Our Era - Movies, Music, Radio and TV, 6th Edition

Our Era - Movies, Music, Radio & TV, 1950‟s and 1960‟s.Courtesy of 790WAKY.com — http://www.79waky.com/1958 & moreWAKY RadioWAKY came on the air!!!!!!!!!July 21, 1958 Billboard Magazine reported:Psychological Ear IrritationLouisville, Ky. -- Station WAKY (formerlyWGRC) here lived up to its new call letters lastweek, via a day-long programming binge whereinits deejays played practically nothing but ―ThePurple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor.‖Every hour or so, ―to give ears a change,‖ thejocks played Jim Backus‘ equally wacky waxing―Delicious.‖ The gimmick was utilized to kickoff WAKY under its new owner Gordon McLendon.Philosophy behind the gag, said McLendon,was ―People get completely disgusted They tuneaway to another station. Then they wonder if‗they‘re still doing that on that other station.‘ Sothey turn back.‖Courier-Journal columnist David Inman has written a book called: "Fourth Street Nights: The Golden Age of LouisvilleTop 40 Radio." Our thanks to David for allowing us to publish the first chapter.July 7, 1958 was a Monday.CHAPTER 1: FROM WGRC TO WAKYIn Madison, Indiana they were getting the town ready to appear in the movies. The cast and crew for "Some Came Running"– including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine – would soon spend several weeks filming there.At Cape Canaveral, the Air Force was preparing for the first intercontinental flight of a U.S. ballistic weapon. The launchwould be Wednesday and the passenger in the nose cone would be a mouse.Players from baseball's American and National leagues were gathering in Baltimore for the 25th annual All-Star Game.Casey Stengel and Fred Haney were the respective coaches – players included Warren Spahn, Nellie Fox, Stan Musial andHarvey Kuenn.Although it would be exposed as a fraud in about a year, the NBC-TV quiz show "Twenty-One" and its winners were stillmaking headlines. That evening Elfrida von Nardoff ended a 21-week reign as champion on the show, winning $220,500.In Louisville, that morning's edition of The Courier-Journal included ads for Hit Parade cigarettes, the Royal Bank, Fizziessoft-drink tablets and the Edsel. Elvis Presley's "King Creole" was showing at the Kentucky Theatre, Andy Griffith's "NoTime for Sergeants" was at the Mary Anderson, and "Secrets of a Nature Club" was at Savoy Burlesk Theatre.On the radio that morning, if you tuned to 790 on the AM dial, you would hear the novelty song "Purple People Eater Meetsthe Witch Doctor." Anytime that morning.You'd hear the same thing on 790 that afternoon. And evening. And after midnight.For 24 hours straight, Louisville heard "Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor" on 790 AM.And when it was done, a new radio station was born.It was WAKY, Louisville's first station to play all "Top 40" music – songs that made your feet move and your spirit soar.