsor. Also seems I recall some open beer bottles on the set, him singing along with the Schoenling, Schoenling commercial, the bottles getting slapped off the counter top & a different host being on the following week.
 
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