JonInMiddleGA
02-11-2011, 01:12 PM
If you've been around for as long as I have, not only Atlantans but across the Southeast because of the reach of WSB-AM, there's a good chance that you may have run across Ludlow Porch (aka Bob Hanson). A longtime radio host & author, he was the step-brother of the late great Lewis Grizzard.
I first recall listening to him on WRNG as a child (my first childhood, probably his 2nd or 3rd) even before he moved over to AM 750. A master of trivia, particularly from about the 40's through the 70's, his show ran the gamut from random calls to funny stories to regular callers who phoned in "in character" (such as Cyril Greenberg, "the owner of the world's only drive-in funeral home, least ways the only one I know anything about" - remember, this is the 70's, they really didn't exist yet) to the enormously popular & constantly requested formula for the concoction that would keep squirrels from living in your attic. His followers aged right along with him, even after his departure from WSB and the successful launch of an independently syndicated show that aired primarily on small AM stations in small Southern communities, his fans were faithful & truly felt that a day without Ludlow was like a day without sunshine.
His books were much the same, the flavor given away by titles such as Who Cares About Apathy?, Can I Just Do It Till I Need Glasses?, and my personal favorite Honest, Officer, The Midget Was On Fire When I Got Here (which was also a long-running gag on the radio show).
This isn't even close to his best moments IMO, but the only clip I could find was a short story about a woman who just found out that her fiancee was "bipedal".
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sBi_-tTwfoE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I had the pleasure of talking to him several times, was struck by how much of his on-air persona was genuine & how much he truly appreciated every listener he ever had.
I know this isn't everybody's idea of a celebrity, but if you're an Atlanta & over 40, you know why I'm posting it.
I'll leave you with an exchange between Luddy & his step-brother, I can't think of any fitting way to remember him.
Lewis: What do you want played at your funeral?
Ludlow: Volleyball.
UPDATE: Former Ring Radio/WSB Radio host Ludlow Porch has died ยป Comment Page 2 | Radio & TV Talk (http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2011/02/10/former-ring-radiowsb-radio-host-ludlow-porch-is-ill/?cp=2#comment-54411)
I first recall listening to him on WRNG as a child (my first childhood, probably his 2nd or 3rd) even before he moved over to AM 750. A master of trivia, particularly from about the 40's through the 70's, his show ran the gamut from random calls to funny stories to regular callers who phoned in "in character" (such as Cyril Greenberg, "the owner of the world's only drive-in funeral home, least ways the only one I know anything about" - remember, this is the 70's, they really didn't exist yet) to the enormously popular & constantly requested formula for the concoction that would keep squirrels from living in your attic. His followers aged right along with him, even after his departure from WSB and the successful launch of an independently syndicated show that aired primarily on small AM stations in small Southern communities, his fans were faithful & truly felt that a day without Ludlow was like a day without sunshine.
His books were much the same, the flavor given away by titles such as Who Cares About Apathy?, Can I Just Do It Till I Need Glasses?, and my personal favorite Honest, Officer, The Midget Was On Fire When I Got Here (which was also a long-running gag on the radio show).
This isn't even close to his best moments IMO, but the only clip I could find was a short story about a woman who just found out that her fiancee was "bipedal".
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sBi_-tTwfoE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I had the pleasure of talking to him several times, was struck by how much of his on-air persona was genuine & how much he truly appreciated every listener he ever had.
I know this isn't everybody's idea of a celebrity, but if you're an Atlanta & over 40, you know why I'm posting it.
I'll leave you with an exchange between Luddy & his step-brother, I can't think of any fitting way to remember him.
Lewis: What do you want played at your funeral?
Ludlow: Volleyball.
UPDATE: Former Ring Radio/WSB Radio host Ludlow Porch has died ยป Comment Page 2 | Radio & TV Talk (http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2011/02/10/former-ring-radiowsb-radio-host-ludlow-porch-is-ill/?cp=2#comment-54411)