The production methods were crude, the writing mediocre and work shifts long, but from that primordial television ooze emerged iconic characters such as Ghoulardi, Barnaby, Miss Barbara and Captain Penny who became entwined with our city's DNA. "Local TV was pretty primitive, but they made up for it with great personalities and creativity," says Mike Olszewski, who, along with wife Janice, has written Cleveland TV Tales (Gray and Co., $15.95), a revealing look at the formative years of Cleveland television. Olszewski, a veteran radio personality and curator of the Ohio Broadcast Museum, will be on hand Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Ghoulardifest signing copies. "That was the first golden age of Cleveland television," he says. "I'm waiting to see the second." Here are his takes on four of the city's TV trailblazers.
Ghoulardi
WJW, Shock Theater and Ghoulardi, 1963-66
The legacy of Ernie Anderson's Ghoulardi got a pop culture reboot earlier this year when Akron's the Black Keys titled its latest album Turn Blue after one of the pet phrases on Anderson's wildly popular late-night horror movie show. "He was truly one of the great improv guys," says Olszewski. "He was an anarchist." In 1996, Olszewski traveled to California to interview an ailing Anderson. "He was in the bedroom smoking a cigarette, right next to a huge oxygen tank."
Dorothy Fuldheim
WEWS, News commentator and One O'Clock Club, 1947-84
In the 1930s, Fuldheim spotted Adolf Hitler at a flower show held at a German beer hall. "She tried to get an interview with him, but Hermann Goering and Joseph Goebbels both said, 'no,' " says Olszewski. "So she walked right up to Hitler and began to speak to him in German." The strong-willed Fuldheim was the country's first female news commentator and interviewed celebrities on the One O'Clock Club, which she co-hosted with Bill Gordon. "She put up with no nonsense," he says.
Woodrow the Woodsman
KYW, WKYC, WJW, Barnaby, Woodrow the Woodsman and Hey Woody!,
1961-66, 70-72, 97-00
Clay Conroy, better known as Woodrow the Woodsman, was a talented swimmer who performed in water shows before becoming a beloved children's character. His popularity rivaled that of Barnaby, whose show he first appeared on. "He was a born showman," says Olszewski. "He was a great foil for Barnaby, because they anticipated each other's moves. He was so popular that Fox 8 brought him back to do his show in 1997."
Alice Weston
WEWS, WUAB, WKYC, The Mixing Bowl, 1948-96
Long before Rachael Ray, there was Alice Weston, who hosted the city's first live cooking show beginning in 1948. Weston, who underwent surgery for a lisp as a child, was an immediate hit among area housewives. "She turned down a chance for her own network show, because she didn't want to leave her family," says Olszewski. "She was a pioneer — one of the first to discuss fashion and women's issues. WEWS was really open to having women in important roles."
