memories and old friends

I saw some old friends when I was in Chicago

     Friends I saw after school.  Friends who made me laugh.  Friends who helped me sleep at night.     Friends I never met.
     I visited the Museum of Broadcast Communications on Friday, mainly because they had an exhibit on Johnny Carson.
     Carson was my hero.  I loved his show and watched it a lot.  He influenced me in so many ways.
     A lot of Carson's show business life was on display but the one thing that made me laugh out loud was a picture of him when he was in the Navy during WW II.  There picture was of the backsides of a whole line of sailors standing straight, with the exception of a little guy on the end who was leaning backward, resembling a reverse C, and looking at the camera with a goofy expression on his face.  I laughed out loud when I looked at that picture.  It was so Johnny.
     It's hard to believe he left the show in 1991....seems like yesterday.
     I always wanted to meet him, but obviously I did not and never will.
     He wasn't the only old friend I saw.  Garfield Goose was there, along with Bozo, Paul Harvey, and Svengooli, although I admit I was not a Svengooli fan.
     In the broadcasting hall of fame room, there were so many voices from the past:  Milo Hamilton, Dick Biondi, Roy Leonard, Jack Brickhouse, Harry Carey, BobCollins,  Larry Lujack, .......all those names of people who entertained so many of us when we were younger.
     I smiled at the Don McNeil display.  He had a show, Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, and Billy from the neighborhood and I think Frank, maybe John, and I all went to see it one time.  A radio show on the top floor of the Allerton Hotel.  It was great.
     I had forgotten about that until I saw the display.  I remember marching around the studio....that was part of the show.... the first call to breakfast.
     But the item that brought back so many memories was a radio.
     A white Bakelite Crosley radio.
     When my parents moved into the house on Belle Plaine, I got my own room.  I had a radio that looked exactly like the one on display.  I would listen to the Cubs when they were on the West Coast on that radio, as well as Clark Weber, Ron Riley, Biondi and Franklyn McCormack.... who did a late night show that had poetry, love songs, rambling thoughts.......
     But it was always the Cubs on the West Coast.  Laying under a sheet, the windows open and the sounds of the city coming in, and the Cubs announcers giving the play by play that lulled me to sleep.
     All on that white Bakelite  Crosley.
     And there it was again on Friday.  Suddenly, I was 13 again, if just for a moment.
     Now, some pictures.

my radio!

Fibber McGee's closet

Svengooooooooli

This chair was made of bats signed by Cubs players.....many of them Hall of Famers.  It was given to Jack Brickhouse to mark his 5,000 baseball game.  Can you imagine broadcasting that many games?  Hey, Hey.... I loved him!

I was his guest sitting in the chair closest to him.

A photo of the first show....note the plain stage.  Although they have photos of the first show, no film exists.

cue cards

Johnny's make up kit

The coffee cups were made for him by a company in California.  Each guest knew which cup to use!

Carnac, the Magnificent

Just naming all the stars would take hours

Funny people from the early years.

Garfield and friends.

The Bozo crew was there

Just me and the guys clowning around.