The Wallace and Ladmo Show turns 70 years old! Arizona legend and star of the show, Pat McMahon, joins the Daily Mix to discuss the history of Wallace and Ladmo across the years. Looking forward to another 70 years!
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00:00 >> All right.
00:01 There are very few TV shows that
00:03 stay on the air over 20 years,
00:05 but the TV show we're going to
00:07 talk about now was on for 35
00:10 years.
00:11 >> I know.
00:12 The "Wallace and Ladmo" show
00:14 made its debut on April 1st,
00:16 1954, and we have a special,
00:18 special guest here, pat
00:20 McMahon, to talk about the
00:22 show's 70th anniversary.
00:24 >> Why is it that when I came
00:26 in, I felt so much younger than
00:28 you were just discussing a
00:30 career.
00:31 >> We were just saying in the
00:32 opening that how is it possible
00:34 that it's the 70th anniversary
00:35 because you're only 35.
00:36 >> Well, you know, I've managed
00:38 to tell that story
00:39 successfully for a number of
00:41 years.
00:42 The 70th anniversary and the
00:44 Rotary Club of Scottsdale, the
00:47 70th anniversary of the parade
00:51 and they had a "Wallace and
00:53 Ladmo" float and I got to be on
00:55 that.
00:56 It was a wonderful experience.
00:58 It never ends and thank God.
01:00 It's just marvelous.
01:01 >> And pat, the thing that's so
01:03 crazy is that I wasn't here, of
01:05 course, when the show was going
01:06 on.
01:07 Lexi's not here.
01:08 But any place we go and I say
01:10 that I work with pat McMahon,
01:11 the first thing they go, I need
01:13 a bag.
01:14 >> A Ladmo bag.
01:15 >> How is that that you still
01:16 touch people's lives to this day
01:18 with that show?
01:19 >> Well, one of the wonderful
01:21 things is that the show is still
01:23 on.
01:24 It's been on channel 7 for the
01:26 last couple of years in reruns.
01:28 And every show we give away a
01:31 Ladmo bag.
01:32 The Twinkies are still the same
01:34 as 35 years ago.
01:35 >> The same Twinkies?
01:36 >> The same Twinkies that they
01:38 bought in 1954, yep.
01:40 >> The Ladmo bag, though, became
01:43 an extraordinary prize present
01:46 gift dream.
01:48 And it's a Bash's grocery bag
01:51 with hostess cupcakes and animal
01:55 crackers and that kind of thing,
01:57 you know, and a picture of us.
01:59 But it was Ladmo's name that was
02:01 on the outside.
02:02 And Ladmo, he was just the most
02:05 lovable doofus in the world.
02:07 And Wallace was as close to a
02:09 genius as I've ever worked with,
02:11 with the possible exception of
02:13 Brad.
02:14 >> Well, clearly this show has
02:16 touched so many lives.
02:18 It is an icon here in the
02:20 valley.
02:21 And you guys had guest stars to
02:23 top the list.
02:24 I mean, tell me who were some of
02:26 your favorite guest stars.
02:28 >> Well, almost unlikely people
02:30 like Don Rickles appearing on a
02:32 kids show and having a great
02:34 time.
02:35 He drove up in a limousine.
02:37 The driver got out, opened his
02:39 door, and we were standing in
02:41 costume waiting.
02:42 And he took one look at us,
02:44 those guys, and then got right
02:47 back in the limousine again.
02:49 >> Stop it.
02:50 >> But he did come back.
02:52 Jack Benny.
02:54 >> Wow.
02:55 >> Oh, Muhammad Ali we couldn't
02:57 get rid of.
02:58 >> Wow.
02:59 >> Really?
03:00 >> Muhammad Ali came down the
03:02 first time, did an appearance,
03:04 had a great time with Wallace.
03:06 And then when he moved out here,
03:08 he would occasionally just show
03:09 up in the audience.
03:10 Here's a bunch of color scouts
03:12 and some brownies.
03:13 Oh, and Muhammad Ali.
03:15 >> Can you imagine?
03:16 >> Yeah.
03:17 >> Goodness.
03:18 >> And great sports, Willie Mays
03:20 and Rocky Marciano, I'm just
03:22 thinking, of the super sports
03:24 stars of the world, motion
03:26 picture actors.
03:27 Oh, here's one that never
03:29 appeared on the show, but went to
03:32 Sedona to visit his family.
03:34 Orson Welles happened to be
03:36 tuning in, as he did regularly,
03:39 I understood, and then called me
03:42 and said, "I want you in a
03:43 movie."
03:44 >> Wow.
03:45 >> No.
03:46 >> I'm dropping names.
03:47 >> I mean, yes, that was what we
03:49 wanted to hear.
03:50 We wanted to hear these names,
03:51 and this has been such an
03:53 incredible show that has touched
03:55 so many lives.
03:56 Can you give us one of your
03:58 favorite, all-time favorite
03:59 memories from doing the show?
04:01 >> Oh, I might not have been
04:03 able to come up with one that
04:05 fast, because I was on the show
04:07 for 30 years, and I was the new
04:10 guy.
04:11 But I just happened to see a
04:13 quick piece of material that I
04:15 hadn't seen for years and years
04:17 and years of a moment that
04:19 Gerald, who was just a rotten,
04:22 untrustworthy, terrible,
04:24 braggadocio guy that you
04:28 couldn't trust at all, and he
04:30 didn't like anybody.
04:32 And then I just saw a moment in
04:34 which he was stopped cold
04:36 because Wallace brought a little
04:39 girl on to sit next to Gerald,
04:41 and Gerald was just mortified
04:44 that he had to sit next to a
04:46 public school brat, and Gerald
04:49 Wallace said, "Gerald, this
04:51 young lady said that she'd like
04:53 to come down because she has
04:54 something for you."
04:55 I said, "What in the world could
04:57 she have that I don't have?
04:59 I live on the top of the
05:00 mountain, and nothing that she
05:03 has would I be interested in."
05:05 And she said, "This is what I
05:07 have for you, Gerald."
05:08 And she reached over and kissed
05:10 Gerald on the cheek.
05:12 Well, nobody kissed Gerald.
05:15 It was that kind of a thing.
05:18 I was stopped cold, and I had to
05:21 leave.
05:22 >> Wow.
05:23 >> What a beautiful memory.
05:24 >> It is.
05:25 70 years of "The Wallace and
05:26 Ladmill Show," and we're still
05:28 airing it over on 7.5 that you
05:30 can check out.
05:31 And I want to throw a shout-out
05:33 to Michael Gallagher because
05:34 Michael's the one who really,
05:35 really got behind bringing this
05:36 back on the air because it was
05:38 his childhood dream to be on the
05:41 show and be a part of it, and
05:42 now he is.
05:43 So Michael Gallagher, who's one
05:44 of our great guys.
05:45 >> And he's the historian who
05:46 remembers everything.
05:47 >> Yeah.
05:48 >> He really is.
05:49 >> And by the way, excuse me,
05:50 I'm terribly sorry.
05:51 I never got one myself.
05:55 >> Stick around.
05:56 We got more of the "Arizona
05:58 Daily Mix" coming up after this.
06:01 >> Yes.
06:03 >> We'll be right back.
06:07 >> "Arizona Daily Mix."
06:11 >> "Arizona Daily Mix."
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