The Uncle Al Show (1950)

A local Cincinnati TV show that ran until 1985, the longest local show in TV history. Musician and artist Al Lewis hosted the show "The Corner Drug Store." He would draw pictures and play his accordion. Children outside the studios heard the happy accordion music and wandered in and started jumping up and down to the polka music. Al Lewis was pleased and surprised with the response. It got to be an everyday occurrence with more and more children coming in the studios dancing and hopping around to the music. Hundreds of letters would pour in from parents wondering how they could get their children on his show. WCPO TV started sending tickets out and reserved enough to fill the studio. The response was so overwhelming that the ticket list would be booked up for two years. Now with so many children to entertain, Lewis, who was now being called Uncle Al needed assistance. Lewis added to his show, his wife Wanda, whom he called Captain Windy because she would fly like the wind in the air and down to his show.Old style sideway camera tricks used in B movies like the Superman serials would be used to show her flying. Later puppeteer Larry Smith would join the show and then popular producer and voice over announcer Mike Tangi came on board. The DuMont then ABC Network picked up the show for about a year in 1958. The sets became more elaborate and the setting for a while took place at a farm and for a few years the setting was a circus. While Captain Windy was flying in on her own, Uncle Al would fly in too but in his airplane. Lewis was an actual pilot and the beginning of each show would have him entering his plane from Lunken Airport and supposedly flying in to the show where the kids were waiting. He's famous for wearing his straw hat, plaid jacket, bow tie,and wouldn't even be recognized without his trusty accordion around his neck.