MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SEMINAR SERIES, THE: CRUISIN' WITH COUSIN BRUCIE {BRUCE MORROW} {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by the Museum of Television & Radio. Ken Mueller, manager of the Museum's radio department, moderates this seminar, which features longtime New York City radio personality Bruce Morrow, known popularly as Cousin Brucie.
Prior to the seminar, audio clips and photos from Cousin Brucie broadcasts are played, including the following: a 1960 broadcast of "Cousin Brucie's Beach Party"; a 1962 edition of "Cousin Brucie's Saturday Night Party"; a 1964 "Beatle Book Offer" commercial; a 1965 "Interview with Ringo Starr" where the deejay attempts to help the Beatle drummer recover a lost St. Christopher's medal; a 1965 "Interview with Angie McGowan," where Morrow talks to the young woman who has returned the medal to Ringo; the 1994 "Beatles 30th Anniversary Special" which features a portion of John Lennon's final interview; a 1988 edition of "Cruisin' America"; a 1994 episode of "Cousin Brucie's Saturday Night Oldies Party"; and a 1995 segment of "Cousin Brucie's Saturday Night Oldies Party" called "Staten Island Parade." Morrow then takes audience questions and discusses the following topics: how he overcame his introverted nature as a child; why he changed his name from Meyerowitz to Morrow; why he calls everyone "cousin"; the heyday of the incredibly popular New York City radio station WABC during the 1960s; Morrow's still-contentious feelings for the "Good Guys" -- disc jockeys at rival WMCA; how "business people" stifled the creativty of WABC's talent; how WCBS-FM radio uses feelings of "love and warmth" to be successful; how Morrow managed to avoid being involved in the payola scandal; why he feels he is a "guardian" in addition to being an entertainer; why he and other popular on-air personalities initially rejected Beatles' records in 1963; Morrow's admission that he was never the "fifth Beatle"; his belief that the Bay City Rollers were all hype; how he helped singer Paul Anka get a recording contract; how the lip-synched concerts he staged at Palisades Park were "the precursor to Woodstock"; the day a record skipped as crooner Tony Bennett was lip-synching "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"; Morrow's work with the "Variety" children's charity organization; his opinion about the possible sale of the city-owned public radio station WNYC; the years 1957 to 1973, the favorite era of his career; why WCBS-FM won't become stuck in the past; his love for photography; why he likes to wear leopard-skin suits; how he developed his trademark wail, "Eeeeeeeee!" by listening to a boy named Ira who had a speech impediment; and his vow never to abandon broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: January 26, 1995 Thursday 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:35:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:35768
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ken Mueller … Moderator
- Morrow, Bruce (Cousin Brucie) … Guest
- Paul Anka
- Bay City Rollers, The
- The Beatles
- Tony Bennett
- Angie McGowan
- Starr, Ringo (See also: Starkey, Richard)