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The Amazing Way Bob McAdorey Was Introduced To CHUM's Audience
Many here will remember the big promo campaign that brought Jungle Jay Nelson to CHUM's morning show in the early 60s, a place he stayed for the next few decades. The station staged phony "on-air auditions" featuring several would be contenders - including Irene Ryan, aka Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies.
But while it was one of their memorable promotions, it tuns out it wasn't the first time they brought out big stars to welcome a newcomer to the fold. CHUM jocks were every bit as famous as the musicians whose records they played and when they brought in a new one, it was a big deal.
At least it was when Bob McAdorey arrived from CJOY in Guelph in 1961. The story below shows the lengths CHUM went to in order to welcome the new kid on the block, complete with special appearances by a host of big showbiz names. It all started when several regular CHUM jocks mysteriously went "missing" from their regular shifts, forcing some other big names to take their places. 
Some of these airchecks have survived. Here's the Jane Morgan "show" from June 1961.
Mitzi Gaynor also played jock that same week.
Love to hear that Jim Backus one someday, if it has survived!
These charts from July 1961 also featured hints about the jock who would eventually take over afternoon drive.
(Charts courtesy The CHUM Tribute site)
- Doug Thompson
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Re: The Amazing Way Bob McAdorey Was Introduced To CHUM's Audience
A segment of that 1961 Mitzi Gaynor program (filling in for Mike Darow) is this week's edition of the CHUM DJ Hall of Fame at chumtribute.com. It's nearly half an hour long with loads of CHUM fun for everyone.
Only an hour of Mitzi Gaynor and an hour of Jane Morgan have survived. The others are...as Margaret Mitchell so elequently put it..."Gone With The Wind".
Last edited by Doug Thompson (June 28, 2022 8:43 pm)
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Re: The Amazing Way Bob McAdorey Was Introduced To CHUM's Audience
That's too bad. I would have loved to hear the Jim Backus segment. Oh well. I'll have to wait until I invent that time machine I keep meaning to work on...Thanks for fleshing this out. It was an inspired idea back then, although I wonder how many CHUM listeners knew who Mitzi Gaynor or Jane Morgan were.
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Thread Starter- Doug Thompson
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Re: The Amazing Way Bob McAdorey Was Introduced To CHUM's Audience
Today, absolutely none. But back then, John Spragge would occasionally play a Jane Morgan record for 'his gals'. Mitzi was still doing movies until 1963 and during her nightclub act years spent lot of time in Vancouver. When you're finished with the time machine, please get me an Al Boliska morning show aircheck from 1960. That would be very nice. Thanks.
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Re: The Amazing Way Bob McAdorey Was Introduced To CHUM's Audience
It continues to amaze me that somehow no one saved a single aircheck of Al Boliska on CHUM, (minus that now famous noon pre-record that doesn't do him justice and that he put no effort into.) You have stuff on your site that dates back practically to the beginning of the station's Top 40 days, yet not a single reel-to-reel of one of the most celebrated morning men in Toronto radio history exists?
Yes, it's true, But I find that almost unbelievable. Perhaps someone inherited their dad's old tape machine with a bunch of long unlistened to tapes in it and it's lurking there, and they'll get curious enough to see what's on them. But until then, it's very sad this legend has been lost to history.
I'll let you know if I ever get that time machine built and working!
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Thread Starter- Lorne
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Five songs by Jane Morgan made the CHUM Chart from 1957 to 1959 -- with two reaching #4 in 1957 and 1958, and another one reaching #15 in 1959. And Mitzi Gaynor had starred in one of the biggest movies of 1958, South Pacific. But this also makes me think of how my mother, who would have been 33 at the time, routinely went back and forth between CHUM and CFRB. She enjoyed the music on both stations, and I think a promotion like that would have particularly appealed to listeners like her.
- mace
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Lorne wrote:
Five songs by Jane Morgan made the CHUM Chart from 1957 to 1959 -- with two reaching #4 in 1957 and 1958, and another one reaching #15 in 1959. And Mitzi Gaynor had starred in one of the biggest movies of 1958, South Pacific. But this also makes me think of how my mother, who would have been 33 at the time, routinely went back and forth between CHUM and CFRB. She enjoyed the music on both stations, and I think a promotion like that would have particularly appealed to listeners like her.
Lorne: Your mom would have been one year older than mine. My parents kitchen radio had only two knobs, CFRB and off.
- Lorne
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Five songs by Jane Morgan made the CHUM Chart from 1957 to 1959 -- with two reaching #4 in 1957 and 1958, and another one reaching #15 in 1959. And Mitzi Gaynor had starred in one of the biggest movies of 1958, South Pacific. But this also makes me think of how my mother, who would have been 33 at the time, routinely went back and forth between CHUM and CFRB. She enjoyed the music on both stations, and I think a promotion like that would have particularly appealed to listeners like her.
Lorne: Your mom would have been one year older than mine. My parents kitchen radio had only two knobs, CFRB and off.
My father was four years older than her and didn't listen to CHUM other than when my mother had it on, so I certainly saw both sides of how their generation was regarding Top 40 radio. Since I was born in 1960 I don't have firsthand knowledge of what CHUM was like back then, but when I see how well artists like Jane Morgan did on the CHUM Chart it gives me the impression that they did have a decent number of listeners of my parents' generation -- and I would think that its proximity to CFRB on the dial helped in that regard.
- Media Observer
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Lorne: Your mom would have been one year older than mine. My parents kitchen radio had only two knobs, CFRB and off.
Growing up in the '60s & '70s, my parents had the same model.
- Dale Patterson
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CHUM did a nice job publicizing Bob Laine's return to the station as "The Voice" in 1962.
Thanks to Doug Thompson for this. He truly is CHUM's best chum.
"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
- Dale Patterson
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Re: The Amazing Way Bob McAdorey Was Introduced To CHUM's Audience
It continues to amaze me that somehow no one saved a single aircheck of Al Boliska on CHUM, (minus that now famous noon pre-record that doesn't do him justice and that he put no effort into.) You have stuff on your site that dates back practically to the beginning of the station's Top 40 days, yet not a single reel-to-reel of one of the most celebrated morning men in Toronto radio history exists?
Yes, it's true, But I find that almost unbelievable. Perhaps someone inherited their dad's old tape machine with a bunch of long unlistened to tapes in it and it's lurking there, and they'll get curious enough to see what's on them. But until then, it's very sad this legend has been lost to history.
I'll let you know if I ever get that time machine built and working!
I consider it to be the "Holy Grail" of airchecks. That and an aircheck of "The Open Lid" at CKFH. Anyone?
"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram