A memorial service will be be held Saturday, March 7 for Al Lewis, WCPO-TV’s "Uncle Al," who died Saturday at the age of 84.
The service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Hillsboro.
There is no visitation. Memorials can be made to the Highland District Hospital Foundation or Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
The "Uncle Al Show" was on the air from June 12, 1950, through May 29, 1985. It’s considered the longest running children’s television show hosted by one person.
Hundreds of thousands of Greater Cincinnati boys and girls danced the "Hokey-Pokey," learned how to draw and have fun on live television for 35 years.
"I think he was the beginning of children’s television," said Dick Murgatroyd, who directed live shows by Paul Dixon, Ruth Lyons and Bob Braun for WLWT-TV. "I think Al was the one who really started it."
Murgatroyd also got his start in television by directing a children’s show in Columbus, Ohio. It featured children, music, education and fun. The blueprint was just like the "Uncle Al Show."
"We were very familiar with what he did and how he did it," Murgatroyd quipped. "You know, when it’s successful, you copy."
The late Bob Keeshan was influenced by the "Uncle Al Show" when he made a pilot for "Captain Kangaroo" in 1955.
"His audience was certainly admired and he proved that children were there in the morning," Keeshan said, during a 1990 interview.
One of those children was former Ohio 1st District U.S. Representative Steve Chabot.
"’Uncle Al’ was clearly live. It was real. It was something you would relate to. It wasn’t just a lot of glitzy show business," Chabot recalled from the 1950s. "He is clearly going to be missed."
Bill Renken was in a reflective mood Monday as he turned page after page of photographs of his 15 years working in the WCPO Art Department under Al Lewis.
Some were pictures of groups of children who appeared live on the show.
Others were of artwork he did for "Uncle Al," Channel Nine News or other station departments.
What did he recall the most?
"I think it was the excitement he brought," Renken related. "He brought energy and creativity to the department."
Taking those group photos every morning and having copies for the audience within an hour was one of the duties of retired WCPO film director Bernie Borden.
"It was fun," Borden said. "It really was."
Borden said he admired how Lewis connected with his audience.
"'Unc’s' chemistry was unbelievable," Borden continued. "I mean he put a child on his lap and it was like that child was his.""
WCPO operations engineer Leon Jones ran camera on the "Uncle Al Show," held puppets and performed a host of other chores as needed. He called the daily hour-long show "controlled chaos."
"We had children and animals in the show and it was a live show," Jones related. "You had all three going at the same time, so you never knew what was going to happen."
The general sentiment about the legacy of Al Lewis is that someone of his talent won’t likely come along soon.
"He just loved what he was doing. He loved the kids and he was number one for WCPO Television," Borden said somberly.
"Al was just a genuinely great person," Murgatroyd stated, getting slightly misty-eyed as he recalled television’s trailblazers like Al Lewis. "We’ll miss him."
Lewis is survived by his wife, Wanda, who played "Captain Windy" on the "Uncle Al Show." There are also four daughters and 13 grandchildren.
