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.)

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

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! 

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

'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

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

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!"