[quote name=\'mystery7\' date=\'Jun 6 2004, 05:42 PM\'] OK Randy, what's wrong with this picture? I'm not even 30 and I know all the names except Humdinger. You'll be pleased to know, BTW, that Hy Lit is still goin' strong on WOGL in Philly. He's on every Sunday evening. Jerry Blavat (aka Geator) is still doin' live dances around the greater Philly/South Jersey area. [/quote]
Very cool. I respect and admire people who bother to do a little homework about the things they're interested in. And about not yet being 30 and knowing what you know, just in case someone is getting ready to carbon date me, I never knew these guys first hand during their heyday either... only through the legends and word of mouth from people who worked with them. It was an era of exciting radio that is long, long gone. But Uncle Ricky at reelradio.com has done an amazing job of archiving tons of it.
You may not have heard of The Humdinger because he left the microphone to work in the record promotion world where he put in over 40 years remaining a fave among the Phillie radio community. My buddy "Philadelphia's Son" Frank (Kingston) Smith worked the town for a while borrowing his "PSFS" from a bank building with those initials prominently displayed (so he told me). On his way to New York "Jocko" Henderson enjoyed success with his rhyming patter (before it was called rapping) in Phillie, too.
You also had another memorable personality in Phillie - "Humble Harve" Miller. He later moved to KHJ and will forever be remembered for coming home after his airshift and murdering his wife! In his defense, Harve says she was emotionally abusing him in a torturous way. Harve served his time at Chino State Prison in CA where he became Program Director of the prison radio station!!