| January 15 2002 at 01:57:56 Name: Frank Morrow Email: frankmor@io.com Location: Austin Comments: I talked with someone who recently came from NYC. She said that people there really scramble to do TV commercials or voice-overs. She said that people can live for up to three years after doing even one commercial, the residuals are so great. (And, I thought that the union scale of 50 dollars an hour was good when I was in NYC in the late '60s.) In Austin in the '70s and '80s, they paid piddle-little, except for a friend of mine who had his own small operation. He paid me $50 a recorded minute. This was good money when doing such things as narration for training films. Otherwise, the top I could find in Austin was $10 an hour. I wouldn't work for that. I talked with an Austin guy who had a deal that included residuals. The agency always tried to cheat him. He had to monitor the radio and TV stations and keep a log of when his commercials aired. They always would shortchange him unless he could show them his log. Of course, because he couldn't monitor all the stations all the time, he was sure that he always was not paid his due. I never did hear how much money people got for doing freelancing in Tulsa in the ‘50s. There was very little of it, and residuals were unheard of. Charlie Shepherd Kaiser-Frazier had a lot of commercials made for a short while in the early ‘50s, but he didn’t stay in business long. His commercials consisted of Jack Morris and sometimes Roy Pickett screaming at the top of their lungs, frequently in conjunction with loud sound effects like a machine gun firing. If a talent fee for the announcer was sent to the radio station from a national or local advertiser, the station management would pocket it, and the announcer would rarely even know that the fee existed. When Mack Creager left KAKC in 1952 to go to KRMG, I assumed his evening sportscast. He whispered to me that he was getting a talent fee from the sponsor for each program, and suggested that I demand that I would receive it. (I think it was something like $15 a program--a sizable sum in those days.) When I mentioned to the Program Director, John Wheeler, that I expected to receive the talent fee, he became flustered, turned red, then begrudgingly gave his approval. At KFMJ the nutty, imperious GM, Lawson Taylor, demanded a 15% "finder's fee," if he found out that one of his announcers had an occasional, little freelancing job. I felt quite smug when I let Roy McKee come down to the station at night when I was there by myself. Roy was a great guy with whom I had previously worked at KTUL. I would record his reading of commercials that he was performing for an agency, perhaps his own.
No charge.
They have the HIGH FLIGHT ode but not on video - as a wall hanging on cardboard or whatever. Will try to mail it to webmaster Ransom to scan in - since I have yet to have hooked up my 2 mo. old HP scanner at home. They say it is a very popular souvenir item. They were surprised that TV stations still air the video version!
...which you can also view on this site, if you go to the What's New page, Christmas Eve, 2001.
All of us who knew Gomi in the 1950s were sure that he was headed for success.
Mr. Gomi was first remembered here in Guestbook 74. His son found the site in #83, then we heard directly from Mr. Gomi in #84.
This puzzled me until I was driving by the GD again about a week later. This time I was with a date. She said, "Oooo, I love him! I would like to take him home with me." So maybe the ol' fella has some sex appeal, too.
I enjoyed the Union pictures from the Rose Bowl Parade. Dale Barnett, whom
I have known since college, has done a great job over the past three decades
with those young folks.
Welcome back, Bob. We last heard from Bob in Guestbook 49.
Clauser is credited with writing songs and appearing as a singer in ROOTIN' TOOTIN' RHYTHM (1937, aka RHYTHM ON THE RANCH), a Gene Autry flick. Amazon claims to have it on VHS.
He's also credited with writing songs for HOLLYWOOD BARN DANCE (1947).
We know Bob Wills and band did several but I can never find a copy of them in public domain.
Here are some links for Al Clauser and the Oklahoma Outlaws on Google.com
Speaking of dings in the Golden Driller, legend has it that former Channel
8 Engineer Lew Brown dropped a socket wrench from atop the structure in the
late '70s or early '80s, knocking a hole in the old boy's foot. He was on
a platform setting up a microwave shot for a state fair at the time.
Pertaining to the Trade Winds West, one summer when I was a kid, my old lady took my brothers and I there to swim. While she had the lobby door open for us to go in, out came Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys. I didn't realize who he was at the time, but my brother recognized him immediately. Enraged by this opportunistic behavior, she let go of the door, which caught old Carl in the gut. One of the Beach Boys right behind him witnessed this incident, and, filled with remorse, held the door for her. (This story undoubtedly brought a tear to your eye.)
A Golden Driller story to get you even more misty: around '72, a friend of
mine got a new compound bow for his birthday. He was itching to try it out,
so he and a friend drove around looking for targets. They didn't find any
easy ones, so he turned his attention to the Golden Driller. He sent one
well-placed shot into the Driller's crotch. He brought me over to view his
handiwork the next day. It was a striking scene but the psuedo-phallus was
rather mismatched for his size. However, the feathers on the end of it helped
to make up for the lack. Sadly, the next day, it was gone.
This is a subset of the always excellent "trade" webpage for journalists
- Dirck Halstead's
www.digitaljournalist.org.
One thing I recalled regarding the Bellaire was it's proximity to Tulsa's waste processing plant. The pungent odor of excrement indirectly lent the film's loopy villain a certain "air" of authenticity. Now, nearly 30 years later, the movie STILL stinks, but I do miss the long gone Bellaire drive-in. Mitch P.S. The waste plant also prevented the Bellaire from becoming a top notch makeout spot.
Welcome back to Mitch after a long absence. He is the creator of "Angry Beavers" on Nickelodeon.
I am also looking for any of my old friends in Tulsa who were in the Bible Bowl. Thank you for this site...it makes me a little less home sick. Oh is there any way to find stuff on Larry Zinke?????? I think that's how you spell it...lol.
Keep up the great job,
Nothing yet on or the Columbus commercial, but I'll email you if anything turns up. Bryan Crain was on the Bible Bowl himself; read his comments in Guestbook 36, about 2/3 of the way down the page.
I guess Alan Lambert is still running things up there. Doesn't he do a big band Saturday night on KBEZ?
Welcome back, Gary...yes, Bryan Crain tells me that he is still doing the show Saturdays on KBEZ. "Captain Alan" is also doing "Preview Wednesday", new pop/alt rock. I see that you're doing the Big 80’s weekend, "decade of Skinny Ties, The Rubik’s Cube, and Reagan-omics" on KRAV. Hmmm, nostalgia just keeps rolling forward.
Other current Tulsa radio alternatives may be found at the top of the
Tulsa Radio: Yesterday and today page.
The Candy Band trailer indeed was displayed before every movie at all the Tulsa GC theaters during the 1990s until GC pulled out of town in, I believe, 1997. GC was great because they had a program in which you could sign up as "secret shoppers" -- all you had to do was go to a movie every month, report on the condition of the theater and you got scads of free passes. My friends Richard Shaddox and Vernon Brand were regulars in this program and were very sad to see GC leave the Tulsa market. GC's theaters were taken over by Hollywood, which opened the 12-screen stadium-seating theater at the Tulsa Promenade. Hollywood has since been taken over by Wallace and has closed or sold all its theaters except the Fontana, which is a cheapie, second-run theater now. (The Woodland Hills and Eton Square theaters are closed -- the Eastland Mall is now a second-run theater owned by the same folks who run the Admiral Twin drive-in.) One more piece of trivia about General Cinema: During the 1970s and 1980s, GC was the world's largest distributor of Pepsi product. In comparison, McDonald's is the world's largest distributor of Coke product.
Re movie trailers, Something Weird Video has 6 "It's Intermission Time" videos for sale with countdowns, dancing hot dogs and other good stuff you may have forgotten. Dr. Pepper had a great series of ads with stylized 60's graphics and jazzy music. Cover the kids' eyes as you scroll past "Inga...from Sweden, the classic female concept".
I found those GC clips memorable not just for the music but the complete audiovisual experience. I recall the background being an exotic, sparkling blue, swirling like a one color kaleidoscope. The background was either sequined or more likely textured plastic/gelatin. Do I remember correctly that a smoke filled cone of light emanated from the projector/logo? I remember a new version being done in the late 70's. Though similar it was a watered down version of its' predecessor. Neither the background nor the musical arrangement was as intriguing. Beginning in the late 80's those opening notes were performed by the "Candy Band", who then proceeded into other musical territory. Do you know if GC theaters were still in Tulsa during the CB era (c.1989-2001)? While reading your email I began to remember other images I associate with "Sonik Re-Entry" and the title card I seem to recall accompanying it. I remember a sci-fi ray gun, probably held by someone/something. Maybe it wasn't a skull but an alien head resembling a skull - something like the "Mars Attacks" creatures? Was it perhaps wearing a futuristic spacesuit and maybe even a clear dome helmet? Again, I can't be 100% sure where these memories are coming from, but I associate them with that period of my life. My intuition tells me I'm on to something... After the first email I've decided that rediscovering "Sonik Re-Entry" is less like a religious experience but more like therapy. I began by telling you about my childhood and our discussion lead to the dislodging of a past memory...
That's often the way it works on this site...
TV did an excellent job of coverage - radio near nothing - hey how many folks have TV's in their cars??? The "radio news voice" 50,000 watt WBT rammed jingles down our throats on their "intensive" StormWatch 2002 coverage but at most last night had 1 amateuristic reporter on the road - most of their reports were cel phone calls for viewers. Took me 3 hours to get home 8 miles from work. Crusing the AM/FM airwaves and getting near NO coverage while crawling home did not inspire confidence. The poor WBT traffic guy, "Chuck Rhodes" was on duty 18 hours with no relief. Today they dropped Dr. Laura for local news all morning till Noon then abrogated all to Limbaugh for 2 hours. Most all else at night is network radio via satellite - NO local news coverage on all the other market stations. Sorry listeners - no need for news coverage.... Clear Channel is here in a big way and that means NO NEWS/WEATHER after drivetimes no matter the calamity. KVOO/KRMG news - when I was in Tulsa a million years ago would have fielded 10 times more coverage than anchors jammering in a studio, getting any info via caller cel calls!
John Snyder - former KWTV sports guy anchored a lot on channel 6 here today
- looking old but still being a professional....
I must have been pretty good. When I left, two of the girls pointed towards
me and one remarked to the other: "Get a load of that kisser."
First, a little about me. My name is Brian. I was born at St. Francis Hospital in 1962. Other than 1968-70 (wherein job opportunities took my parents elsewhere) I lived in Tulsa until 1982. From 1982-7 I attended OSU to study architecture and traveled in summers, returning to Tulsa on weekends. In 1988 I moved to Boston for career reasons and have lived here ever since. My discovery of your site coincides with a number of timely coincidences...
JAN 2001: For several years I've lived a few miles from the central offices
of General Cinema. I never gave this much thought until I became friends
with a GC executive last January. As I got to know her I simultaneously started
reminiscing and picking her brain. I have very fond
NOV 30: For unrelated reasons, I did an extensive web search on GC. One search engine led me to your site where I found the wav file of the 60's General Cinema music. A part of my childhood was returned that day. DEC 7- The discovery of your site the previous week suddenly took on a bittersweet significance. In local business news, it was announced that the AMC Theater chain would buy out General Cinema. When it's complete, all GC Theaters will become AMC theaters. This represents the end of an era. The GC "projector" logo and music, mutated versions of which can still be seen/heard in GC theaters to this day, will be retired for good. This may not hit fellow Oklahomans that hard because GC sold their theaters in our home state years ago, but I personally feel as though a big piece of my heritage is about to be forever robbed. The wav file on your site will be all we have left. DEC 14 - I kept going back to your site because of all the memories it brought back. On a lark this day I went to the "origin of TTM" site. As I started to read it my heart skipped several beats... "There was a late night local show on Channel 2....It was a vehicle for showing old horror movies...The thing that is driving me crazy is the music. It was all early synthesizer, spiced up with odd bubbling and clicking sounds. Just hearing it was frightening. What was it? I haven't succeeded in finding out..." I read on, went to the Fantastic Theater page, read further, then clicked on the "Sonik Re-Entry" wav file... Call me a loon, but hearing this music again was akin to a religious experience. The fact that this discovery occurred three years to the day of your inaugural ok.tulsa.general post didn't even register until I composed this email. Another coincidence. It seems that at some point in time we were on parallel quests. Unfortunately I had to put mine on the back burner for lack of information. My only memories were as follows: 1.) The music itself. How could ANYBODY forget that? 2.) I may be misremembering, but I seem to recall the music being played over a title card featuring an oil and/or impressionist painting of a skull. I further seem to remember that the skull was at a 3/4 angle, not a pure profile or facing the camera. It also may have been tilted downward. 3.) I don't know why I would remember this, but over the years I seem to recall that I saw this on Channel 2. By process of elimination, I determined over the years that I must have seen this shortly after my return to Tulsa, circa 1971-3. I doubt I was old enough to remember anything like this during my 1962-67 stint in Tulsa, nor do I think I would have been allowed to stay up so late at that age. Also, I have a memory of seeing this on a particular TV in a particular room in a particular house that we didn't occupy until my family's return to Tulsa in 1971. I have no memory of the voice announcing the movie. I further have no memory of "Fantastic Theater", though it rings a bell after seeing your site. Also, your site doesn't mention the skull or whether FT lasted until the 70's. Therefore I have to wonder several things. Did FT last until the 70's? Was the same music used for a later horror film show on Channel 2? Is my memory so fuzzy that I've gotten everything mixed up? The one thing I know is that I remember that music. I'm sure you get letters similar to this all the time. Regardless, thank you for stirring my memories and returning me to two seminal pieces of music from my past. I'll keep an eye on your site and will contribute any useful information to the guestbook.
Brian, you made my day!
I ate at the Middle of the Road (The Middle Path). It was good but just a little ahead of its time. It was a nice place with good food. I wonder who owned it? I went to Wonderama last night. It was quality fun. If you haven't gone, go. And pick up Jack Frank's new tape. I got one for Christmas and it is great.
There was an article in the World on Saturday saying that Jack Frank is leaving Channel 2 this week. Jack did some unique and excellent work. I hope he retained rights to the material he developed there, so he can put it out on video. Also, Karen Keith's "Oklahoma Living" is going off the air (read about it here). She will continue doing community segments on the noon news, though.
Naturally, I thought this was the way New Years was celebrated everywhere.
Much to my dismay--and no little embarrassment--I found out after graduation
that apparently the only place with such a mild bacchanalia was CHS.
Archived Guestbook 98. We just heard about an OKC media flap from Jim Back. Lee Woodward told us of the passing of George Stevens. He was a General Manager at KOTV who broke the stereotype of TV executives. We saw a tube tester from the Radio-Television Museum, a venture supported by John Hillis. We learned that the Golden Drumstick restaurant was formerly the Casa Del club, and later the Middle Path. We heard of the passing of Chip Moody, a newscaster in the DFW market.
We discussed department stores in Tulsa. We discovered that congressional
candidate Doug Dodd is also a talented impressionist.
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Comments:
Well we DID get slammed with a storm after all. Charlotte has all of 13 plows
and 23 salt trucks - betting a lot of the plow trucks were also salt
trucks...Private office parks brought in road graders in industrial parks
but most businesses were closed today.
memories
of the late 60's GC "projector" logo and music. The woman in question had
a degree in audio engineering but ultimately became an accountant at GC in
order to pay the bills. Still, her degree allowed her to partake in some
relevant side projects for the company. One of these was working on audio
for one of the recent GC "candy band" trailers, which uses parts of the same
theme as the above mentioned vintage logo sequence. I told her I would kill
to get audio and/or video of the original 60's version. She was no help.