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This podcast is part two of “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Gordon Jump was the radio station manager, Arthur “Big Guy” Carlson in the TV series. He’ll tell the inside story on how the popular sitcom got its start and will do a couple of lines from the show. Gordon also appeared in “Soap,” “Diff’rent Strokes” and played the “Maytag Repairman” in television commercials.

Al Martino was an Italian singer and actor. He played Johnny Fontane in the original “Godfather,” “Godfather III” and the trilogy. He also sang the theme for the film. Al told me that he was blacklisted after he played the Fontane part because his character portrayal was based on Italian singer Frank Sinatra.  Director of the movie, Francis Ford Coppola originally took the part away from Martino and gave it to Vic Damone, but ultimately Al got the part. Marino had a ton of hit records on the Billboard charts.

For those of you who have said that this podcast is a lot of Mickey Mouse, we’re going to prove you right. Voice actor and sound effects expert Jim McDonald joined us one morning on Bob Barry Calls the World. Jim was the voice of Mickey Mouse, the circus train engine in “Dumbo,” the howling dogs in “Lady and the Tramp”, the mice and Bruno the dog in” Cinderella” and the bees in “Winnie the Pooh.” He also did the sound effects tick tock the crocodile from “Peter Pan” and the dragon in “Sleeping Beauty.” He did a lot more effects and voices which he’ll talk about and demonstrate. An interesting fact is that Walt Disney was getting hoarse from smoking, so he offered the job of doing the voice of Mickey to Jim.

The man on today’s podcast is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. He’s from Wisconsin and his hit record was first played by rock and roll station WRIT in Milwaukee. Truck drivers loved him. He’s remembered for his hit “Six Days on the Road” and for “Two Six Packs Away” and “Truck Drivin’ Son-of-a-Gun.” Dave was born in Spencer, Wisconsin. He wanted to be a professional baseball player but after an arm injury he decided to pursue a music career. Besides selling over a million copies of his hit record, he recorded 70 albums. If you were a radio listener in the 60s, I’m quite sure that you’ll remember his hit song. And I believe you’ll recall the commercial bit going into the interview.

Actor Tim Reid holds a ton of TV movie and series credits including “Matlock,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and he starred as “Downtown Brown” in “Simon and Simon” and “DJ Venus Flytrap” in “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Tim will reveal how a popular and very funny episode of WKRP was the result of a network complaint. Tim was born in Norfolk, Virginia where he talks about experiencing segregation. He and his wife Daphne built Millennium Studios, located in Petersburg, Virginia in 1997. It was the only black-owned film studio in the United States. They sold it in 2015.

Leading into Sunday’s Superbowl game, we thought a fitting podcast would include this Green Bay Packer middle linebacker, who led the Pack to five NFL championships, and victories in the first two Superbowls. Ray Nitschke spent his entire 15-year career with the Packers and was the leader of the defense for Coach Vince Lombardi. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. His number 66 was retired by the Packers in 1983. You might remember Nitschke tackling Peter Tork in the Monkee’s movie “Head,” and his appearance in the football comedy “The Longest Yard.” Every year on Ray’s birthday, Dec. 29, I would call him. This time he predicted the winner of the 1985 Superbowl. And, I got a surprise when I asked him which game of his professional career he remembered the most.

This guy was crazy, way out there. And he’d be the first to admit that. You wouldn’t know it, but Rip Taylor worked as a Congressional page and served in the Korean War. During the war he performed stand-up comedy for the troops. After his years of military service, he did nightclub comedy. He’ll explain how he got his start in television. He became a regular in Las Vegas, opening for Frank Sinatra, Ann-Margret, Judy Garland and Sammy Davis Jr. He appeared in episodes of the Monkees and the Brady Bunch. You have seen him on “Hollywood Squares,” “The Gong Show,” “Will and Grace,” and “The Match Game.” He also hosted “The 1.98 Beauty Show.”  Rip was on Broadway and made several appearances in the movies. He appeared as himself in “Wayne’s World 2” and was Demi Moore’s boss in “Indecent Proposal.”

Pat Morita was the original Arnold on “Happy Days” and Mr. Miyagi in the “Karate Kid” films. Pat was nominated for an Oscar for that role. He also played Captain Sam Pak on M*A*S*H and Ah Chew in “Sanford and Son.” Morita was born in California to Japanese immigrant parents. In his years as a comedian, he would describe his parent’s Chinese restaurant as, operated in a black neighborhood with a clientele of blacks, Filipinos and everybody else who didn’t fit in any of the other neighborhoods. While a comic he opened for Redd Foxx, Connie Stevens and Vic Damone. The last time I saw pat was in a small restaurant in Las Vegas. My friend Gene told me not to go up to him while he was having dinner. He was such a nice person that I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded a quick hello. By the time we finished eating, he was gone. 

Recording artist Jimmy Clanton performed on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. And he was with Clark’s Caravan of Stars national tour Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. That Friday evening show had to be canceled after President John Kennedy was assassinated that afternoon. He toured with Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, and many others. He wrote and recorded his biggest hit, which sold over a million copies. His autobiography is titled “Just a Dream.” I’m sure you remember some of his many hits.

I’m sure most of you know who actor George Clooney is, but do you know who his aunt is?  Rosemary Clooney was a famous singer and actress. She had several hits. Her career slowed when she underwent depression and drug addiction. Rosemary published an autobiography detailing her fight with addiction to prescription drugs for depression and how she lost and later regained a fortune. She experienced a revival in 1977 when Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him in a show celebrating his 50th anniversary in show business. She starred alongside Crosby in the hit movie “White Christmas.” She also appeared in several TV variety shows. In 1995 she guest starred in the NBC medical drama “ER” with her nephew George Clooney, for which she received a primetime Emmy award nomination. Her lung cancer was caused by many years of heavy smoking.

Did you watch the popular 70s TV show, “Chico and the Man?” The very popular comedian and actor, Freddie Prinze, starred as Francisco “Chico” Rodriquez. He released a comedy album recorded at Mr. Kelly’s in Chicago called “Looking Good.” His biggest breaks came on the Jack Paar and Johnny Carson shows. Freddie made several appearances on the Dean Martin celebrity roasts and can be heard in the background of the title song of his friend Tony Orlando’s album “To Be With You.” Freddie was married to Kathy Cockran with whom he had Freddie Prinze Jr. He and Kathy had marital problems, and weeks after their divorce he took his life. Months before his death he had signed a five-year, $6 million contract with NBC television.

The most influential cartoonist in history, Charles Schulz, is best known for creating the Peanuts comic strip, featuring Snoopy, Charlie Brown and others. In more than 50 years he drew more than 17,000 Peanuts strips, producing more than $1 billion every year. NASA named the Apollo 10 command module Charlie Brown and the lunar module Snoopy. There is a Camp Snoopy at Knott’s Berry Farm, a Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center at Sonoma State University and they named their county airport Charles Schulz Sonoma County Airport. Their logo has Snoopy in goggles and scarf taking off from the top of a red doghouse. You have probably seen the giant Snoopy balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And of course, no holiday would be complete without “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

This podcast will wake up some TV memories. If you grew up in the 60s and 70s you’ll remember the famous catchphrase “speedy delivery.” It was used by the postman on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” David Newell played the part of Mr. McFeely. He was originally in the public relations department for the program and was then cast as Mr. McFeely. The name was Fred Rogers’ middle name, taken from his mother’s maiden name. David and Fred became lifelong friends. Newell toured the country promoting “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” until he retired in 2015. In this podcast David talks about a Mr. Rogers’ Christmas program that caused some controversy.

What’s up with Cloris Leachman and a $5,000 shopping spree in Chicago? That was one question I had for the eight-time Primetime Emmy Award winner. Her 22 nominations made her the most nominated, along with Julie Dreyfus, in Emmy history. She was in many films including “The Last Picture Show” and appeared as Frau blucher in “Young Frankenstein.” Cloris was probably best known on television for playing Phyllis Lindstrom on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”  Other TV show credits include: “The Facts of Life,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “The Office” and many TV movies and miniseries. In 2008, Cloris was a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars,” paired with Corky Ballas, father of champion Mark Ballas. She was the oldest to appear on the show and placed seventh in the competition.

Actress Jane Wyatt was a three-time Emmy Award winner for the very popular “Father Knows Best” television series. She was also in several Hollywood movies, including Frank Capra’s “Lost Horizon,” and “Gentleman’s Agreement” with Gregory Peck. If you were a Star Treky, you saw her play Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock. Her film career suffered a setback when she voiced her opposition to Senator Joseph McCarthy, the main figure in the anti-communist investigations of that time.

Who remembers the Smothers Brothers? Tommy and brother Dick wanted to be folk singers, but they also liked being funny, so they mixed comedy into the folk songs. They formed the Smothers Brothers comedy act and appeared on television with their own show in 1965. But they demanded more control from CBS and got it with the Smothers Brothers Comedy hour in 1967. The brothers also became politically active when they became friends with John Lennon.  They played guitar on Lennon’s recording of “Give Peace a Chance.” Tom and Dick got together in 2019 for a 50th anniversary celebration of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Just as a reference, Tommy is the crazier of the two, while Dick was more the straight man in the act. You’ll hear a sample of their material. And, as you know, stuff happens in live radio. Listen for Tommy’s wife interrupting us at the beginning and again two minutes into our conversation.

Wrestling fans will remember professional wrestler Nick Bockwinkel.  Hated by many, loved by few, especially Milwaukee’s Crusher fans. Nick was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007. He was a natural athlete with a cocky attitude. Nick fought in matches for 34 consecutive years. In this podcast he’ll answer the critics regarding wrestling being fake and he takes on the Crusher with a few choice words.

Remember the song “Alice’s Restaurant?” In this podcast you’ll hear how the song came about. It was really a war protest tune. Guthrie was a folk singer-songwriter, known for writing protest songs. He had another hit “City of New Orleans” in 1972. After I woke Arlo up, we surprised him with a visit from Alice Brock, the woman who owned the restaurant. She was not too pleased with the movie “Alice’s Restaurant,” starring Arlo Guthrie. She’ll reluctantly explain why.

Jimmy Dean was a country singer, actor, and businessman, well known for his Jimmy Dean sausages. He was in the James Bond film “Diamonds are Forever.” Jimmy was seen on many TV shows and was a guest host for Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show” and had his own show on television in the 60s. He had a no. 1 hit on the Billboard charts “Big Bad John” and scored a million seller with the song “I.O.U.,’ a tribute to his mother. His autobiography is titled “30 Years of Sausage, 30 Years of Ham.” Some of his humor can be heard in this podcast.

One of my first recollections of listening to the radio was the Edgar Bergen and “Charlie McCarthy Show.” Edgar was a vaudevillian, actor, comedian, and ventriloquist. His dummy characters included Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. Edgar spent 50 years on radio and television. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990. I caught up with Edgar in his later years. He gives some insight into how he got his start and a bit about his daughter, well-known actress Candice Bergen. By the way, in his will he left her nothing and gave his dummy Charlie $10,000. The dummy is in the National Museum of American History.