I picked something that I think is really fun for my first post at the new site. This is a locally-produced show from WJR. The basic premise is to have a group of women come in and try to answer a few questions quiz-show style, but mostly the point seems to be to make the ladies look silly. They do quite a good job of it.
There are some things in this recording that I find really interesting. Every woman who is chosen gives her complete name and address on the air. Actually, not her complete name; most of them identify themselves as Mrs. (husband’s complete name). Some gave their first names in the course of the conversation, but most don’t until asked for it. The only lady who gave her first name voluntarily wasn’t married; this was confirmed by the host. This group of women are from the PTA at Hubert School, which was in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit and closed in 2005. Another really interesting note in the recording is one woman mentioned that she and her family moved to Highland Park to get out of the city. She talks about how hard it is to see her old friends from Brightmoor since she’s moved way out in the country. Anyone from Detroit should find this amusing. If you’d like to know more about Hubert School you can visit www.hubertschool.org, but be aware that there is audio on every page with no button to turn it off. You might want to mute your speakers while perusing the site.
The prize given at the end of the show is awesome. I wish I had one. You’ll have to listen all the way through to find out what it is.
Here’s the direct link to the audio file at my bandcamp page.
I love your site. There is so little local OTR availabile (as opposed to network and syndicated programs) that its great to hear any.
Now, what is the smallest chruch in the world? (If you haven’t listened to the program this is the quiz question that goes unanwered.) Well this link will take you to a page about tiny churches:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/church.html
Many of these churches are post-1947. The one that is probably the answer to the question is the Monte Casino Chapel in Kentucky, which was called the smallest chuch in the world in Ripley’s Believe it or Not in 1922.
Lisa~ What a great thing you are doing! Ted, the webmaster of the Hubert School website, sent me the clip of the interview with one of the ladies of the Hubert School PTA — my sister, Dolly Feisel. What memories that brought back! Dolly would have been a couple of weeks short of her 24th birthday when that program was recorded. She was to pass on 15 years later in 1962.
Dolly was one super young woman. Having suffered a serious accident while playing and sliding on the terrazzo floor at her school in Wisconsin, she fell and broke her back. She was about 8 years old at the time. The doctors gave her only a few months to live, but, although an invalid and unable to walk, she did survive and led a very fulfilling life as a volunteer. One year, as I recall, she was named “volunteer of the year” in Detroit for the Red Feather organization. Hearing her voice once again certainly brought chills to my back.
WJR Radio was the station of choice for my parents and I remember well being able to tune to WJR from far away places after I grew to adulthood. Places like Ohio and even Florida.
Your website is definitely being put on my favorites list!
Thanks agin,
George Feisel
I love OTR game shows. Thanks again.