Hawthorne & Friends on KXLA Pasadena | June 9, 1947
If anyone disputes the existance of disc-jockeys prior to, say, 1953, this removes all doubt.
Presenting, the oldest aircheck on our site! Here’s what can best be described as a WAY before it’s time live radio show from 1947! You’ll hear car commercials, old records, sped up (and slowed down) commercials of all kinds, and more. The announcer is Jim Hawthorne, who reads back some humorous listener letters and there really is a live cast in the studio! Hawthorne passed on to that great radio station in the sky on November 7, 2007. Our condolences to his family and friends.
Hard to believe this survived from 1947, I suspect this was taped from a record made of this broadcast.
Anyone still around who remembers this station? We’d sure like to read your comments!
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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A real slice of history…imagine auto racing in the Rose Bowl! Mad Man Muntz selling Kaiser & Frazer autos!
Steve
Creativity knows no technological or taste limits and KXLA proved it.
This has got to be a precursor to the morning shows we know today. It stands almost alone in an era still largely defined by OTR (Old Time Radio such as Fred Allen and Jack Benny) and national shows. Did Hawthorne use the Sonovox to do some of his sound effects?
It is a must listen. Hopefully some more people have local shows predating the Storz era.
Ken
Was a steady listener in 1946-47. I made mention of the show in a recent L.A. Radio.com column. Can’t open the air check, but would like to hear the “old gang - Skippy, Egbert and Hawtorn” again. TB
Tom - I’ll try to locate the original and re-encode this in our new player for you. Otherwise, you can download the free Real Player from http://www.real.com to hear this aircheck.
It really is good, and way before it’s time!
-West
Hawthorne is alive and well and living on the internet, just Google the call letters of his radio station and you’ll get his home page.
KXLA-1110 out of Pasadena was also home in the 1940s to country music personalities, DJs and live musicians such as Tennessee Ernie Ford (who came to KXLA from KFXM in San Bernardino) and the man who later would become Ernie Ford’s manager and producer of his network TV shows, Cliffie Stone.
KXLA-1110 was sold and changed call letters to KRLA in 1959.
Jim Hawthorne was quite an innovative and imaginative and talented DJ/radio announcer. From KXLA he went on to do an early late-night live TV Show on KLAC-channel 13 (Here’s Hawthorne), sort of a precursor to Steve Allen and Saturday Night Live. Jim Hawthorne also did crazy weather forecasts for KNBH-channel 4 in L.A. early on, and replaced Steve Allen at KNX radio/CBS in the early-1950s, and also had his own show at KECA-ABC radio.
Later, Hawthorne was program director at Top 40 KFWB and other assorted radio and TV assignments.
I also believe he has a web site dedicated to his life and career in broadcasting.
Jim Hilliker
Los Angeles radio historian
I read recently that Jim Hawthorne passed away just shy of his nintieth birthday. From what I read, he was active behind the scenes in L. A. radio for years after this check was made.
looking for “stanley chevrolet” jingle, Molly Bee, vocal? kxla radio. thanx, r.c.
I was the owner of Stanley Chevrolet, let me know if you have a recording of the moley bee jingle, thanks , Stan
I was the owner of Stanley Chevrolet, let me know if you have a copy of the stanley chevrolet with Molly Bee, it was on kfwb from 1957 to 1967, thanks Stan
HI Stan:
There are some collections of the Pams commercial spots for KFWB from the years cited…Pams has a website. You can purchase these, albeit at times a tad pricey…and one may have the jingle from Stanley’s Chevrolet, which by the way I remember well. Really liked Molly Bee singing that jingle. I wouldn’t mind having a copy of that jingle myself.
Nick