By Betty Smith, Press Staff Writer
June 21, 2006 10:05 am
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When Tahlequah residents discuss Tulsa television personalities of the past and present, many speak of fond childhood memories of Uncle Zeb or Mr. Zing and Tuffy.
But the name coming up most often – and the one viewers continued to watch as adults – were longtime Channel 8 weatherman Don Woods and his cartoon friend, Gusty. Perhaps that’s because he was on the air for so long – and has been on more recently – than other favorites.
But Lee Woodward and King Lionel also get frequent mentions. Fellow meteorologist Jim Giles, who has spent a quarter-century forecasting storms for Channel 6, draws mention for his service in Vietnam and his successful battle with cancer. People also enjoy his spirited rendition, along with his German wife Hannah, of the chicken dance at Tulsa’s annual Oktoberfest.
Although Woods and Woodward may have competed for viewers, they weren’t rivals off camera.
“Dad and Lee were friends, and we used to see them often,” said his son, Stuart Woods, who lives in Tahlequah.
Retired anchorman Bob Hower also is warmly remembered. Like Giles, he’s a veteran: Hower served as a bomber pilot during World War II.
And Betty Boyd was one of Tulsa’s female television pioneers. She made her first live appearance on KOTV Dec. 1, 1955. The versatile broadcaster hosted several shows, including daytime “women’s” programming, and morning shows. She served as the local hostess for national telethons, such as the March of Dimes. She also wrote a book about her TV experiences, “If I Could Sing, I’d Be Dangerous,” as well as a newspaper column, “Travelchatter.”
Boyd climaxed her career by serving in the Oklahoma Legislature, where she gained a reputation as a champion of the elderly and other causes.
But Woods enjoys a special relationship with viewers, even years later, because of his cartoon creations. A number of Tahlequah-area residents possess Gusties they received over the years.
Woods may have retired from television after 35 years, but he continues to appear as an occasional advertising spokesman and at celebrations. And Gusty may have observed his 50th birthday, but he’s nowhere near retirement.
Gusty has achieved many honors. He appears in the Smithsonian Institution and Gilcrease Museum. He’s Oklahoma’s official state cartoon, thanks to a proclamation in 2004.
“Have a happy forever,” Don says.
Through the Gusty Goals program, his art benefits SAR Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations in Oklahoma. Don also got into watercolors in the late 1970s and has exhibited his work in Tulsa and Taos, gaining acclaim in that field.
“I’ve got lots of his watercolors in my house,” Stuart said.
Woods, a native of Wichita, Kan., started his career as a meteorologist while serving in the Navy. After his discharge, he studied meteorology and began his broadcasting career in Wichita before moving to KTUL.
He also taught meteorology at Tulsa Junior College, ending that career about a year ago. Today he and his wife are enjoying retirement in Tulsa, traveling to area lakes in their recreational vehicle.
“It’s been great being his son. He’s been a good father for his kids,” Stuart Woods said.
At times, though, their dad’s popularity could be a little vexing for Stuart and his two sisters.
“Probably the most inconvenient part was when we would go out to eat. Waitresses and customers would crowd around the tables, wanting a Gusty,” he said.
The affable Woods obliged his fans, turning out sketches on a napkin or menu. Stuart said the fans weren’t rude or anything.
“Of course, it doesn’t bother me now. Fewer people come up and ask for autographs,” he said.
What accounted for Don’s popularity? His son thinks it was because the average viewer could relate to him.
“He was always himself,” Stuart said. “He was never trying to project an image that was better than himself. People just felt like they could relate to him. He was always very approachable.”
People who think of Don only as a weatherman may not be aware of another side of his work.
“My dad used to go around to little churches and give what he called the ‘Gusty talks,’” Stuart said.
Gusty was used to illustrate four spiritual laws. Don gave parishioners the big Gusty drawings, and did additional small ones, as he illustrated spiritual points. Gusty also appears in religious tracts.
And the character apparently translates well.
“There are Gusty tracts out in Chinese and various languages now,” Stuart said.
Stuart got to meet many of the KTUL personalities when working as a cameraman for a year, and enjoyed interacting with them.
Most people obtained their Gusty cartoons by writing to Channel 8.
“When I first came to work here, we used to receive Gusty requests by the mailbag, literally,” said Betty Thompson, still active as the KTUL receptionist after 36 years.
Usually, a request was drawn from the pile of mail at random. Sometimes Woods created a Gusty for a special request, such as a 100th birthday or 50th wedding anniversary, a sick child or a charitable event.
Ada Cannonie of Tahlequah got her Gusty as a birthday present in the early 1970s. A friend asked to have a special Gusty drawn for her.
“She had him draw this picture for me, and she gave it to me on my birthday,” Cannonie said. “It was a surprise to me. Not long ago I went to something in Tulsa, and I told Don Woods I had a Gusty. We used to watch him on TV, drawing his pictures.”
Gusty is a cherished possession of Cannonie’s, as is the one belonging to Kelly Yeager.
“He [Gusty] was holding a flag, and it had my name on it,” Yeager said.
He once met Woods at the Tulsa State Fair.
Yeager said while he didn’t care much about watching the weather as a young man, he became more concerned when storms threatened after he became an adult. Then he watched Woods and Gusty to stay alert about weather conditions.
Lyn Arter has one of Woods’ last official Gusties.
“A few years ago, they had a giveaway of old Gusties and I was fortunate enough to get one,” she said. “Gusty was on TV when I was a child. We always looked at Don Woods. We got very few TV stations, since I lived in Heavener.”
Unlike his compatriot Gusty, King Lionel has ventured out of his den few times since Lee Woodward’s retirement as a weather forecaster on KOTV. Woodward had worked as a host for afternoon movies and a kids’ show, then joined KOTV in 1959 as an announcer.
Most people don’t know King Lionel had a somewhat shady past. The furry puppet’s first incarnation was as a female, “Lippy,” working with a female hostess.
Woodward found the puppet in a storage area and started working with it. Not satisfied with the Lippy image, he performed a sex change of sorts. As King Lionel, the mascot obtained a proper robe and crown. Lionel got away with making his own caustic remarks about the news during the nightly broadcast. He left the air in the 1970s.
Perhaps the most well-known personalities emerging from Tulsa TV were Gailard Sartain and Gary Busey. Sartain, son of a Tulsa fire chief, was a graduate of Will Rogers High School, as were many other successful performers, including Leon Russell.
Sartain appeared as Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi, host of the “Uncanny Film Festival,” along with other personae; and Busey, also a Tulsan, was Teddy Jack Eddy on the same show. Another personality was called Sherman Oaks.
Their antics predated similar zany comedy sketches on “Saturday Night Live.” And, for many viewers, the B movies they hosted were but a pretext for the sketches.
Sartain left Tulsa for the bright lights of Nashville and “Hee Haw.” Busey began a career in Hollywood. They worked together when Busey starred in “The Buddy Holly Story,” with Sartain playing the Big Bopper.
Jeff Reasor met Sartain when his father filmed commercials at the KTUL studio, making him the envy of some of his contemporaries for actually knowing Mazeppa.
“I was in high school, and that’s what we watched on Saturday nights. We’d go to somebody’s house and watch it,” Reasor said.
Ed Fite, administrator of the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, said he and his brothers got to stay up and watch Mazeppa if their parents judged they’d been good during the week.
Kate Kelly, Tahlequah tourism director, also enjoyed Mazeppa.
“I was a little young to understand some of the humor,” she said.
But she laughed as Sartain dressed like Julia Child or carved Spam.
“I remember one time he was making a carving and he made a little hole in the bottom to hide a jelly bean in,” she said.
While youngsters often weren’t allowed to stay up for Mazeppa, many cut their TV teeth on Uncle Zeb and Mr. Zing and Tuffy. They rushed home from school to watch their favorites, postponing play and homework, if possible.
Thompson said there was a six-month waiting list to appear on the popular kids’ shows.
“I have calls almost weekly, wanting copies of Mr. Zing and Tuffy or Uncle Zeb,” she said.
Unfortunately, many of the old films were destroyed by leakage while in storage. The remaining ones were donated to the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
Carl Bartholomew, not wanting to disappoint his young fans, never appeared in public without his Uncle Zeb gear – a sort of younger Gabby Hayes-type westerner. But he was a versatile sort, also serving as an announcer and creating the “8’s the place” promotional campaign.
Uncle Zeb, with cohorts Zeke and Zach, gave lucky Tulsa-area kids the chance to appear live on TV, often celebrating their birthdays with their friends. Zeb treated them to Looney Tunes and Popeye cartoons, wild animals, and games. And as a finale, each kid got to walk across a bridge and greet anyone he wanted.
Bartholomew started as a cameraman at KTUL in 1967. He created the Uncle Zeb character as a stand-in for John Chick, who portrayed Mr. Zing. Eventually, as Chick left that role to concentrate on his morning show and other interests, Zeb stepped into the time spot.
Chick, now deceased, shared his show with Tuffy the Tiger, played by Wayne Johnson, and Shaggy Dog, played by Tom Ledbetter. The show ran for six years. Like Bartholomew, Chick was multi-talented. He played guitar, wrote and sang folk songs, and hosted a show featuring Tulsa musicians.
Fans of both shows, who are adults today, regret that today’s children don’t enjoy the opportunity to have local shows that they can participate in, or perhaps meet the stars at a publicity event.
Uncle Zeb and Mr. Zing apparently did a good job convincing kids to believe in them.
“It never occurred to me that was a persona they played on TV,” Yeager said. “Twenty years later, I saw Mr. Zing. I met him at the Tulsa State Fair. I was still star-struck, even then.”
Randolph Friend didn’t watch Uncle Zeb as much, but was a big fan of the Mr. Zing show.
“I liked Tuffy, mostly -- the cage opening and letting him out,” he said.
He can still sing Tuffy’s theme, which went: “Tuffy’s a sweet ol’ tiger, he’s as sweet as he can be. He loves little toys and loves girls and boys, Tuffy’s the tiger for me.”
“I’ve got very strong memories of Mr. Zing and Tuffy,” Kate Kelly said. “Mr. Zing was just so friendly, he seemed like someone you’d like to be friends with. And Tuffy was his foil.”
“Uncle Zeb’s Cartoon Camp – that’s what I’d watch every day,” said her co worker, Chamber Executive Director David Moore. “You’d see a lot of local classroom friends on there. Great cartoons, too.”
“My favorite shows in the early 1960s were ‘Mr. Zing and Tuffy’ after school, ‘F Troop,’ ‘Petticoat Junction,’ ‘The Monkees’ and ‘Batman,’” Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission Administrator Ed Fite said. “We would race home after school to make sure we were there. We’d have our Dr. Pepper, chips, and sit in front of the TV.”
Uncle Zeb told the Daily Press he’s pleased so many of his fans remember him with affection years later. He sent us this message to pass along:
“Thanks for thinking of me. Those Uncle Zeb days provided some of the most memorable days of my career. I only hope that those who watched can remember when life was a lot simpler and perhaps a little more fun. Enjoy your friends as long as you can. Good ones are hard to find.
“Try to do a good deed each day, even if it’s only to make somebody smile. And try to find something in life you truly enjoy doing. Then it’s not work. Uncle Zeb never had to work; he just got to play with kids. Thanks again for thinking of me and until we meet again, I’ll be lookin’ for ya!”
Leake influenced local TV coverage
By BETTY SMITH
Press Special Writer
When most people hear of James C. Leake, they probably think of the annual classic car auction that continues in Tulsa, or remember visiting his Antiques Inc. Museum in Muskogee.
They may know he was the longtime owner of KTUL Channel 8 in Tulsa, but don’t realize the extent of his contribution to television coverage in this area, nor his other civic activities. They probably enjoyed watching his antique cars as they participated in various parades around northeastern Oklahoma, often carrying Channel 8 news people and other television personalities.
He didn’t appear often on-camera, but his long-term influence in this area was greater than many of the people whose faces were broadcast on a daily basis.
Leake, who died in 2001 at age 85, was a flamboyant and sometimes controversial figure. He was a member of the Muskogee City-County Port Authority and its chairman for many years, promoting the development of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. He also enthusiastically encouraged the growth of the Green Country organization and activities throughout this area.
He was a flamboyant figure, topped by a halo of frizzy white hair later in life, frequently grinning, eyes gleaming when he found something amusing. Those same eyes could turn stern if he disliked something. He decked his robust figure in bright clothes. He frequently wore a gold coat, and a tie with thick red-and-white stripes somewhat resembling a barber pole.
Although a wealthy man for many years, Leake came from humble beginnings. He married into the Griffin family, owners of Griffin Foods and Griffin Communications. The group later operated an Oklahoma television station as well as KTUL.
At first, Leake intended to operate his television station from Muskogee, establishing its first studio in an old store building on Eastside Boulevard. It soon became clear that, for many reasons, it would be better to move the operation to Tulsa. So he did, but KTUL maintained a Muskogee bureau and a strong presence until well into the 1980s.
Mike Jett, director of video technology at Northeastern State University, has many memories of his days working for KTUL – as a photographer and then a reporter – between 1977 and 1985.
“There was a bureau that was created for us. Jacqueline Scott was the first reporter, then John Hasler,” he said.
Hasler now works for Indian Capital Technology Center at its Muskogee campus. Jett moved to this area in 1972.
“I learned the walk and the talk here, and I have spent my professional life here,” he said. “At the time, for some reason, it was very important to be in TV news. It was important to be the best staff in town. Back then, the character of doing news stories wasn’t very different in newspapers and TV. But we were basically told to write the news for the picture. You write the video.”
Though he’s been gone from KTUL for 20 years, “sometimes I find myself driving down the road, doing a story in my head.”
Jett and his partners were highly visible in Muskogee, Tahlequah and the surrounding areas as they went about their daily coverage. They frequently did stories in the Fort Gibson area, and Leake directed them to visit Tahlequah often, as news events and feature opportunities dictated.
As mentioned, Leake liked for his employees to participate in parades. Jett recalls they rode in Tahlequah parades, at the Stilwell Strawberry Festival and Porter Peach Festival. Leake frequently was the high bidder on the prize bushel of peaches or batch of strawberries.
“We worked for one of the last family-owned stations. Mr. Leake’s objective was that he wanted to have a news team here on standby that he could dispatch,” Jett said. “Those were really some of the good times.”
Leake supported his team by keeping them abreast with technology. They had a live truck before satellite trucks became prevalent in the industry.
One of Jett’s most memorable experiences, although not in this area, was being sent to Buffalo, N.Y., with reporter Bill Mitchell, to cover economic difficulties resulting from closing of steel mills there. They interviewed families who had lost their jobs in mid-winter, as St. Patrick’s Day, an important holiday in that area, was approaching.
“That was the first time I used the satellite,” Jett said.
He enjoyed covering the campaign of Mike Turpen, when he was the Muskogee County district attorney and won the Oklahoma attorney general’s race. He also covered the campaigns and service of Mike Synar, who represented the 2nd District in Congress for 16 years.
Wilma Mankiller’s ascent as the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation was another important story. And the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission’s struggle to clean up the Illinois River and its tributaries got frequent airplay.
“Those were great times, too,” Jett said.
He said the Muskogee-based team developed its own leads on stories, along with breaking news.
“We did a lot of NSU canoe races; we got to play celebrity. We rode in the parades. They’d put our names on a banner in front of one of Mr. Leake’s nice cars,” he said. “Being an NSU alum, I would always sniff out what was going on at NSU. Between the tribe and NSU, those were the main reasons for us to go to Tahlequah.”
Jett also did a series called “Green Country Back Roads.” They would pick a town or event each week and do a story on it.
He still enjoys being involved in the latest technology in his role at NSU, and is glad to be a part of the Green Country community.
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