As a teenager, doing my high school homework at the dining room table in rural Illinois, I remember being entertained in the evening by Wally Phillips, a wonderful and inventive host who used a lot of sound effects, bantered with callers, etc. etc.
The only problem with that is that I was listening to him in the late 1950’s, and Phillips didn’t start a show like that until the 1960’s, according to his obit…
Is my memory playing all sorts of tricks on me? Who might I have been listening to?
Could it have been Dan Sorkin? He was the morning man on WCFL in the late 1950s. Even before the station changed to a rock and roll format he was doing wacky morning dj stuff.
Just from what I could google quickly: Wally came to WGN in 1956, but didn’t start his morning show until 1965. So it is entirely possible you were listening to him in the evening in the 1950s…along with Bob Bell, who would go on to become Bozo. (Wally and Bob both joined WGN in 1956.)
I’m hoping that this information we both noted is why I recall this so well, and not a brain tumor…
what I read didn’t say specifically that he had an afternoon drivetime show (and, as I recall, until 8 pm), but he had to be somewhere on the schedule…
Anyone have tapes of any of his earlier programs? running the board for that show must have been a lot of exercise.
I don’t recall him having a sidekick on the show.
did you enjoy the reason he left Cincinnati?
I just pulled up a Chicago Tribune article from 10/7/56 that says Wally Phillips and Bob Bell, “a comedy team from Cincinnati”, would be starting that day on WGN-TV 9-10 AM and WGN radio 1:05-2 PM, M-F.
Moved to Cafe Society.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
so, the jury is still out, I might yet have a bad rememberer. Any articles from 58-59, thereabouts?
Phillips had a radio show on from 5-6 PM starting in late 1958 through at least 1960
He also had a show on from 8-10 PM M-F same date range.
Culled from reading Chicago papers.
Thank you. Thank You. Thank you very much. Now…
does anyone know of any tapes of his show?
“Remembering Wally Phillips” CD
POSTED 10:18 PM, DECEMBER 4, 2012, BY BAUGNET
Recall the career of legendary WGN Radio morning host Wally Phillips with this new CD.
The CD features some of Wally’s most memorable moments on the air, plus interviews of Wally by Milt Rosenberg and Bob Sirott, and a touching tribute to Wally by Orion Samuelson.
$10 per CD (includes postage and handling). Proceeds benefit the WGN Radio Neediest Kids Fund, a Fund of the McCormick Foundation.
Your payment is not tax deductible.
graphite is a great moderator? Not as good as lithium.