Saturday, August 27, 2011

Commercial Break / Delmonte Tomato Sauce / 1964

It's quite possible there is not one canned good left on the shelves of stores here on the East Coast today as we hunker down and brave Hurricane Irene. Hope you have all stocked your shelves with batteries and non-perishable food items, especially Delmonte Tomato Sauce. And of course, straws.

Stay safe everyone! 

Delmonte Tomato Sauce Commercial
The Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio
1964

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Bob Crane in the News: 'Man in Pursuit of Himself' (TV GUIDE - February 27, 1965)



Because of his extensive work in radio and television, Bob Crane was often featured in trade magazines and newspapers. This article, which ran in the February 27, 1965, issue of TV Guide, explains Bob's successful career in radio, his desire to act, his role of Dr. Dave Kelsey on The Donna Reed Show, and his "frenetic" schedule of holding down two very high-profile and demanding jobs (he worked at KNX and The Donna Reed Show simultaneously) over the course of two years. 

Overall, this article is fairly accurate, with a few exceptions, one being the reason why Bob Crane left The Donna Reed Show. Whatever the rumors, the simple fact is that Bob left The Donna Reed Show merely because he was offered the role of Colonel Hogan on Hogan's Heroes. Further, Bob was not as under-educated as the writer of this article states, and whether Bob was insecure about himself or not, he was, without question, very intelligent.

Bob loved his work in both radio and acting. He worked hard at everything he did, and he was a perfectionist. Well-skilled in the art of self-depreciating humor, Bob also often ridiculed himself first before anyone else. He did this so well, in fact, that his "jokes" occasionally became "fact." For instance, Bob's high school classmates recall that he used to kid around, saying he never graduated from high school. Somewhere along the way, the statement that Bob dropped out of high school became a matter of record even though he actually graduated in 1946 and later took a course in radio station operation at Bridgeport University in 1949. This is just one of countless examples of how Bob's life history has been badly distorted in recent years. 

At the end of this article, Bob shares his feelings regarding what other people thought of his work in radio and the entertainment business. He says, "People say to me, 'Aw, you're just naturally funny. You don't have to work at it.' I don't care if that's what they think. But man, I do work at it. I work hard."

We couldn't agree more.

(Click once on each image below and then again in the new window to view in a larger format for easier reading.)






Monday, August 22, 2011

Bob Crane - Master of the Remix / Paula Prentiss KNX Guest

On December 11, 1964, Paula Prentiss was a celebrity guest on The Bob Crane Show over KNX in Los Angeles. By that time, Ms. Prentiss had established herself as a successful comedic actress, starring in such films as Where the Boys Are, Bachelor in Paradise, and The Horizontal Lieutenant. In 1965, she starred in What's New Pussycat.

During Paula's interview, Bob played the theme song to The Horizontal Lieutenant...and as you know by now, he doesn't just simply play the record. Take a listen, as Bob chitchats the whole way through and then adds his own soundtrack to the film's score.

Bob Crane / Paula Prentiss Guest
"The Horizontal Lieutenant" Theme Song (and Remix)
Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio
December 11, 1964

Saturday, August 20, 2011

August 20th - National Radio Day / 1957 American Airlines Radio Spot



Bob Crane at KNX - circa 1960.
In 1920, KDKA in Pittsburgh became the first commercial radio station in the United States to begin broadcasting. Radio has certainly evolved over the last 91 years, and despite ongoing changes in technology and FCC rulings, it has always been a primary source for news and entertainment. Your iPhones and Blackberries may be the techy toys of the day (and in a few minutes, I'm going to go play on Twitter and check out Facebook), but there's still something inherently special about radio. That crackle of static in the air; hearing the radio personalities interact with the songs, the callers, their guests, and each other; and knowing that anything and everything can happen. Live radio is unpredictable and predictable all at the same time.

During the 1950s and '60s, Bob Crane helped transform radio in many ways. First, he not only interacted with his guests and engineer, but he also interacted with the commercials, turning a 15-second spot into a minute or more of comedy. Second, Bob's show was never rehearsed; it was all spontaneous. Therefore, he could not rely on his radio engineer to know which record to play to go along with whatever stunt he was about to pull. Because of his show's format, Bob was able to receive special dispensation from the Radio Engineers' Union to play his own records, which at the time was completely unprecedented. Third, Bob kept a drumset in the radio booth, and he routinely drummed away with the tunes, sometimes singing or humming or whistling or inserting snippets of comedy as well. And last but by no means least, at KNX, Bob was one of the leading celebrity interviewers of his time. 

Attention radio stations! You've now heard some of Crane's calamity of having fun with commercials, doing impersonations, conducting wild radio campaigns, and performing skits. What kinds of crazy stunts or gimmicks have you done over the air? Let us know, and we'll highlight them in a future post!

Now for a commercial break. In this 1957 spot, the Crane Little Theatre Players promote Beech-Nut Gum, which then slides effortlessly right into an American Airlines commercial. Enjoy!

American Airlines Radio Spot
The Crane Little Theatre Players / Beech-Nut Gum
Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio
March 27, 1957



It's National Radio Day, America! Turn off your TV and tune in to your favorite radio station! 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Commercial Break - Chrysler / 1964



Looking for a new car? How 'bout a Chrysler? Apparently, the 1964 Chrysler had some pretty nifty head and tail lights, too...

Chrysler Radio Spot
Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio
May 30, 1964



Bob Crane / KNX / Chrysler Commercial 1964 by vote4bobcrane

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

'Happy Feet' - The Rare Recording




"Happy Feet" is a little-known song recorded by Bob Crane and the same musicians who produced the album Bob Crane, His Drums, and Orchestra Play the Funny Side of TV. It is extremely difficult to find a copy of this rare recording, which was not included on the full album, most likely because it was not a theme to a television show. Arranged by Ernie Freeman and record producer and music composer Stu Phillips, the tune "Happy Feet" can be heard in the 1966 film, Walk, Don't Run, with Cary Grant. The flip side of the 45 disc contains the theme song to Get Smart, which of course was included on the album.

We present "Happy Feet" here - and you can't help but walk away with happy feet after listening to this unmistakably 1960s tune. By they way, according to the record label, Colonel Hogan is doing the whistling. 

"Happy Feet" / Bob Crane on Drums
Bob Crane, His Drums, and Orchestra Play the Funny Side of TV
Epic Records / 1966

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Commercial Break - Delta Airlines / March 1962 (Featuring The Sportsmen Quartet)


The Sportsmen Quartet was a popular "barbershop quartet" singing group from the 1930s through the 1970s, and was featured on numerous radio shows, including The Jack Benny Show, The Rudy Vallee Show, The Eddie Cantor Show, and others. Jay Meyer, who sang with the quartet from 1951 to 1954 and who passed away in 2009, is one of the singing statues in the 2003 Walt Disney movie, The Haunted Mansion.

Here, The Sportsmen Quartet (with some help from our favorite morning man, Bob Crane) promotes Delta Airlines in this 1962 radio spot.

Delta Airlines Radio Spot / Performed by The Sportsmen Quartet
Bob Crane / KNX-CBS Radio
March 9, 1962

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Bob Crane Bids a Fond Farewell to WICC - August 11, 1956

Fifty-five years ago today, Bob Crane gave his final radio broadcast over WICC in Bridgeport, CT, as the station's morning personality. Within a week of his last show, Bob was on his way out to Los Angeles to begin work at KNX, where he would soon establish himself as radio royalty on the West Coast. During his tenure at WICC from 1951 to 1956, Crane was immensely popular, pulling 65% of the audience share (the percentage of radio stations in the listening area tuned to a particular station during a given period). He had been known to receive fan mail from as far away as Alaska, and his wild on-air stunts generated high ratings.


WICC Promotional Flyer.
Bob Crane (right) with Wallie Dunlap.
Courtesy of Bill Dillane and WICC.
Retired WICC disc jockey and radio personality Frank Derak recalls one of Bob Crane's radio antics. He states, "Before I got into broadcasting, I was a faithful morning listener of The Bob Crane Show on WICC Radio. It was two weeks before Valentine's Day, and Bob got a brilliant idea for an on-air radio promotion. He got on the radio and asked his female audience to send the station Valentine's Day kisses in the mail. The promotion moved into high gear on the second day, and after that, letters, cards, and all sorts of adoring gifts poured into the station - all with big lipstick kiss marks on them! Thousands of deliveries were made to the WICC studios, so much so, that the Health Department served WICC with a notice to stop the promotion immediately. Evidently, they believed it was unhealthy for their postal carriers to handle packages covered with kisses. No one ever heard of a postal employee complaining, but the promotion ended. That didn't stop the kisses from arriving daily for about a month, well into March! This is just one example of the market draw Bob Crane had for WICC, and in one little promotion, was able to generate mountains of fan mail from listeners to the station."

On August 19, 2008, Morgan Kaolian took calls from WICC listeners who remembered listening to Bob Crane's radio show. Several people called in with their memories, including one gentleman, Roger, who recalled hearing Bob's program when he was a kid growing up in the 1950s. Bob had been broadcasting out of the Bridgeport Arcade at the time, and he went down to see Bob specifically to get him to interview him on the air. "I went down there purposely as a kid. I think I might have been in seventh grade. I managed to walk around him in circles, and I got his attention, and he did interview me on the air, live. I enjoyed it, and it made my day!"

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Can WWII and the Nazis Be Funny? The Controversy and Defense of 'Hogan's Heroes'


Hogan and Klink:
Bob Crane with Werner Klemperer.
When Hogan's Heroes first aired, it was met with mixed reviews. People either loved it or hated it. But after six successful seasons and more than forty years later, a great many people around the world still embrace the series. Hogan's Heroes has been called timeless, and it continues to attract a large following of fans. However, there are still those who still find the show distasteful. After all, how can you laugh at war? And more specifically, at the Nazis?

During the show's initial run and later when it aired in syndication, Bob Crane advocated strongly for the series. He would address many groups, including former prisoners of war and World War II veterans, discussing the basic principle of the series: for the Allies to win with the help of humor.


POW Camp vs. Concentration Camp
There are two grave misconceptions about Hogan's Heroes. The first is the belief that it took place in a concentration camp. The second is its unbelievable concept: prisoners who were not really prisoners and Germans who were inept fools.

First, and most importantly, Stalag 13 was not a concentration camp. It was a prisoner of war camp, and while conditions were brutal for Allied servicemen being held in such camps, there was a big difference between a prisoner of war camp and a concentration camp. There is no ethical way anyone can make fun of the Holocaust and the atrocities brought on by Hitler and his Nazi regime. The producers, cast, and crew were quick to defend the show's premise and explain its locale.

Robert Clary, Bob Crane, and Werner Klemperer.
Robert Clary, who played Corporal Louis LeBeau on Hogan's Heroes, is a Jewish Holocaust survivor. From 1942 to April 11, 1945, Clary spent time in Nazi concentration camps, including Ottmuth, Blechhammer, Gross Rosen, and Buchenwald. He lost many of his family members to the Holocaust, and he has dedicated his life to speaking about his experiences and educating others about the Holocaust. Clary has published his memoirs, Robert Clary: From the Holocaust to Hogan's Heroes and also documented his story on film, Robert Clary A-5714, A Memoir of Liberation. In addition to Clary, many cast members on Hogan's Heroes were Jewish: Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink), John Banner (Sergeant Schultz), Howard Caine (Gestapo Major Hochstetter), and Leon Askin (Luftwaffe General Burkhalter), as is director Bruce Bilson. Further, Werner Klemperer's grandfather, Victor Klemperer, kept a diary of living in and escaping Nazi Germany: I Will Bear Witness

Reality vs. Parody
It was a question asked often of these actors: "How can you play a role in a comedy about the Nazis?" They did it first because it was a job. But secondly, they accepted the job because the series is a parody. A satire. A way to fight back with the cutting edge of humor, making the Nazis out to be bumbling idiots and fools, while keeping the reality of what the Nazis were and the imminent danger of what they were capable of hovering just around the corner. Watch closely. The story lines do not attack the German people, many of whom are seen in the series as members of the resistance/underground who wanted to defeat the Nazis.

Sgt. Schulz and Col. Hogan share a laugh.
Bob Crane with John Banner.

So realistically, could Stalag 13 have existed with an underground network of tunnels and the prisoners ruling the roost? No. But what better way to seek justice than to throw mud in the faces of the Nazis on a weekly basis via a parody? Charlie Chaplin took his shot in 1940 with The Great Dictator, and in 1968, Bob Crane's friend Mel Brooks released The Producers, which has become a Broadway sensation in recent years.

Bob Crane: Defender on the Spot
In a 1968 interview with TV Guide, Bob Crane explained, "The ex-POWs in Albuquerque, NM, have an association. They had a convention and invited me. A lot of POWs are hooked on Hogan's Heroes. They're our biggest rooters--along with New York Jewish delicatessen owners!" 

Edith Efron, author of the TV Guide article, continues by saying, "The stupefaction mostly exists in the minds of those who haven't seen and don't want to see the series because they've been understandably traumatized by what they've heard about it--that it's about a Nazi POW camp with 'funny Nazis'... It is, in fact, a classical black-and-white comedy, with a bunch of admirable guys thoroughly trouncing a bunch of contemptible guys. The good guys are maniacally unstoppable individualists who have burrowed the POW camp into a giant Swiss cheese, through the holes of which they conduct jubilant and successive 'great escapes' in the Allied cause. And the bad guys are Chaplinesque embodiments of authoritarian absurdities--a barking, heiling, goose-stepping batch of uniformed robots, pompous asses, bootlickers, toadies, cowards, and dupes. It's a funny, non-offensive show, and its real theme, as Bob Crane sums it up, is: 'Look how clever the Allies are!' Nevertheless, it's still a dubious enterprise to focus laughingly on Nazis at all, and it comes off successfully because of lively scripts, brilliant comedic acting--and Crane."

In this 1989 interview with Pat Sajak, Werner Klemperer discusses his music, his acting career, and his work on Hogan's Heroes. He explains the series as a satire and also touches on his friendship with Bob Crane.


Update: This topic is covered in great detail in Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography. It was not something Bob Crane or the producers, cast, and crew took lightly. Bob himself insisted on a trailer of the series be shown to veterans and former POWs to make sure they would not be offended. They, in fact, loved it, claiming without humor, they never would have survived the war. Many from the series talked with us about the controversy, and their thoughts are included in Bob's biography.

Another of our posts examines this point from the view of Rod Serling, who despised Hogan's Heroes. Click here to read the post.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Reference
Efron, E. (1968, August 3). Think John Wayne. TV Guide (pp. 25-27). Radnor, PA: Triangle Publications.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder! Bob Crane Flies First Class with U.S. Air Force


Bob Crane, geared up and ready for his
flight from Los Angeles to Davis Monthan
Air Force Base near Tucson, AZ.
July 1967 / World Wide Photo.
When an actor prepares for a role, it is imperative that he or she gets into the character and really feels and understands the part. Without question, Bob Crane did fit the part of Colonel Hogan very well, and many believe it was a role he was born to play. The character of Hogan was that of an officer in the U.S. Army Air Force, and several scenes from Hogan's Heroes show Hogan piloting an aircraft, including a U.S Army Air Force P-51 Mustang. Bob prepared rigorously for his role as Hogan, and when the opportunity arose for him to climb aboard a real jet fighter as a passenger courtesy of the U.S. Air Force, he jumped at the chance.

Bob, who often donated much of his spare time to charity or speaking at various events, had been invited by the U.S. Air Force in July 1967 to speak at an officers' dinner at the Davis Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, AZ. His flight from Los Angeles was not aboard a commercial jet liner, however. Crane arrived at the Air Force Base via a T-33 Jet Fighter, piloted by then Captain Jerry Chipman (now Colonel) of the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing.

Bob Crane climbs aboard the U.S. Air Force's
T-33 Jet Fighter. July 1967 / World Wide Photo.
Colonel Chipman states, “I remember the occasion very well. I had taken a flying helmet and oxygen mask for Bob to use on the return trip from LAX. The helmet was slightly small, which caused some discomfort. However, Bob endured the flight and presented a great talk to his military audience. I enjoyed meeting him and would strongly support his nomination to the National Radio Hall of Fame.”

According to press releases of the event, Bob was given every flight maneuver possible, and after landing, he emerged "with butterflies in the stomach and a grin on the face." It had been his first ride in the cockpit of a jet fighter.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

The Sunny Side of the Street



Throughout his life, Bob Crane maintained a happy, "sunny" personality. A school friend once explained, "Bob had a way about him that could brighten the darkest day... We could use some of his sunshine now!"

The 1930 jazz hit "The Sunny Side of the Street" fits Bob's personality well. It has been performed by many music greats, including Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, and others. Here, Bob jokes, sings, and drums along with an arrangement of the tune by Woody Herman and His Quartet, as it aired over KNX-CBS Radio in March 1962.

"The Sunny Side of the Street" / Bob Crane on Drums
Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio
March 9, 1962

Friday, August 5, 2011

'The Lucy Show' - Lucy and Bob Crane


On February 21, 1966, Bob Crane guest starred on The Lucy Show. The script is dated January 4, 1966, and John Banner also makes a brief appearance. The episode was originally called "There's No Business Like the Iron Man Business" before it was changed to "Lucy and Bob Crane."

Synopsis of the episode as it appeared in 1966 reads: "Bob Crane, chief hero of Hogan's Heroes, takes Lucille Ball to dinner. The fun is the mashed potatoes kind, with Crane unaware that Lucy moonlights as Ironman Carmichael, Hollywood's most daring stuntman. Also poking his head in for a laugh or two is John Banner, Schultz of the Hogan's gang."

Bob Crane guest stars on The Lucy Show.
Ad from TV Guide, February 21, 1966.

Page from the original script of
The Lucy Show: "Lucy and Bob Crane"
Air date February 21, 1966.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Note: Hogan's Heroes was filmed at Desilu Studios, the production company owned by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Interior scenes were filmed at Desilu-Culver City, while exterior scenes were filmed at the "40 Acre Lot." In addition to Hogan's Heroes, the 40 Acre Lot was also home to Gone With the Wind (the Tara Plantation was later the site of Stalag 13), The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle USMC, Mayberry RFD, and Batman, among others. For a virtual tour of the 40 Acre Lot, click here.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Bob Crane - An Interview with Dick Van Dyke


Bob Crane, Dick Van Dyke,
and Mary Tyler Moore
"Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra"
Dick Van Dyke Show, 1962
The legendary, award-winning actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke hardly needs an introduction. He is universally known and recognized for his terrific work in television (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Diagnosis Murder), in theatre (Bye Bye Birdie, The Music Man), and in film (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins).

Not unlike Bob Crane, Dick Van Dyke's career started in radio. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II as a radio announcer in Special Services where he entertained the troops. After the war, he worked in the news room for a radio station in Illinois.

In 1962, Carl Reiner, producer and creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show, cast Bob as the character of Harry Rogers in the episode, "Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra." (To watch the episode on IMDB, click here.) This was one of Bob's first roles on television, and it helped pave the way for his being hired as a semi-regular cast member on The Donna Reed Show.

Dick was a guest on Bob's KNX radio show in 1964 shortly after The Dick Van Dyke Show took home a series of Emmy Awards. In this interview segment, Bob talks with Dick about his start in radio and his work as an actor.

Bob Crane - Dick Van Dyke Interview Segment
Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio
1964

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Note: In May 2011, Dick Van Dyke published his memoirs in his new book, My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Will the Real Robert Hogan Please Stand Up?


Bob Crane as Colonel Hogan.
As we all know, Bob Crane portrayed Colonel Robert E. Hogan on Hogan's Heroes. But how did the series get its name? As it turns out, associate producer Bernard Fein named the show after his good friend, Robert Hogan, an American television actor best known for his work on numerous soap operas, including Another World, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives and One Life to Live. Robert Hogan also guest starred in two different episodes of Hogan's Heroes: "Reservations Are Required" and "Crittendon's Commandos." Most recently, in June 2011, he guest starred in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

What's more fascinating is this: Bob Crane is related to another Robert Hogan. Ironically and by sheer coincidence, Bob's great-grandfather (on his father's side) was none other than Robert E. Hogan of Stamford, CT, a tool maker whose family was from Ireland. Further, the Crane name was originally spelled "Crean," with Bob's grandfather changing the spelling to Crane sometime prior to 1900.

Bob Crane's complete life story is detailed in Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography. Published on September 17, 2015, the book is 660 pages in length and contains the firsthand accounts from 200 prominent people from Bob's life.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Specks on the Parthenon: Remembering Bob Crane, Amy Winehouse, and All Those We Have Lost Who Suffered from Addiction


by Carol Ford

I have started writing this post several times. And in light of Amy Winehouse's tragic and untimely passing, it becomes even more pressing for me to do so. 

This site was created to inform people about Bob Crane's accomplishments in radio and the entertainment industry for the purpose of his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. This is a place for people to see, hear, and learn about the good things Bob did in his short life. And there are many.

But it is also impossible to ignore the elephant in the room any longer. Bob Crane did have his demons, and they ultimately led to his murder and the scandal that followed.

But should this define a person entirely?

One Internet search will tell you: Bob Crane is perhaps one of the only murdered celebrities whose memory receives little or no respect. Not knowing the full story and presented with skewed and often inaccurate information, people have been quick to judge. Bob is the star in a recurring media circus that has become a runaway train.

It is a sensitive issue. On the surface, he appeared to enjoy his lifestyle. On the inside, however, he was deeply troubled. Shortly before his death, Bob confessed to a minister that he was battling an addiction to sex (only with consenting adult women), and he wanted to change. While it was not a substance addiction, Bob realized it was something he could not control, and for the sake of being a better father to his children, he sought professional help. He was on the brink of starting his life over, only he was never given the chance.

We publicly mourn the death of those who have been taken from us much too soon, and Amy Winehouse is only the latest on a long list of celebrities who have battled addiction, whether it be to a substance or a behavior. When such a rare talent is taken from the world prematurely, it is, for lack of a better word and at the very least, unfair.

Bob Crane's talents and multiple contributions to the entertainment industry have been overshadowed and nearly forgotten over the decades. Mention of his work in radio is merely a postscript, when in fact, Bob changed and shaped the world of radio over the course of nearly two decades. His work on Hogan's Heroes "gave joy to millions." He was a gifted theater actor and director, as well as a talented musician and drummer. And in the final months of his life, he was working on a new television pilot set in Hawaii. At 49 years of age, he was nowhere near ready to leave this world.

Would Bob have been able to change? We will never know. It would have been, without a doubt, a long and difficult journey. However, many people who knew him well believe that he was determined enough to do so. Those who knew Bob remember him as a man who was kind, generous, and caring, He was a "gentle man" who loved his family and friends. He has been called a "genius" in radio, was an "actor's actor," and most of all, he loved his children dearly. Bob was not the depressed and pathetic individual portrayed in the film Auto Focus. He was a happy, intelligent, and caring man who "was kind to those he worked with and was kind to those he knew."

Bob's friend and fellow radio colleague, Joe Cosgrove, remembers Bob this way: "Everybody has a dark side. Everybody thinks ugly thoughts. Everybody has a history to their life. Let’s not paint this guy’s life by - what shall we say? - the  moments in his life... I say these things that are the flaws are specks on the Parthenon. Let’s look at the Parthenon and let’s not look at the specks. Let’s lift our eyes up to the man’s eyes and soul and life and not look down on the gutter. When I think about Bob Crane, I think about a ray of light. I think about a person of love. His legacy should be a creative genius who brought laughter and good family entertainment to millions of people. And his legacy should be smile, smile, smile no matter what happens in life. That’s how I remember Bob Crane, and that’s how Bob Crane should be remembered."

As you remember Amy Winehouse, remember her for the talent she possessed and the goodness that was in her heart. Do not allow her flaws define her. When you remember Bob Crane, remember him the same way. 

Their flaws are but specks on the Parthenon.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Note: For more about addiction, read the CNN article, "Amy Winehouse and the Mysteries of Addiction" by Dr. Itai Danovitch, Director of Addiction Psychiatry Clinical Services; Associate Director of the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship; and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Joe Cosgrove was a staff announcer at KPOL in Los Angeles in 1956 and was one of the first people to welcome Bob Crane to the West Coast. He is the founder of KTHO in Lake Tahoe, CA, and continues to broadcast regularly.