NEW YORK — Pioneering radio and TV host Joe Franklin died Jan. 24 of cancer. For several days I have been pondering if he was mentioned during a host segment and thanks to two helpful twitterers, @mst3kbots and @frostyplum, I have pinned it down to a comment by Frank during the invention exchange in episode 205- ROCKET ATTACK USA. You can see it here, at the 4:15 mark.
NEW YORK — Pioneering radio and TV host Joe Franklin died Jan. 24 of cancer. For several days I have been pondering if he was mentioned during a host segment and thanks to two helpful twitterers, @mst3kbots and @frostyplum, I have pinned it down to a comment by Frank during the invention exchange in episode 205- ROCKET ATTACK USA. You can see it here, at the 4:15 mark.
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Back in the days before radio was virtually destroyed by right wing talk shows
WOR in New York (heard all day and night on the East Coast) had so many good programs,
Joe Franklin, Jean Shepard, Barry Farber, Bob and Ray during P.M. drive time:
“…ee Balloo here reporting” was one skit, Mary Backstage, Noble Wife another.
Btw, I attended a Bob and Ray show at the U of P auditorium in Philadelphia. They ended the first half doing
their skit on the Slow…..talkers…..of…..America…
and started the second half with the act just continuing. :)
I’m almost sure he was also reference in a movie riff during the show, but I have no idea what episode or in what context. I only remember because he had the same name as my grandfather did.
I remember him for his nostalgic talk show, and for Uncle Floyd’s hilarious spoof of him, Joe Frankfurter (which Franklin did not appreciate).
@Clint yes, it was #206 Ring of Terror
I grew up with WOR-TV New Jersey on our local cable (upstate NY, but our birth-of-cable system picked up the entire local NYC lifestyle), and while his show today would be the stuff of public-access cable, he symbolized everything we’ve lost today, now that local stations no longer can or want to produce local shows.
Nowadays, local programming has disappeared, and there’re no home produced talk shows to give a little fifteen minutes of fame to the local community celebrities.
Come to think of it, darn few local-station Saturday-afternoon movie hosts, either.
@1
Jean Shepard, love the movie base on the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.
I have fond memories of watching Joe Franklin, I wish I could remember all the old timers he had on his show…the only people who have any interest of past performers today are the enquirer and TMZ and never in the good way…
Billy Crystal did a great JF on SNL in the 80s. Very funny stuff. I think his excellent film Mr. Saturday Night probably came from that. That where I learned of him, being from the deep south I’d never heard up him.
RIP Joe. One of the last of the greats, it sounds like. And another great reference on MST3K.
Yes, it’s truly sad that locally-produced TV & radio have largely gone by the wayside. Joel bemoans that fact in the “American Scary” documentary.
Don’t forget his appearance in Ghostbusters:
“How is Elvis, and have you seen him lately?”
Hey Ck @ #1,
I didnt grow up on the east coast so I am unfamiliar with Mr Franklin firsthand, but his work sounds amazing. I was just curious why you felt the need to make political statement in your post. Seems disrespectful given the circumstances or do you do such a thing with any topic.
I actually first learned about him from a Drew Friedman cartoon, “The Incredible Shrinking Joe Franklin”, and not long after I was flipping through TV and thought, “Hey! That’s the guy!” His talk show, which ran for like forty five years, was kind of an oddity; it had kind of a time capsule quality, which was maybe appropriate, because it was the very first “TV Talk Show” as we came to know it: host behind a desk, guests seated to his right & moving down as each new one came along. Although he was considered kind of a nostalgia merchant, he had John & Yoko, the Ramones, and A Host Of Others as guests. He was a very New York kind of guy, or at least what New York likes to think of as a very New York kind of guy. In keeping with that, the obit in the Daily News is recommended reading. And maybe also that Drew Friedman cartoon.
The Masters Helldog
A fair point, about “Rightwing radio”, I considered deleting that, but in the case of WOR it
was really irritating to have the intellegent, respectful nterview/analysis/talk
of (especially) Barry Farber replaced by the omnipresent one-sided talk shows
now everywhere on American radio. Barry Farber was especially notable, an objective
host who showed remarkable forebearance and interest in other views and in learning
others perspectives—as opposed to hate radio personified by Rush Limbaugh.
Farber (for example) Jewish, frequently had a Palestinian (I believe) Doctor Mehidi (sp.?)
on during the height of Israeli/Arab disagreements and was a remarkably fair interviewer.
Except for sports talk, I’ve virtually given up on chat radio nowadays. It’s all shout
and insult.
And btw, I didn’t note that Joe Franklin was TV, not mostly radio.
And WOR in the ’70s had great programming all day, including one hour devoted to
theater (forget the guy’s name) a good program—although in was rather snobbish.
Looking at my posts here, I think they are too political.
I’d have no problem if the moderator deleted them. Not
the place for such chat. Sorry about that.
CK, your original comment was brief and salient. Attempts to apologize to people who want to defend the intelligence of certain current talk show hosts like the one who just blamed the weather on a political party will only make things worse and go horribly wrong.
CK, I didnt mean to imply that you owed anyone an apology. You dont. All I am saying is that we are all Misties and we all need to stick with OUR favorite puppet show and leave everything else out.Thats all I was saying.. As for you Mr. B(ob) I was not defending talk radio . I dont listen to it and never have or watch cable news for that matter. There is no pride in being an angry lefty troll
No one cares about your political comments
“Joe Franklin would”
RIP sir
(this is a satirical post. please no offense)