Monday, September 2, 2013

Flippo, Dan Imel and The Early Show on WBNS-TV, Channel 10 -- Columbus Ohio


From 1968 to 1970, I had the pleasure (and pressure) of working with the #1 TV personality in Columbus, Ohio -- a wise-cracking, saxophone player who hosted the afternoon movie from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm dressed as a clown.  He was Flippo, King of the Clowns, played by Bob Marvin, and the program was titled "The Early Show."  This is an excerpt from my unedited manuscript, TV Stories, about working 35 years in Television with some of the finest characters.
For the Television Director, me (and every other Director who worked The Early Show with Flippo), the problem was getting all the commercials in, getting the movie all the way to “The End” by 5:57:30, while dealing with a performer who had a great sense of comical timing, but cared less about the timing of the show.

           “I get paid to be funny and you get paid to control the show.  That’s why you work in the Control Room and I work with a red ping pong ball glued on my nose.”

The only way to do all of this and let the Clown be the Clown was to roll off the movie during the break when no one could see it in order to make up the lost time that the Clown would consume.  I would time the show down to the second before sitting with the Clown while he put on his make-up in the dressing room and then follow the plan to the second. I even had the Art Department make up a “The End” slide to superimpose over the movie in case we got in real trouble; I never used it, but the slide was always loaded.

Timing of The Early Show got more complicated when the Writer’s Guild at the Columbus Dispatch Newspaper went on strike.  The station depended upon TV Guide and the Dispatch for printing TV schedules and our advertising of special programs.  The lack of a newspaper was a big promotional loss. 
In  order to make up for the missing promotion, Station management asked the Booth Announcer scheduled during the Early Show to be the station's on-camera promotional vehicle, replacing the newspaper.  Who was in the Booth?  A man just discharged from Armed Forces Radio in Germany. He was golden-voiced, handsome, well-dressed, and straight-laced--a guy named Dan Imel, a perfect foil for Flippo’s zaniness.  The break nearest the 5:00pm hour quickly became the highest rated break of all the Early Show because that was when I would schedule Imel.  Flippo was witty and edgy with Mr. Nice Guy; Dan was ever the gentleman.
 
The Clown would introduce Dan, saying something like “and now here’s the only man I know who drives to work in a milk truck (standing up so as not to wrinkle his clothes) … Dan Eye-mul.”
“That’s Ih-mul,” Dan would say, walking into the frame of the shot.

The Clown would sing the tune of “You Say Potato and I say Potahto, “instead substituting the words… “You say Ih-mul and I say Eye-mul, you say …”

Dan would interrupt Flippo and start the promotion. “At 8:00 tonight on Green Acres…,” and the Clown would continue singing off-camera, humming the tune while Dan spoke.  After the newspaper strike was settled, Dan became a permanent feature of the Early Show because the Promo segment  had become so popular with the audience.

Sometimes when Dan was on camera by himself in a medium shot, chest up, the Clown would stand just outside the camera frame and slowly move his head forward, till just the curve of his red nose showed on TV; they would be inches apart.  Dan would continue reading but occasionally do a side-glance at the nose.  The comedic tension was palpable.

Once, a viewer sent me 15 brain teasers, for what reason was not clear.  #3 was
“How do you pronounce the Capital of Kentucky, Lewisville or Loueeville?” Answer:  “Neither. Frankfort is the Capital of Kentucky.”

I decided to give the Clown one of these brain teasers each day to ask Imel.  Without the Clown knowing it, I would then give Dan the answer.  Although the Clown always did the “snappers,” this was a reversal – which Dan and Flippo played to the hilt.

Clown:  “Say Dan, I was wondering—if I had two coins that totaled 55 cents, and one of them was not a nickel, what are the two coins?”

Dan would look at him and say without missing a beat, “A nickel and a fifty cent piece, since one of them was not a nickel.”  Then they would continue to look at each other, silently, staring.  The TV staff, gathered in the studio for these two, would start chuckling; finally Dan would turn to the camera and start his promotion.  The Clown always smiled.  I never told Flippo how Dan knew the answer every time.

Whatever the timing problems with the show were, however, there always had to be time for  Bob's signature goodbye at the end:  Remember -- I love you; keep smilin' and don't fight.

TV Stories
by Ronald D. Giles © 2013

Flippo photo by Howard R. Krommes
Dan Imel photo by Ron Giles







12 comments:

  1. Really GREAT, Ron. Have you seen my Flippo doc "TV CLOWN"? Please do, it's at this unlisted youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5UHlWA_b_s

    There's a whole segment on the Immel, uh, Imel thing!

    Aces, FC, The Clown's manager, producer, BFF

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  2. I remember watching Flippo when I came home from school...many many years ago.

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  3. When I was 9 years old in 1964 I was always ready for Flippo- he used to have a podium and white conducters stick and tap on the podium with it, which I mimicked. I also remember him out of camera range, down on the floor fooling around with Dan Imels shoes and the camera caught it! Truly a great entertainer that all the kids in my Hilliard neighborhood watched nightly.

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  4. i would watch flippo and then at 6 pm I would dart out of the room because the news was coming on, Chet long and Joe Holbrook. I think the most excited I got was back in the early 1990's I was a cashier at Big Bear on High St. and who came thru my line but, flippo. He was super nice, and I told him how much I loved his show and how I missed it. when he was ready to leave he gave me a hug, it was like getting a hug from a friend you missed and hadn't seen in years. they just don't make shows like that any more he was the greatest.

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  5. What a wonderful excerpt about Flippo, Dan Imel, and The Early Show! I loved the clown's irreverence above all else: he appeared to deliberately foil the commercials which appealed to my fledgling anarchist soul.
    I cried when I heard Flippo's words again. Thank you endlessly for posting this!

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  6. Exceptional memories of of Flippo and Dan Imel. What was the name of the theme music to the Early Show?

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  7. I never was a fan of clowns but Flippo was the exception.I just loved this one.Watched the show every day.One of my favorite memories growing up.

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  8. As a kid, prior to Fritz the Night Owl, I remember getting terrified by Dan Immel's "Chiller Theater," his weekend version of "Armchair Theater," wasn't it? Silly old Universal horror movies, but scary to a kid.

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  9. I too Loved The Early Show as a kid and as an Adult!...also I had the pleasure of working with the king!!! 1970 Fresh out of High school...Flippo called me C.J. short for Cool John...One day as a floor director/studio hand at WBNS TV I was winding cable preparing for the 6:00 news and Dan was in the sound proof booth doing the closing i.e. "You've been viewing the Early Show Starring Flippo The King of The Clowns brought to you by ect.. ending with: "Portions Have Been Pre-recorded" and I just blurted out.."Yeah But The Jive was Live!"
    Not very loud but loud enough that Flippo heard me and Rushed up to me ask me WHAT DID YOU SAY???!!!
    I thought I was in trouble
    Maybe even about to get Fired!!! I took a Deep Breath and cautiously repeated it and He looked at me and Broke into that Beautiful Smile that was Uniquely Him and said I've got to Have it!!! I Love it! I want to Close the Show with that Line! We went right into the Booth and recorded it... it was an amazing experience!... After it ran everyday for several months I wrote and recorded a few more for him "Yeah but the Lip was Hip" "Yeah but The Fool was Cool" "Yeah but The Clown Got Down" He Loved them all... They ran for years!!! Eventually We did several On Camera skits/sketches:"Bus Stop" "pool hall" "SuperClown" "Musicians" "Neighbors"...I did go on to do adds/Jingles and voiceover work all over the world inspired by the time spent with Po! We all Loved Flippo because He was The Truth! The Hippest and The Coolest Truly The Orig. Unsung Super Funky Hero!!! ♡ RIP My Friend!

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  10. Flippo modifying the "Lawson's" jingle" "Now one man sleeps while the other one drives, sometimes they sleep while they drive..."

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  11. Ron, what was the name of that song they played during the closing credits? I know the one for the opening credits, but the closing credits tune has me stumped.

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