In a recent poll by TV Review “To The Ladies” was voted the number one local show by an overwhelming majority. This is not hard to realize when you meet the people who produce and perform on the show. Here’s our formula for a lunch hour treat. Find a place to eat with a television set and watch “To The Ladies” while you eat. It’s a relaxing and entertaining way of enjoying lunch.
But let’s go and get acquainted with Harry Honig the producer and M.C. of the show.
Harry is a likable fellow, with a ready wit and a hearty desire for fun and sociability. A graduate of St. Louis University, where he minored in Radio Broadcasting, he now majors in Television for his bread and butter. After school Harry gained experience in various capacities, such as radio staff announcer, and his Market Basket Quiz over KSD. He entered television by the side door, his first job as a TV commercial salesman branched into his first appearance on Television in the program named “Just Make It Music.” Other shows followed such as “Pedro” on the “Dodge Talent Parade” and the Hyde Park Show.
Today Harry holds the top spot on the No. 1 local TV show in the St. Louis area. He’s earned it all the way as our Harry Honig fan mail will testify, No TV show is complete without a secretary, so let’s go see Frankie, as she is known affectionately to her friends. (I don’t see how she could have any enemies.) Now Frankie’s full name is Frankie Lee Helms, a graduate of Central High, with a background of fashion modeling for Harper’s, Vogue and Mademoiselle. Her current position as secretary handling production scheduling, playing hostess to twenty ladies five days a week, and good will ambassador to visiting celebrities has her pleased as punch, and her interest in her job has her putting her best foot forward. Occasionally she does a bit of the commercial on “To The Ladies.” Born in Virginia, she makes a lovely and charming ambassador from the south.
Next in line let’s introduce Charley Sherwood. A native St. Louisan, he has done quite a bit of traveling, from St. Louis to Dallas, to New York, and then back to St. Louis, doing such things as acting in and producing radio shows, acting in stock, public address announcing and finally in 1952 joining “To The Ladies.” His current position as associate to Harry Honig has him doing pantomime, commercials, assistant MC and helping with time control while the show is “on the air.” Two of the things he likes to recall most are his appearance in the same show with Jane Cowl in “Elizabeth the Queen” and his fifteen years in show business.
Shure’n it’s Danny Shay whose turn it tis now. He’s the junior member of “To The Ladies,” but the audience is getting to know him better as he appears more often in front of the camera. Danny’s acting career consisted of night club appearances as MC and vocal impersonator of movie stars, a stint in the army gave him a chance to appear on radio and stage in the U.S. and in Europe. After the army Danny did radio in Los Angeles and St. Louis. “To The Ladies” is his first venture in Television, and his readiness to cooperate should make his future in television fairly promising.
Last but not least there’s Ted Westcott the Director, he didn’t have much to say when we interviewed him, but we got this much out of him. He’s been in Television four and a half years, and has served as camera director for over 6000 shows. In radio for thirteen years, as a free lance actor and announcer in Chicago, Gary and El Paso. He has directed in the last ten years such shows as the “Land We Live In” which won twelve national and local awards.
There you are folks, you’ve met ’em all, you can’t help likin’ ’em. Would you like to meet them face to face? O.K! then tune in on your Television set to KSD-TV, Channel 5, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and meet them on “To The Ladies.”
(Originally published in TV Review 9/13/1925).