Tis the season for Christmas parties. The office parties where you somehow get cornered with an alleged co-worker, although you couldn’t pick him out of a police lineup. Awkward, right? Well, commit these facts to memory, and when the conversation hits that dreaded lull, dazzle them with some useless trivia. They’ll be excusing themselves for a trip to the punch bowl in no time!
DID YOU KNOW the Andy Griffith Show theme song, the one where Andy & Opie are walking to the fishin’ hole, has words? It’s true! Let Andy himself sing them to you. Then memorize them, and entertain your fellow partygoers.
DID YOU KNOW rockin’ Rod Stewart has eight children, ranging in age from a 2-year-old toddler, to a 50-year-old woman? It’s true! Long before “Maggie May” put Rod at the top of the charts, he fathered a baby girl at the age of 17, and put her up for adoption. He was broke at the time, and said he had no means of supporting her. Father and daughter reconnected a few years ago. See the resemblance? And you thought Christmas was interesting at your house!
Sarah Streeter, 50, and her dad, Rod Stewart, 68
Earlier this year, in this blog, many people were surprised to learn that a certain bridge in downtown Chattanooga was named after former mayor Rudy Olgiati, and not some guy named “Ol’ Johnny,” or even “Ol’ Jolly.” A friend brought another little-known Chattanooga history fact to my attention. It’s no secret, but since it happened in 1865, it isn’t widely known:
DID YOU KNOW that Howard High School in Chattanooga was named after this man?
Gen. Oliver Howard
Gen. Oliver Howard began the Civil War as a colonel in command of the Third Regiment of Maine Volunteers. He lost an arm fighting the Battle of Fair Oaks, and received the Thanks of Congress for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg. In 1864, he commanded a portion of the Army of the Tennessee under General William Tecumseh Sherman for the Union’s attack on Atlanta. After the war, General Howard was commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau, where he played a major role in Reconstruction, working to integrate freed slaves into American society. He dedicated his life to educating them, in the face of strong criticism. He died in 1909 at the age of 79. Chattanooga’s Howard School is one of many named for General Howard.
DID YOU KNOW that ABC News legend Diane Sawyer, was America’s Junior Miss fifty years ago? When I show photos from my book, “Chattanooga Radio and Television,” to audiences, I always ask if anyone recognizes the people in this photo:
Diane Sawyer & Roy Morris, 1963
Some of the older folks are quick to name Roy Morris, who was on Channel 3 every day for almost 20 years starting in the mid-1950s. But as for that young blonde girl on the left, “I’ve seen her somewhere, but I just can’t place her.” Kentucky high school senior Diane Sawyer won the state title, and was named America’s Junior Miss in 1963. She toured the country, making talk-show appearances like this one on Roy’s show. Obviously it trained her well for her career in journalism!
DID YOU KNOW that Paul Revere and the Raiders’ biggest hit, 1971’s “Indian Reservation” (also known by it’s chorus shout, “Cherokee People”) was a remake of a 1950s song recorded by a guy named Marvin Rainwater? The song was written by John D. Loudermilk as “Pale Faced Indian,” and Rainwater recorded it first. Twelve years later, Raiders’ lead singer Mark Lindsay recorded it as a solo single, but Columbia Records executives thought it would sell more if it said “The Raiders” on the label. They were right. The song went to number one. As it moved up the charts, songwriter Loudermilk got tired of reporters asking him about the inspiration for the song. One night, he was awakened by a writer for Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” show, inquiring about the song. Just because he was annoyed, Loudermilk made up a story about how he was captured by a tribe of Cherokee Indians when his car broke down in a blizzard. Of course, Casey was given the story, and read it as fact to a national radio audience. Loudermilk thought it was hilarious. Here are the two versions, the 1959 original, and the 1971 million-seller. I think you’ll be able to hear the difference!
And finally:
DID YOU KNOW that Luther’s first name was actually William, and that Earl’s first name is actually….Luther?
Luther Earl Freudenberg and William Luther Masingill
Two of Chattanooga’s best-known radio personalities are not who you think they are, by their first names anyway. The man known to many as “Hey Earl,” Earl Freudenberg, who was on WDOD for more than forty years, entered this world as Luther Earl Freudenberg, but has always gone by his middle name. His pal on the right, the man who found all those lost dogs for 74 years on WDEF, was born William Luther Masingill, but we all knew him as simply “Luther.” That’s what everyone called him since he was a kid. It just fit him better, didn’t it? I mean, “William, can you help me find my schnauzer?” or even, “Bill said it was going to snow, the schools are closed,” just doesn’t sound right. But when “Luther” said it, well, that meant something!
So there you have it, you’re armed with new conversation starters for your next Christmas party. If anyone asks how you got to be so darn smart all of a sudden, tell them you’ve been reading a blog written by that guy on the TV news.
I’ll close with a sweet holiday greeting that ran on CBS in 1966. They don’t make them like this any more. Merry Christmas!
