Sent: October-24-09
12:10 AM
Subject: Pat Ludwig's Passing
I have just spent the last few days reminiscing about my
wonderful (musical) times with Pat. He was such an amazing
pianist - from the early days at CKCO with Elaine Cole, Betty
Thompson and countless others. It brought me back to the summer
I spent performing in Muskoka in 1978 when I would sit with my
six month old son David - watching Horoscope Dollars with Johnny
Walters and his dedicated side kick - Pat! "Two More, Two More!"
Those two cracked me up! Such fun times and wonderful memories.
It sure is fun to look back
and to know that I was once a small part of CKCO's history.
Best wishes,
Cathy Menard - jazz singer/bee/bear
Sent: May-04-09 11:01
PM
From: Harvey “Frenchy” Bellefeuille
Subject: Totally awesome!!!
Not sure who I should thank but this stuff is incredible!!! We
moved here from Sudbury in ’64 and KW has been home since then.
I love anything to do with the history of this area, always
looking for pictures or articles and as usual, stumbled upon the
CKCO info surfing the net.
Thank you so much for , as my wife says, “Another Trip Down
Memory Frickin’ Lane”!!
Best Regards, Harvey “Frenchy” Bellefeuille
P.S. – My brother Rick owns Twin-City Trophies , my Dad retired
from the Separate School Board and I did my growing up in
Downtown Waterloo, right across from Harmony Lunch.
Sent:
April-24-09 10:06 AM
From:
Gary Smith
Subject: Growing up I watched your station as much as my
parents would allow
Growing up in the 50's, my
favourite programme was hosted by Big Al then each time I would
get up to the Kitchener area (I live in Raleigh, N.C. and teach
at N. C. State University) I would watch the news as much as I
could. Oh those jackets people wore! Please continue to add
pictures to your site.
Thanks for the memories.
Gary Smith
Sent:
April-08-09 2:37 PM
From: Voelzing, Ken
Subject: Great Site
This is a fantastic site. I left Kitchener
for the Navy in October 1984 and this brings back great
memories. I was on Big Al’s Saturday jamboree many years ago (I
think that was what it was called). I remember running home for
lunch from Forest Hill School and watching him and the cartoons.
I also remember the red jackets the news guys wore. Better
styles now but it is still good to see Dave Macdonald doing the
weather.
I watch Canada AM regularly and it is good to
see Jeff there and I still remember him, Bill Inkol and Wayne
Kooyman doing the sports.
Many Thanks
Petty Officer First Class Ken Voelzing
Compliance/Assurance Analyst
CFPFSS
Sent: March-28-09 7:12
AM
From: Jane
Subject: The good old days
It seems like light years ago yet the memories live on. I
recall rushing home during lunch hour to catch Big Al's Ranch
Party and the Flintstone's after school. The theme song from
Dodo the Kid from Outer Space is imbedded in my head forever,
and flashing the middle finger as an audience member on Bowling
for Dollars and later seeing it aired on CKCO Television is
still considered a personal highlight of rebellious behaviour to
this day! I also miss shopping at the Hiway Market!
Jane
Sent: March-11-09
11:30 AM
From: Larry Bodendorf
Subject: Local productions
I remember live wrestling at the King Street studio in the late
50’s, early 60’s.
My father would take me to watch, I was approximately 7 to 11
years old.
Larry
Sent: March-11-09
10:50 AM
From: JACQUELINE STONHILL
Subject: Canadian Bandstand, et al
I was ecstatic to finally find a website for CKCO. In 1971/2 our
high school I.D.C.I. won the chance to appear on Canadian
Bandstand. It is one memory I will never forget. I would love to
find out about getting footage/photo's, my children would get a
real hoot and it would be an amazing time capsule. Unfortunately
I can't remember the exact date but I can remember what I wore,
retro flashback; red plaid plazzaro pants, amber long sleeved
unisex ribbed shirt and Wedgies! To this day I still have the
album I won "Uriah Heap - Magicians Birthday" in a spotlight
dance contest. Oh and very long hair!
I look forward to seeing the guest book grow as people search
out memories from the past.
7 March 2009
Many years ago (the early 1960s), when I was a youngster living in Brantford, I used to cycle home to catch the Big Al Show, with the Three Stooges, Daffy, Elmer Fudd, and all the rest of the characters on Channel 13. In those days we only got 6 of the 12 available TV stations.
Many times over the years I've thought back to those wonderful simplistic days, though in the meantime travelling much of the world and doing a lot of different things.
Yesterday, sitting in my office in London, England, I keyed in a few things on the Internet, and noticed that Big Al was actually Elwood Jones. From pictures I saw of his convertible, he seems to have been quite the character. Do you have a biography of him, showing the years he was Big Al, and what happened to him? When did he pass on? Watching him on CKCO seems like only yesterday -- when it was actually more than 45 years ago! I don't know what TV stations there are now, but the TV stations we used to receive were CBS, ABC and NBC, all from Buffalo, CHCH from Hamilton, CBC from Toronto, and CKCO from Kitchener. Big Al's TV period would have overlapped with sitting there in Brantford watching Walter Cronkite report from Dallas in November 1963. Memories so ingrained that they never go away. I can forget where I was a month ago, but memories of half a century ago are very much alive!!
Phil Jones
16 St Anns Villas
London W11 4RS
U.K.
P.S. Looking on the Internet brought back other people from CKCO, such as the newsman from 1957 to the 1980s (Gary McLaren?). I can remember him as a young man with a thin face and dark hair. Haven't thought of him in years. Elaine Calley's TV show on CHCH (Calling Calley?) came to mind the other day. I used to work the night shift at Massey-Ferguson's foundry in Brantford in the early 1970s, earning money for law school. I wonder what happened to all of the wonderful people who used to be on TV in southern Ontario. (I remember reading about a decade ago that Chuck Healy on WBEN in Buffalo, who headed the Saturday bowling show, passed on.) When you are a youngster, you somehow think that these people will never get old!
1 March 2009
Yo to all .. with thanks for John Donahue's phone call alerting me to the site .. lotsa interesting stuff (read 'memories and memorabilia') here, and, yes, I have some photos that I shall scan, along with some further names and notes that I shall forward .. in the meantime, all best, eh ..
Larry McIntyre
CKCO 1959-1971, and fill-ins after that!
