IT'S TOO EARLY

and

IT WAS

a tv talk show

AHEAD OF IT'S TIME

way ahead

IT REMINDED ME A LITTLE OF THE DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW

ONLY INSTEAD OF A NATIONAL LATE NIGHT AUDIENCE 

TAPED IN NEW YORK

IT'S TOO EARLY

WAS

REALLY LOCAL

JOLIET, Illinois

 Local

TAPED in a TV STATION (CHANNEL 66) that looked like a house

because it was a house

and the format for the station

was

spanish

It WAS STRiCTLY SPANISH

rather like a reality tv show

if you found the show and watched

you won

and

it was not easy to find

but nothing worthwhile is

not much advertising

except word of mouth

Steve and Garry's words

 on the their popular radio show

they were working double duty

double duty

they had a lot of drive in those days

driving southwest down the Stevenson Expressway

to do the

ITS TOO EARLY TV SHOW

way the heck out west

not as far as California though

but almost 

from 7 till 9

in the morning

(although I had to be there at 5 am)

these two popular and talented

 DJ's/ Talk Show hosts

had to drive into the city

to do their radio gig

during drive time

and while we are at it,

not to mention their

park west gigs

I also worked on those

it was like walking a tightrope blindfolded

that's a lot of drive

and that's another story

I digress

Back to

 It's too early

before its too late

no money in the budget

you had to be a physic to find the show

no one knew what time it was on 

no one knew what they were going to do let alone say

no one knew if anyone was watching

no one knew if the owners of the show
were even watching

did they know who Steve and Garry were

the owners of that staion were deeply religious people

I don't think they knew

but that is only my speculation

but then why did they act so appalled all the time

espeically about the tang

that's another story

------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------

I was the lowest guy on the totem pole

and the only gal

I was older than the guys in the band

teenage radiation
they were such sweet young things
I wonder where they are today?

I was older than just about everyone I guess
call me aunt bee

Dan F
the big cheese
was around Opies age

this young carefree guy has no idea how lucky he is

he is sitting on a gold mine
he is certainly at the right place at the right time
If he doesnt screw up, he will be big someday
the opportunities they gave him and resposibilities at his age were astounding
only a young single guy could afford the job
but he was still extreemly lucky

another story

Back to the early story

 My last day working on the show

 ITS TOO EARLY

 staring Steve Dahl and Garry Meier was a sad sad day

. 

If only given more time

it would have been a hit

actually it was a hit

just no one knew it

 We had no idea until after we arrived on that last day
 that it was going to be our last day

no slow death

just dead

done

finished

washed up

no last show tribute

no flashbacks

no reruns

no nothing

all I had was my vhs tapes of the show

that I lent to a fan
who never returned them to me

another story

I was learning so much

how to get free stuff

I almost had a deal to get Janet Dahl a fur coat
but the show was canceled before I had a chance to finalize it
and
how to work a tv camera

how to field produce

with that tall skinny guy

who adored Steve
Ken H?
whatever happened to him?

how to book guests

how to convince them that steve would not make fun of them

how to apologize

how to sell advertising for the show

after working long hours on the show

because I only got paid if I sold some

how to write the news weather and sports while driving to the show in the morning

in the early moring

how to convince my father I had not lost my mind

because I quit my secure job w/benefits

to work on this fabulous show

that I was sure was going to lead to bigger and better things

how to come up with ideas for the show

how to collect favors

how to depend on my little circle of friends outside show biz

how to give driving directions to the house in joliet

how to convince people that promotional mention

on the spanish tv station channel 66 was big

that if and when you appeared on

 its too early

you were automatically going to hit pay dirt

how to handle the groupies

who drove up the driveway bearing gifts

as soon as the show was over at 9 am

 I loved and greatly admired the

 producer/director.. John Roach
 
who used to produce AM Chicago staring RoB Weller,

I have a rob weller story...another time

He was the guy before Oprah...anyway...

 those two and Steve and Garry were my mentors along with Michael Cullan
who had nothing to do with
Its too early
he produced
 
Getting my act togehter and taking it on the rode
 and
pump boys and Dinettes

another story

I don't think any of them actually knew that they played such a significant role in my life

and if you were wondering how I got the job in the first place is
you guessed it
another story

The living room was the chat room, the control room was in the basement,

we utilized every inch of the place,

even outside...the water fountain was filled with TANG....

that's another story...

the

that's another story thing
is getting tiresome,

 isn't

so sorry

I cant help it


I digress

We did all sorts of cooking in the kitchen,

every Friday we did a theme show revolving around an ethnic restaurant..

part of my job description was to get free food. 

 A Mexican theme was planned one week and I had to get a Mariachi band

 to show up in Joliet at 5 am for free...

so, I called a zillion Mariachi bands,

 none of which spoke any English,

I wondered if they had ever watched channel 66?

anyway

try to explain promotional mention to one of those guys?

 We had no money to pay anyone

everyone who appeared on the show did so for free

.I had no idea if any of the people I spoke to said yes or no...

until the morning of the show

 I wasn't sure if we actually had one

it was either going to be a bust or a fest

I prayed all the way to work that morning

.......but that's another story

remember Valasta, the polish queen or princess who played the accordion

she was a regular

we had some strange guests

I especially remember the girl who worked in her family business,

they invented the lava lamp

One day when I was happily working camera number 2,

my training consisted of reading a chapter in a manual the night before

some jokester

those guys were always joking

switched the numbers on us

 when John, the producer/director said,

camera 2,

 zoom into the clock ...

I zoomed, and so did camera number 3

John soon began yelling at us

 through our headsets,
 he was in the basement (the control room)

we were all arguing

I was trying to explain things to John

I can not tell a long story short

can you believe it

anyway

Steve got very annoyed as he would from time to time

but you must remember he was not working with highly paid or skilled technicians either

it had to be a bit frustrating for the poor guy

So once in awhile and this time in particular

Steve would have to stop his host chat....

to tell the viewers at home that his camera people were fighting and distracting him...

another story

another time,

But that was the first of many days that I appeared on camera

I was sort of like Gelman

no... John Roche and the little big cheese Dan, were Gelman

I was like that old man that works in some capacity ?? on the Regis and Kelly show

who occasionally dresses up as a women
 only I am a women


now that I think about it

I was more their UGLY BETTY

God, Id love to find those tapes

my kids would die

they dont know I had a life before they showed up

Hey you
guy
the one who has my tapes
If you still have my tapes

and If you are out there

and you are
reading this blog

and now what are the chances of that happening

and you know who you are,

 because I forgot your name

please return my tapes

I sort of remember where you live
either
long beach Indiana
or
 Grand Beach Michigan

in a big house on Lake Michigan 

close to the border of one of those states

just so you know

no questions asked

Once there was a horrible traffic jam and we were literally at a stand still for hours on the Stevenson.  And  kindly remember I had to be there at 5 am ...to drive to Joliet from Belmont and Sheridan.  I wrote the news weather and sports by listening to all the radio stations and writing the info down on a notebook on my lap...another story...

OK, this particular day the traffic reports kept saying that the stevenson was smooth sailing...that was before everyone  had cell phones
 it was crazy

 I kept yelling at my radio,

 "what are you talking about, we haven't moved in an hour"....

not one single station had the correct info...

I thought for sure I'd be fired,

no one was going to believe I was stuck in traffic,

 yeah right...that  lame old excuse...but it  was true

I don't lie

I just have bad luck

I did not arrive that day till a little after 7

 sure I was going to get fired,

but much to my surprise

Steve was ranting on the couch about the situation,

 he was also in the middle of the mess and was late..

oh they made quite a big deal out of both of us being Missing in action

he was afraid no one believed his traffic story so he invited me to sit on the couch and tell my version. 

that set was wild

Who knows where they found that furniture

think it might have been there

I think Steve and Garry enjoyed looking at themselves in the monitor
none of us could believe we were actually doing a live tv show

 Steve was such a generous guy,
and may I add,
 he never embarrassed me,
he was always a perfect gentleman

and Garry was

so low key and pleasant
to everyone


He always talked to the poor guest
on their way out
damage contol specialist 
brushed them off and sent them on their way
with a smile on their very confused faces

I was kind of surprised but very happy
that Steve was so nice and polite to me

I heard him on the radio and felt sorry for
 those traffic gals and newswomen...yikes

we luckily
all made it on tv almost every day
we had quite a fun cast of characters
 

I also remember Janet, his wife, the real comic genius in the Dahl  family,

appearing on the show,
pregnant with one of her boys? 

She was the reason I tuned into their Radio Show in the first place,
 long before the tv show I was a
 daily listener myself
and
anytime she was on the phone with him,
 it was major entertainment...
Lucy and Ricky time
Raymond and his tv wife ..
 
magic

 another memory of those good old days was when Steve wanted to do

his version of the Indie 500 complete with go carts

 and a float etc....

I was told to get (these are their words)...

" x number of bimbos"  

to show up at 5 am in bikinis
and ride on the go carts
 the following morning for free. 
then
After giving me a few more vague instructions,
everyone scattered to their other lives as I dug my heels into my latest assignment..

I was good at my job,

but I wasn't that good...

I ended up calling my high school girlfriends...

there were 5 of us, we called ourselves, the glove.

..another story....

all 4 of them were married with children except for me

....even though they refused to wear bikinis a few of them agreed to do it...

I think they felt sorry for me

 I think I even begged a relative or two.

..anyway,

 I had the go carts, the floats and the pretty ladies.
my entire family and countless friends helped us get  that show on the air that day 

Thank Goodness,

Steve never found out the ages or the number of kids all the pretty ladies had...

but he was very pleased cuz they were so cute, 

but they were certainly not bimbos though

housewives

and not desperate

Actually, my good friend Sue,
one of the fingers in the glove
the one who rode on the front of Steve's go cart

  was almost fatally injured during the joliet 50 
they practically ran her over every time they did a lap

coincidently
that very same Mother McAuley graduate
 is the mother of Brendan Greeley

the tall cute guy with the deep voice

 who works for Steve
 and now is the Garry Meier
to one of Steves sons
Matt 

on their own radio show

small world

and Janet and I used to go to the same nail place

we both love Pris at the old Nail Works


I still think she is the wittiest women on the planet.

Janets planet that is

...

Sorry

I digress

again

,
 now where was I

Oh yeah....We were all so sad when the show was canceled....

I drove home ... down in the dumps...
 and decided to take a bike ride to try to figure out my next move...

my dad warned me not to quit my

stable job to work for Steve,

but I never listened to him (sorry dad)

I still love you!

I quite accidentally stumbled on a production company setting up for a movie of the week. 

and that's my next blog

and here is a teaser

Art Carney


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