Captain Stubby and Charles Homer Bill

Cafe Society
1

Back in the '60’s, when I was in grade school, I would listen to a local radio station in my home town (WHTC in Holland, MI) before school in the mornings. WHTC was the local station that would announce school closings for snow days and such.

Each morning there was a short program, about 10 minutes long, starring two characters named Captain Stubby and Charles Homer Bill. As I recall the show, it was basically cornball mid-western type humor. It seemed to me to be syndicated, like Paul Harvey – a bit too elaborate for a local small town radio station.

I thought of this show a while back, and looked for it on google, and came up blank. My brother remembers the show, so I’m pretty sure it isn’t a false memory.

When google fails, I turn to the Dopers. Anyone else remember this radio show?

2

It sounds like Captain Stubby was a musical comedian who was on a number of radio and TV shows, like “Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club”.

3

Back in the early 80s I had to keep lists of farm reporters. A surprising number of Midwestern radio stations listed Captain Stubby as their farm reporter.

Andhis magazine column ran for YEARS after he died.

4

I actually got to see captain stubby live back in 87 when he was the opening for a free concert at the fair in Indiana and his thing was to put humor in the trials and tribulation of farmers the joke I still remember (mostly) was

"I actually flown on one of those jumbo jets a while back and went to use the rest room and went to flush the toilet when I seen a sign that said "don’t flush over towns or cities … I walked out and asked to see the pilot they let me in and after the introductions I asked "why us farmers ? "

5

Hello All,
“Captain Stubby (Mr. Tom Chester Fouts) and the Buccaneers”, out of Kokomo Indiana were a humorous, midwestern, rural styled band from the early 1940’s until 1974. A feature on both the WLS radio, “The Prairie Farmer Station’s” National Barn Dance (until April 29th of 1961), and later the WGN Radio and Television Barn Dance (1961 - 1969), the band was popular at homespun type events throughout the Mid-West. They recorded nationally on the Columbia label, and regionally on small labels such as Varsity, Halo, Majestic and Rondo.

Charles Homer Bill was a staff announcer on 50-thousand-Watt, clear channel WLS “The Prairie Farmer Station” and on the WLS National Barn Dance, Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club, and Paul Harvey News and Comment. He often referred to himself as “Mother Bill’s Oldest (? or “Youngest”) Son Charles.” He worked with “Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers” all during the post-war WLS “The Prairie Farmer Station” years.

The two developed as a humorous team that took on a life of its own. They were in demand as Masters of Ceremonies at National Farm Association meetings, Grange Dinners, Service Club events, hometown parades and church banquets. Out of this team evolved the radio program you are thinking of. The taped, syndicated “Anybody Home?” show.

These were 10-minute programs with whimsical stories, tall tales and the corniest of jokes. I, for one, loved them. The last time I remember hearing tapes of the “Anybody Home?” show was as a noon feature (following Paul Harvey News and Comment) on the Aurora, Illinois radio station WMRO until its format changed in 1989.

I would love to hear from anyone who might know how to purchase copies of the “Anybody Home?” show.

Charles Homer Bill went to be with his Lord on November 28th of 1980. He was only 59 years old.

Mr. Bill was a Captain in The U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.

Tom “Captain Stubby” Chester Fouts passed away on May 26th of 2004. at the age of 85.

Mr. Fouts was too short to be in the armed services, so “Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers” entertained our troops on USO tours near the combat zones of the South Pacific during World War II.

Mr. Fouts also wrote national radio advertisement jingles. Starting in 1954 he was known as the “voice” of The Roto-Rooter Corporation.

Recordings by “Captain Stuby and the Buccaneers” can be found on YouTube.

Jim Melka
Radio historian and former founding member of The Museum of Broadcast Communication

6

I think, perhaps this may have been because of his close association with Charles Homer Bill.