WGN Channel 9 - Ray Rayner and His Friends (5/16/1980)

Here's an almost complete edition of The Ray Rayner Show on WGN Channel 9, with cartoons scoped and some commercials not included. Includes:
Animated "Last Farewell" ID with promo for Padres vs. Cubs game at 7:00pm (voiceover by Bob Bell)
Opening with 1941-45 "Merrie Melodies" theme and stills with Rayner and from various Warner Bros. cartoons
Ray opens show with day check and promise of weather from Tom Skilling or Roger Triemstra before doing his own weather forecast and sports update with baseball score (Sox beat Brewers 6-4), and previewing what's up for the day before introducing a Batman short (presumably from the late 1960's Filmation cartoon series) at 7:02am (cartoon is scoped)
7:08am, "We'll Be Right Back After These Messages" bumper
Record offer for "Mickey Mouse Disco" and "Disney Children's Favorites" - (C) 1979 Walt Disney Productions
"Now We Return To Ye Olde Programme..." bumper at 7:10am as Ray speaks on the phone with Roger Triemstra who was in Hawaii, leading to weather report, after which Ray dons his Sox cap to describe their win over the Brewers in Milwaukee (with pertinent video highlights); afterwards he does an "On This Day" segment where in 1879 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow "lost his poetic license"
"We'll Be Right Back..." bumper at 7:15am, with Ray promising Bugs Bunny
"Now We Return..." bumper, with opening and closing of scoped "Blue Ribbon" reissue of 1949 Warner Bros. "Merrie Melodies" cartoon with Bugs Bunny
7:23am, with Ray repeating weather outlook and sports, then per a request from assistant director Barbara Shikami, sings "On The Street Where You Live" from "My Fair Lady"; shots of the mural of cartoon stars and of Ms. Shikami are shown during this segment, and he has some trouble getting through it, then remembers a performance of the song when the musical was playing at the Shubert in 1959
7:27am, with Ray promising Flash Gordon, followed by "We'll Be Right Back..." bumper
Promo for "Bozo's Circus," weekdays at noon (same word, forwards and backwards!)
"We'll Be Right Back..." bumper, followed by the King Features presentation of the Flash Gordon serial - "Chapter 8: Tournament of Death" from 1936, starring Buster Crabbe as the title character [mostly edited out to prevent KZbin blocking]
7:36am timecheck, with weather forecast and sports score, followed by Ray reading upcoming events: at Huff Elementary School in Elgin: a 25th anniversary supper for 5:30pm to 8:00pm; at Canton Junior High School Gym, a circus on the 17th at 1:00pm presented by the Glenwood School PTG; an Evangelical Lutheran School parent-teacher league annual fun fair on the 17th; and at Wasco around St. Charles, the Wasco School Fun Fair; the Chicago National College of Naprapathy holding a Health Symposium on the 17th and 18th at 3330 N. Milwaukee Ave.; and at Melrose Park Baptist Church, a 63rd anniversary all day Sunday.
7:38am, "We'll Be Right Back..." bumper
"Now We Return..." bumper, with opening titles and closing of (scoped) Speedy Gonzales "Looney Tunes" cartoon "Mexicali Shmoes" [1959]
7:46am, with Ray saying Happy Birthday if Today Is your Birthday and weather report, before promising another cartoon and "We'll Be Right Back..." bumper
Promo for and clips from Martin & Lewis film "The Stooge" [1951] (voiceover by Bob Bell)
Commercial: McDonald's "Magic Seeds" - with promo for May 17th opening of 6900 N. Western Ave. restaurant (voiceover by Bob Bell)
"Now We Return..." bumper, 7:48am, and opening and closing "Looney Tunes" titles an unknown 1960 cartoon
7:54am, and Ray repeats weather before "We'll Be Right Back..." bumper
"Now We Return..." bumper, 7:56am, and Ray reads excerpts from 1980 edition of "Guinness Book of World Records" pertaining to John Cage's 4′33″ - before the "Merrie Melodies" theme prompts him to say goodbye
Ray Rayner and His Friends
Music Director: Don Orlando
Cuddley Duddley Characterizations by Roy Brown
Assistant Director - Barbara Shikami
Executive Producer - Ray Rayner
Directed by Bill Hartmann
(C) 1980 WGN Continental Broadcasting Co.
This aired on local Chicago TV on Friday, May 16th 1980 during the 7:00am to 8:00am timeframe.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The Museum of Classic Chicago Television's primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s and early 80s, primarily) recorded off of any and all Chicago TV channels; footage which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical purposes. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, and to view more of the 4,600+ (and counting) video clips available for viewing in our online archive, please visit us at:
www.fuzzymemories.tv/index.php...

[@deantriemstra9668]

My dad (Roger Triemstra) used to do the weather for WGN and on the Ray Rayner show. What a lot of people didn't realize was that when Ray picked up the phone to call my dad for the weather forecast (at about the 4:14 minute mark), he was using a real phone and actually dialing my dad. I was 12 years old and eating breakfast, and I would see Ray dial on TV, and then the phone would ring in my house. One of my favorite childhood memories.

[@That0neMonkey]

Wow! What a cool story!! Your dad is a memory from my childhood too. He and Ray had a fun rapport... their banter was really entertaining.

[@jimmyb1559]

I remember your dad very well. I recognized his voice right away. We always enjoyed his weather reports. He had a great sense of humor if I’m not wrong. I seem to remember him on the Bob Collins show once in a while joking around. 😀

[@joelzenny]

That's amazing!!

[@starmnsixty1209]

👍

[@cjanderson768]

Oh thats too cool

[@richardscanlan7264]

I feel truly blessed to have had this in my childhood, what a wonderful man! In the winter we would hover over the set in hopes he'd tell us school was closed. How simple, perfect and warm. Kids need this today

[@francesjolly5106]

Amen

[@MsMadmax1]

Amen to that! Decades have passed but I still know all the words to the Cuddly Dudley Song. It brings back wonderful memories for me as well. Like you, I'd hold my breath in the winter hoping he'd announce my school was closed. And in the summers, I could watch the entire show plus all of Garfield Goose. Times were a lot simpler, people seemed nicer and happier. Sometimes I feel like I grew up on a different planet and ended up here by mistake.

[@jfreaks5]

Wonderfully said! Couldn’t agree more!

[@michaellyle8769]

What we need is the complete series on DVD. I would watch it while I was getting ready for work and eating my Malt O Meal. Just like old times.

[@TruSoulDj]

Unfortunately a lot of the shows (Bozo, Garfield Goose, Cartoon Town) were filmed on video tape and recorded over. The networks didn’t realize the value of what they had.

[@francesjolly5106]

Go into marketing I would purchase.

[@starmnsixty1209]

@@TruSoulDj That's a fact. This practice continued for a good many years, sadly.

[@Ron20003]

I grew up with this man. He was a blessing. The perfect host. The good uncle. I watched him before I went to school every day. Suddenly I feel old.

[@MsMadmax1]

It was a different time and Chicago was a different place. Back when I was a kid WGN aired the Farm Report with Orian Samuelson at 5:00 A.M. because more of the outer areas were still farmland.

[@scottdavidson7001]

This is Golden!!! I was mesmerized by this show as a kid.

[@jenniferkleczka4062]

Now THIS made me smile!! Thank you SSSSSOOOOOOO much. I remember him making Christmas ornaments out of toilet paper rolls. He was the best.

[@francesjolly5106]

He really was.

[@eds1994fatboy]

Ray was at a hot dog place in Michigan City Indiana when we were up there doing the animal prep kitchen at the zoo.This was about 1998.Nice friendly guy

[@francesjolly5106]

I would have stood in line like he was a rock star, oh wait he was. Best friend and babysitter my mom and I could have hoped for.

[@davenc8527]

Thank God I grew up in Chicago watching Ray Rayner every morning. What a lovely man. We need more like him today. Many more like him.

[@francesjolly5106]

You could not be more correct!

[@525Lines]

I liked when he'd put on his WW2 A2 flight jacket as a way to introduce the Flash Gordon short.

[@francesjolly5106]

Wow so many things don't remember, but you just made me remember the duck! Thank you

[@johnredhd]

I watched Ray Raynor every day before school from grade 4 up to my sophomore year of college.

[@twokeets]

I watched him as a teenager before slogging off to high school. I love all the naturalness and imperfections. His show feels like everything is being improvised.

[@francesjolly5106]

Just a caring human, I believe.

[@jeopardy60611]

This show fascinates me because I watched it when I was a little kid in the 70s. I used to think it was goofy that they would show a character on the wall before showing a cartoon, like they did in this episode with Batman and Buggs Bunny. It was so typical how he would write the date, sports scores, and weather on the chalkboard, getting the weather over the phone.

[@ChadQuick270W]

Back when WGN channel 9 was great! We had it on cable TV in New Albany Indiana and I used to watch it quite often.

[@paulnovak2137]

What i loved about Rays show is that you could and would rely on him for scores, closings, weather, he was your best friend....every morning.

[@stevejones7079]

Ray Rayner was the greatest on Old school WGN Chicago 9 a great guy,where he did it all Sports,News,Actor Guests on show and show coolest cartoons all on his show.Yes u need DVD of his show that would be cool.

[@donparker8246]

I watched Ray every morning

[@Shelly58485]

Loved that show wen I was a kid lol

[@jerryjohanan1940]

More than once I was late getting to school bus in Indiana because of Ray

[@francesjolly5106]

In love again what a great childhood friend♡

[@hardlines4]

Great memories... RIP Ray “Oliver O’Oliver”

[@nightlyt]

I loved Ray Raynor! His craft segments reminds me of mine. :D

[@francesjolly5106]

God bless

[@kurtwehrmeister5684]

The voiceover at the top doing the station ID ending with "It's seven o'clock"? Bob Bell -- who five hours later would become Bozo the Clown. :)

[@The_Octopus]

This was in1980. I remember Ray Raynor from the mid 70s.

[@francesjolly5106]

Really wow such a nice memory of laughter,kindness and if you try you will succeed

[@jaymarco4267]

Always loved his Sox/Cubs hat

[@jeopardy60611]

Can you really get a two-sided baseball cap with both team logos on it?

[@piper888]

I remember him saying that a little old lady wrote him asking for his hat size. And then sent him the double billed cap that he wore during his newscast

[@jeopardy60611]

@@piper888 It works well for someone who reports on both teams, but such a hat is probably geared for someone who is an undecided baseball fan who lives in Chicago. I am a Cubs fan myself because I grew up living near Wrigley Field.

[@jeopardy60611]

There are probably a lot of undecided fans who could wear such a hat. I once saw a commercial for the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) talking about taking the L train to either park, as there are stops on the Red Line right by both Wrigley Field on Addison and US Cellular Field on 35th Street.

[@BarekHalfhand]

I was working as a stock boy at the Walgreens in Countryside during the 80s when he came in and bought cigarettes 😁

[@scottyg433]

This was awesome thanks for sharing.....

[@frankkolton1780]

Cut and pasted from Wikipedia "He (Ray Rayner) enlisted in the Army Air Corps, serving as the navigator of a B-17 during World War II, when he was shot down over France April 3, 1943.[2] During ​2 1⁄2 years as a POW in Stalag Luft III, he helped prepare the escape depicted in the film The Great Escape-though he was transferred to another camp before the escape took place. It was during his time as a POW that he would discover his talent for entertaining, namely through his fellow prisoners and his German captors. He was interviewed in a documentary titled Stalag Luft III, produced by RDR Productions of Glenview, Illinois."

[@jonjonas2528]

I thought that was a urban legend that Ray Rayner was a war hero he really was cool

[@howardale1]

This is GREAT !!!

[@sierranevadatrail]

This is great. I wish we had some more from the older days, like guess the number of jelly beans in the jar. I read he was one of the downed air force pilots who stayed in the German pow camp in ww2 which they later made into the move "The Great Escape" with Steve Mcqueen, among others.

[@miked1765]

sierranevadatrail He was and, I believe, he did work on one of the tunnels, but was transferred to another camp before the escape.

[@francesjolly5106]

That should be put at the top of all of this. Wow TEARS. Thank you for sharing this information, had no idea.♡

[@MsMadmax1]

Also loved Christmases when we got to see Suzie Snowflake & Hard Rock, Coco and Joe. Best cartoons too like Diver Dan and Clutch Cargo!

[@francesjolly5106]

I will never forget my aunt called my mother at work to tell her Ray was reading my letter on WGN♡♡♡♡♡♡

[@everycoLor_312]

LEGEND

[@joelzenny]

Wow. Thank you so much for this, I had read there were no surviving videos of him.

[@francesjolly5106]

Wanted to hit thumbs down, just because I hate to hear that. Thank you for sharing. Again sincerely thank you for this. Broken hearted.

[@Success2gether]

Ohh man, I remember him writing on that chalkboard and on the wood frame. Haven't seen this since 80 as a 12 year old!

[@SigHawk04]

OMG, I had Mickey Mouse Disco on cassette!

[@BRuane-pw6xq]

Ray , a native New Yorker , was a POW in WW 2 and was once held at the POW Camp that was basis for The Film The Great Escape. Ray was to Chicago what Officer Joe Bolton, Captain Jack and Sonny Fox, also a WW 2 POW , was to NYC Baby Boomer kids

[@johnholliday5874]

Ray was a Chicagoland institution for all my childhood, This show, Bozo's Circus, Officer Pettibone on the Dick Tracy cartoons . . . He and Bob Bell both all over Channel 9.

[@russellmurray3964]

4:23 The chalkboard has the date May 16, 1980 with the MLB score Sox 6, Brewers 4 to the left of it. That score is actually from the White Sox @ Brewers matchup of May 14, 1980. On May 15, the Sox were at home against the Mariners.

[@davidscott3820]

Watched it all the way up to 1973 when i joined the usaf. Great!

[@wb3381]

Toon in with me on MeTV is the modern day Ray Rayner and friends

[@argelbargel7680]

He always used to give the Slippery Rock scores, just because the name was funny.

[@francesjolly5106]

I don't remember that? Trying though. Thank you for sharing your memory.

[@francesjolly5106]

Remember my picture I drew and letter I wrote, was put on the show, my aunt Madge called my mom had here pulled from her line and I never got to gave an envelope or stamp unless mom did the mailing and addressing. Lol . Must contribute. Will figure out finances. Thank for the memories. Is such a wonderful piece.

[@pancudowny]

11:13 - Ray: "I actually LOST my voice...!" Crew (Off-camera): "Good! Maybe now you'll get a new & improved one...!" ;P

[@conniemartin4878]

I think my parents bought me a Cuddly Dudley...is that possible?

[@rcleveringa65]

You got the Cuddy free with the Chicago Tribe. I loved mine

[@kimberly9129]

I had one too. I loved it ❤

[@earlfrancart5687]

anyone else remember the original opening song for this show?? i remember watching every morning before school

[@ochsj1971]

He didn't cut Roger Triemstra off like Spike O'Dell used to on WGN radio. lolz

[@Neal_Schier]

Shot down over Germany in WW2 and spent nearly two years as a POW. Earned a Master's Degree from the University of Chicago. Quite a story!

[@The_Octopus]

Family Classics, Dirty Dragon, Frazier Thomas, Bozo...etc, etc

[@pancudowny]

Jeff Adams Locally-produced programming starring distinct personalities... This is what made independent stations worth watching before the takeover by national conglomerates, and something that even KZbin can't match. God-bless the likes of them😙

[@jeopardy60611]

8:41 They show the picture of Buggs Bunny on the wall. Gee, I wonder what's gonna happen next... are they going to show a Buggs Bunny Cartoon? Almost 40 years after I originally watched this show, I still think it's goofy that they kept doing that where they show the character right before they put on a cartoon that happens to feature that character.

[@wmbrown6]

Those Warners' cartoon stills at the beginning were largely the post-1948 period, as seen for years in NYC over WNEW Channel 5. (From 1988 to 1990 they were shown on WWOR Channel 9.) But I did notice, the program did seem to have different titles in the same show - "The Ray Rayner Show" at the start and during the bumpers, "Ray Rayner And His Friends" in the closing credits. Hmmm . . . a shame that as TV has gotten older, it seems to have lost its commitment to children except in weekend 'E/I' ghettos.

[@Musicradio77Network]

I remember WNEW-TV had mostly post-48 WB cartoons with the exception of redrawn LT's (1936-43) and pre-48 WB cartoons from AAP. Many of the cartoons were later shown on the "Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show" on WCBS-TV (channel 2), which is CBS, and on the "Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show" on WABC-TV (channel 7) which is ABC minus the opening and closing.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Nowadays, “Looney Tunes” were shown on Boomerang, MeTV, and now Discovery Family.

[@ronnyvonallmen6892]

The Greatest Childhood….

[@nanismeelasla]

Where do you find this stuff?

[@scoobycarr5558]

Just wondering - whatever happened to the old "Ray Rayner and His Friends" skit that began every episode in the 1970s? BTW I've got a copy of that old blue skit in my computer generated collection. As a child a fondly remember Ray and especially his get togethers with Cuddly Duddly in his doghouse.

[@cjanderson768]

Just think Mount St. Helens erupted 2 days later

[@luisreyes1963]

10:24 A rare look at producer Barbara Shikami.

[@eds1994fatboy]

Just think Ray....in 25 years the Sox would win....and 36 the Cubs would GO ALL THE WAY with the 2016 World Series......Won it on November 2nd

[@OpinionsAnimationStudios]

Question : The narrator in the "Flash Gordon" vignette.. Is that Dick Tufeldt? (Voice of Robot B.9 in "Lost In Space"?)

[@Musicradio77Network]

This "Flash Gordon" serial was taken from a 16mm TV print from King Features. It was originally released in 1936 by Universal, and they're in the Public Domain.

[@eyecyou4677]

I loved how he made Fun of himself when his little projects failed !

[@Musicradio77Network]

What happened to the final show? I guess they took them down, because of copyright issues from WB. They showed a pretty good Bugs Bunny cartoon along with a few other WB cartoons on there. That kinda sucks. I hate when they took down the final Ray Rayner Show, because of the copyright issues from WB.

[@hifijohn]

mickey disco??!!!

[@russellmurray3964]

25:29 That is one creepy looking Ronald McDonald. Kind of looks like one of the cast members of Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

[@scottyg433]

I wish they would find the jellybean contest winning show of 1974 I was on it

[@karikeillor9114]

Hey Scotty g! Here it is! (I think...) the jelly bean show: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnWbkIOQq85ljJo

[@scottyg433]

Kari Keillor That was really cool watching the whole show but nope that’s not the one I was looking for this is from 1979. I was looking for the winning show of 1974.

[@karikeillor9114]

Scotty G oh well! I saw jelly beans and I remembered your post and thought I’d send it along. 🙌😆

[@francesjolly5106]

Lucky dog!

[@francesjolly5106]

By the by how did you do?

[@rogmac8636]

Everyday..... for 18 yrs...

[@andyrose5616]

18:03 King Moody playing Ronald McDonald

[@pancudowny]

Anyone have that Mickey Mouse Disco album? I do...!😁

[@jonjonas2528]

Now is the time all day Rayner fans rise up and demand that wgn tv bring back Ray Rayner right now find a actor that looks just Ray Rayner and have that actor play the roll of Ray Rayner and have him host the Ray Rayner show every morning on. Wgn tv fro seven am to eight am every weekday morning on wgn tv the ratings for wgn will be tremendous and the return of the Ray Rayner show will make wgn tv millions of dollars in advertising revenue for wgn tv Ray Rayner show copy the set from the original source tapes and copy Ray Rayner uniforms from the original source tapes and bring back Ray Rayner now right now wgn tv

[@lakebay972]

Unfortunately, it wouldn't work. People these days have too short of attention spans.

[@francesjolly5106]

Bye XOXO

[@idesofmarch1375]

Good bye.. Good bye.. good bye, eeeeee!

[@jonjonas2528]

Wgn bring back Ray Rayner right now just find a actor that looks just like Ray Rayner and have this actor play Ray Rayner on the new Ray Rayner show from seven am to eight am every morning on wgn tv duplicate the original set from the source tapes of the Ray Rayner show and copy the Ray Rayner uniforms from the original tapes this new Ray Rayner show will make millions of dollars I revenue for wgn tv and the ratings will be tremendous for wgn tvray Rayner show message to wgnbring back Ray Rayner now

[@harryshelton5844]

Hey I wanted to see the Batman cartoon, the Batman cartoon gets omitted but you show this stupid Mickey mouse disco commercial

[@FuzzyMemoriesTV]

Take it up with the taper! 😝

[@skip3778]

dude sounds like he smokes a carton of Marlboro reds daily

[@enricosanchez894]

And a bottle of Jack.