Comments on: Hawthorne & Friends on KXLA Pasadena | June 9, 1947

By: Scott Mercer

Scott Mercer — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:22:00 +0000

I went down to 11th and Figueroa to find my brand new Kaiser-Frazer convertible, but there was nothing there now but a parking lot for Staples Center. “Wildman Pritchard The Used Car King” at 925 South Figueroa has been replaced by an office building.

I identified bits of Steve Allen, Jean Shepherd and Garrison Keillor in Hawthorne’s spiel, drier than August in Palm Springs. What a gem of a jewel of a recording. The speeding up of the commercials did get old after the third time though.

By: Nick Campbell

Nick Campbell — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:36:39 +0000

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

By: Stan Sefman

Stan Sefman — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:20:22 +0000

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

By: Stan Sefman

Stan Sefman — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:11:54 +0000

I was the owner of Stanley Chevrolet, let me know if you have a recording of the moley bee jingle, thanks , Stan

By: ry cooder

ry cooder — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:53:36 +0000

looking for “stanley chevrolet” jingle, Molly Bee, vocal? kxla radio. thanx, r.c.

By: Cris

Cris — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:30:33 +0000

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.

By: Jim Hilliker

Jim Hilliker — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 03:24:10 +0000

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

By: Cris

Cris — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 02:27:13 +0000

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.

By: Steve West

Steve West — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 17:01:47 +0000

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

By: Tom Bernstein

Tom Bernstein — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 18:43:05 +0000

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