Harry Fender – Legacy
Harry Fender’s radio work in St. Louis was at KXOK, for a brief period, and KMOX for over 20 years. The former star of the Ziegfeld Follies also was remembered for his “Captain 11” character on a children’s television program in the 1960s.
He began his radio career as a news commentator, later taking a stint as a talk personality on KXOK, and he moved to KMOX in 1954, where he was host of a program that aired live from the Chase Hotel six nights a week.
The program ran until 1975, and it became an automatic stop for any celebrities who were visiting the St. Louis area.
Fender used his earlier show business experience as a basis for his interviews with entertainers, many of whom had known or worked with him. In addition, in the early 50s, Fender was often called on to host “Saturday At the Chase,” a live big band program that was fed to the CBS network.
After his retirement from the daily radio grind he was frequently a guest on the Jack Carney Show.