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NEW! J. P. McCARTHY WJR aircheck date: Tuesday, March 2, 1965
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* THE PAUL URBAHNS COLLECTION *
BRACE BEEMER REMEMBERED
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Friday, March 20, 2015
Today’s story is a condensed version of an article written by Radio Historian and Troy resident, Larry Zdeb. Mr. Zdeb has provided many presentations on early radio and radio personalities, especially The Lone Ranger.
“On January 31st, 1933 the Lone Ranger radio show made its debut. After a few actors portrayed the Ranger, an audition turned up a 24-year-old Wayne State University student with a big voice, Earle Graser, who became the first long-running Lone Ranger! Brace Beemer was a station manager at WXYZ at that time. In station owner George W. Trendle’s mind, Earle Graser sounded great but did not look like the character Mr. Trendle envisioned as the Lone Ranger. Brace Beemer, however, looked the part! He was six foot three with rugged good looks. For all public appearances it was decided that Brace Beemer would appear as the Lone Ranger even though he did not play the character on the radio at the time.
The first public appearance of the Lone Ranger was on July 30th, 1933 on Belle Isle for the Detroit Parks and Recreation jamboree! During the intermission, atop a borrowed horse named “HERO”,Brace Beemer appeared as the Lone Ranger. When he rode out in front of the estimated 10,000 children assembled in front of the casino, the kids went wild with excitement and rushed the Masked Man! Brace was afraid someone might be injured in the crush and ordered the children back to their posts! The children obeyed the Lone Ranger, a disaster was prevented, and a new American hero was born.
Everything ran successfully at WXYZ until Monday, April 7th, 1941 when Earle Graser fell asleep at the wheel while driving home and was killed when his car struck another vehicle.The Lone Ranger was broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Graser died on early Tuesday morning and WXYZ needed a Lone Ranger for the next evening’s broadcast.
Brace Beemer was chosen by Mr. Trendle to become the new Lone Ranger. Not wanting to shock the listeners with a new voice immediately,Trendle had the next few episodes rewritten with a story-line that the Lone Ranger was severely injured and could barely talk. Beemer played the part brilliantly and turned out to be the longest running Lone Ranger in history, playing the role from 1941 until the last live broadcast on September 3rd, 1954.
In 1949, in addition to radio, the Lone Ranger began as a television show. From 1949 to 1954 the program was broadcast simultaneously on television and radio. Brace wanted to play both parts but Clayton Moore was chosen to be the television Lone Ranger.He got the part partially because he sounded like Brace Beemer. After the final Lone Ranger live radio broadcast in 1954, Beemer became Sergeant Preston of the Yukon for a short time. After that show ended, Beemer dabbled in radio commercials and was an entertainment promoter. Even in retirement, he still received fan mail.
Brace Beemer died on Monday, March 1st, 1965. As many as two hundred cars were in the funeral procession to the White Chapel Cemetery in Troy. His grave is near the World War I Polar Bear statue which is fitting because Brace was the youngest World War I American volunteer at 14 years old.”
A special THANK YOU to Paul Urbahns of Radcliffe, Kentucky, for recently sharing this special WJR ‘Bruce Beemer Tribute’ as aired on WJR radio, Tuesday, March 2, 1965. Hosted by J. P. McCarthy.
DETROIT FREE PRESS March 2, 1965DETROIT FREE PRESS March 2, 1965
Tuesday, March 2, 1965
A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE
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DETROIT FREE PRESS: BRACE BEEMER
Above article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2019. Newspapers.com.
The above featured article was ‘clipped,’ saved, and imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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Brace Beemer as the Lone Ranger. A WXYZ radio Lone Ranger publicity shot from 1942
A special THANK YOU to Gary Hunt for sharing this special Jimmy Hampton memory with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
A MCRFB Note: Motor City Radio Flashbacks pulled up the WXYZ Detroit Sound Survey guides for the week of *August 22, 1966. It appears the numbered song hits on this one WXYZ Jimmy Hampton aircheck verifies it was recorded sometime during that particular week, as was noted in this aircheck presentation.
NEW!J. MICHAEL WILSON WKNRaircheck date: *September (12?) 1966
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* THE GARY HUNT COLLECTION *
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ABOUT THIS RECORDING
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This is one interesting J. Michael Wilson aircheck find which Motor City Radio Flashbacks contributor Gary Hunt recently donated for our airchecks archives.
In listening in, this is not the best audio insofar as quality, as you will note. But it is the 10 p.m. night time hour. And you’re listening to the J. Michael Wilson Show in Detroit on WKNR in August 1966.
At first listen, I thought this aircheck probably had been recorded by someone who resided somewhere possibly east of the Detroit map at the time. As we know, the 1310 transmitted signal was deficient during the night time hours after sundown east of the city.
So I wrote back to Gary in regards, and here was his response, “the J. Michael Wilson aircheck was recorded at my best friend’s (Bob Becker) house on Covell Road N.W. Grand Rapids, MI via his TV antenna two stories high on the roof. This was from WKNR FM.”
Amazing. So there you have it. Another rare, but a classic J. Michael Wilson aircheck found, as was aired on the #1 radio station in the Motor City in 1966.
THANK YOU!
A special THANK YOU to Gary Hunt for sharing thisspecial J. Michael Wilson memory with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
(Next week! Another NEW Gary Hunt WXYZ Jim Hampton aircheck from August 1966)
A MCRFB Note: Motor City Radio Flashbacks pulled up the WKNR Music Guide for the week of *September 12, 1966.And it appears the numbered song hits on this one WKNR JMW aircheck verifies it was recorded sometime during that particular week, as noted, for this aircheck presentation.
NEW! A special THANK YOU to Jason Chase, of Lake Orion, MI, for recently donating this WJR radio aircheck to the Motor City Radio Flashbacks aircheck repository.
J. P. McCARTHY speaks with DR. J. ALLEN HYNEK
41 YEARS AGO
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Tonight, Tuesday, January 8 (10/9c) the History Channel premieres the anticipated and much acclaimed new drama series, ‘Project Blue Book’, described by the network as having been “based on the true, top-secret investigations into Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and related phenomena conducted by the United States Air Force from 1952 to 1969.
Dr. J. Allen Hynek (Aiden Gillen), a brilliant yet underappreciated professor, is recruited by the U. S. Air Force to spearhead a clandestine operation called Project Blue Book. Along with his partner, the debonair Air Force Captain Michael Quinn (Michael Malarkey), he is summoned to investigate UFO sightings around the country and use science to discover what really happened.” . . . (Quoted source: History.com)
52 YEARS AGO * JANUARY 3, 1967 * JACK RUBY DEATH REPORTS
WJR FM / WWJ FM aircheck dateTUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1967
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NEW! A special THANK YOU to Bob Pratt, of Farmington Hills, MI, for recently donating this WJR WWJ radio aircheck to Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
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ABOUT THESE RECORDINGS
As an aftermath to Bob Pratt’s historic recordings of the JFK assassination featured here last November on this website, Bob also recorded these two reports on the death of Jack Ruby. As broadcast on WJR FM, WWJ FM, January 3, 1967.
Today, Motor City Radio Flashbacks presents these two historic, Detroit radio, JFK-related reports. As was recorded by Bob Pratt. 52 years ago.
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* THE BOB PRATT COLLECTION *
Detroit Free Press Wednesday, January 4, 1967
Detroit Free Press Wednesday, January 4, 1967
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DAVE McNEA CHYRaircheck date: Saturday, September 3, 1977
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NEW! A special THANK YOU to Dave McNea, former CHYR morning personality for donating his CHYR radio aircheck to Motor City Radio Flashbacks!
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* THE DAVE McNEA COLLECTION *
Dave McNea CHYR 710
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Dave McNea, 19 years old (pictured above; 1975), formerly was the morning personality at CHYR. He started CHEER radio in 1974.McNea’s tenure there would be brief, as he would be at the Leamington, Ontario radio station until October, 1977.
Thereafter McNea left for CHTK in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, his tenure there, nearly 3 years. Nextstop was a hop over to Vernon, BC, on CKAL, a Country station 1050 on the AM dial. Having left radio 1987, Dave McNea’s final stop was at CKO-FM in Vancouver.
While CHYR was not a Detroit radio by any means, Detroiters picked up it’s AM 710 signal from across the Detroit River clearly on the dial. Having said, we remember their CHEER radio ‘brand’ and its great Top 40 sound during the 1960s and 1970s.
This CHYR aircheck is 3 of 5 recently donated to the website. These series of airchecks have become our first CHYR inclusions into the website’s repository.
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A special THANK YOU to Dave McNeafor his CHYR aircheck contributions to the Motor City Radio Flashbacks repository.
