A tribute to the original Master Communicator
In 1960, with the 100th anniversary of the Civil War coming up, Alec Wilder put together a work inspired by the works of Civil War historian Bruce Catton. The piece, titled Names From the War, featured a pair of New York quintets and a choral group. Narrating it was none other than Dave Garroway. Thanks to the Wilderworld Podcast, you can listen to it here.
On this weekend, when we remember those who gave their lives, take the time to listen to this beautiful piece…and as you listen, remember.
In the ninth month of 1951 Dave Garroway was feeling lost. His television program had lost its sponsorship and time slot, and he didn’t know what was ahead for him. One morning, the story goes, Dave was having breakfast at the Pump Room of the Ambassador Hotel in Chicago (Dave was then living in the Windy City, remember). He happened to see a copy of Variety that someone had left behind, and inside was an article that outlined this new early-morning show that Pat Weaver was planning for NBC. Dave would later say the more he read, the more he felt the show was made for him. He contacted his agent, Biggie Levin, some meetings with NBC took place, and the rest is history.
I wondered how much stock to take in all this. Fortunately, the Internet Archive and its tremendous cache of periodicals came to the rescue, and after much searching I believe I’ve found the article that so transfixed Dave over that fateful breakfast, and changed his life forever. You can read that very article (and the rest of the issue) here.
During the run-up to the premiere of Today, Dave Garroway made guest appearances on some NBC programs. In the process, he got to match wits with some comedy legends. Here’s Dave paying a visit to Bob and Ray in the week before Today‘s premiere:
Maybe it’s me, but in that sketch Bob looks a lot like Pat Weaver and Ray reminds me of Today‘s first newsman, Jim Fleming.
Another preserved bit captures Dave’s January 6, 1952 visit to Fred Allen’s program. It’s a real treat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db9YFL0htlg
I’m working on a very special post for the 14th, to commemorate that first morning. In the meantime, enjoy the clips!
Latest addition to my little Garroway museum: Harvey Kurtzman’s Help!, December 1960. (You can read the entire issue, and a few others, here.)
We’re happy to report we got not only a very kind mention in It’s About TV this week, but with it some kind words about Dave himself and a vote of confidence in our project. Thank you, Mitchell!
In that post, by the way, there’s a paragraph about the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention. I’m planning to be there for a while the first couple of days, so if you’ll be there too and would like to talk Garroway, drop me a note through the contact form.
Finally, although we’re still working on it, we’ve made some great new discoveries in the last few weeks, and more could be on the way soon. We’ll share details as appropriate when the time is right. As always, if you have any great Garroway material you’d like to share, or if you knew him and would like to share your memories, we’d really love to hear from you. The more we have, the better a book we can create, and the better we can try to capture Garroway the man in full.