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Man From Mars Productions

Reeth & King
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WDRC staff, March 1960: Reeth and King, Jerry Bishop, Mike Stein, Bud Steele, Jim Raynor, Art Johnson

 

Q: What do you remember about other people you worked with? Art Johnson, Jim Raynor and Jerry Bishop, for instance, were all there before the format change. Why were they never given a shot at morning drive?

A: I don't know why Art Johnson, Jerry Bishop, or Jim Raynor were never offered, or never accepted, morning drive. Perhaps they weren't nutty enough. You have to be a little wacky to get up in the middle of the night to do a morning radio show. Buckley and Jaeger were accustomed to Klaven and Finch and that was a tough act for anyone to cover. John Jaeger lived across Long Island Sound and received a clear WDRC signal. On several occasions he called, while we were on the air. "Morning Ken. Dee Finch and I are sitting here in my den, listening to my favorite radio show, Reeth and King." Those calls were guaranteed to shake us up every time.

Jerry Bishop sat in for us one day, when Eddie and I went to New York with Buck Forker, to entertain at a Radio and Television Executive Society luncheon. He sounded real good. Another time, he sat in for me when I had the flu. He did a terrific job as straight man and Eddie had a ball.

George Freeman ran a terrific news department, with Mike Stein and Bud Steele, while Jerry was a terrific air personality. Ron Landry started at WDRC the day Godfrey (and Reeth and King) left. We met Ron later, in passing, when we came by the station to pick up a check. I suspect Ron was hired as a solo, because he was a damned funny, creative guy who did a helluva radio show.

 
  Calvin the Caveman (aka Eddie King)

Q: Tell me about your cast of characters.

audio - April 7, 1960 A: Bob Coe invented a sound effect of a coffee bean counting machine. We used it with a character named, Calvin the Caveman, a mainstay of our morning show, who claimed he and Bob invented it, proving the validity of the sponsor's claim that every cup of Nescafe Coffee contained 43 beans. Eddie was the voice of Calvin; the photo shows Eddie in his Calvin makeup.

WDRC's "I Go For Calvin" button

audio - April 7, 1960 We also had a Calvin the Caveman club. A listener drew the picture on the certificate (right).

(left) WDRC's "I Go For Calvin" button.

 


Calvin the Caveman Club

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