The 11:60 Club at 11:60 p.m.

When Dave Garroway came back to Chicago after serving in World War II, he found himself occupying the midnight slot on WMAQ.1 He turned what seemed like a dead-end assignment into an unusual program of music, patter and whimsy that gained a following everywhere WMAQ’s signal could be heard. And he named this unusual program The 11:60 Club.

It even had membership cards, sent to fans who wrote in. (Author’s collection)

As it happens, The 11:60 Club took its name from a popular song of the time, which I’m happy to share here.

And as a bonus…notice how Garroway is listed as “Eagerest Beaver” of the 11:60 Club? That’s a reference to….

You can say many things about Dave Garroway, but there is no disputing that the man knew good music.

  1. It’s a long story, but it came down to Dave being the only one on the air staff who had a car and thus wasn’t tied to when the trains stopped running at night.