CKWX buckle quiz

[Jack Bennest]

We have some WX'ers on the board so I invite comment on this picture below. I will tell more about the story if the readers/public
indicates an interest.

[CubbyCam]

I'm sure I have one of those somewhere... along with a genuine brass buckle from CFAC signed in the casting by John McColl, the manager. But I'd love to hear whatever story you have about the Supercountry one Jack.

[Russ_Byth]

Will someone please call that person a manicurist!!

[CubbyCam]

OK Russ.... He's a manicurist!

[Russ_Byth]

You've never let me down Cam!
I'll bet you liked the Airplane! and Naked Gun/Police Squad! movies?

[Jack Bennest]

Actually he used to be a police dog handler... but that gets into the story for tomorrow morning. I am not a tease just a tad busy with the crises of a small town - lol

I learned something today crisises is not the plural of crisis.

[radiofan]

Oh for Crisis' sake .. tell people to stay out of your lake if they don't like to tangle with log booms!

[Jack Bennest]

The following is some emails between myself and those named. Nothing too sensitive so I am publishing it. Mentions a lot of well known people including cubby


My name is Grant Thompson. I am a retired VPD cop 1962-1991

I am looking for any copies of a CKWX produced radio show called “Why Do They Do It” and was produced in the early 1950s.

The theme of the show was Vancouver police traffic stops by officers and a road side interview about why they committed whatever offence they were stopped for.

The interview was done by Bernie Smith of “Whistling Smith” fame. (he is still alive in his mid 80s doing well although blind) and was produced for several years.

The reason I am looking for this program is for Bernie, for Deputy Chief Warren Lemke and for the VPD museum. I have located a few out-takes that never made it to air but would like to find any actual programs that made it air.

If you have any idea where I can locate any of these programs I would be pleased to do the follow-up.

~~

Hi again, I did listen to the short clip, Why do they do it and They Walk by night, this one I have never heard but it does sound very interesting and I would certainly be interested in acquiring some actual shows especially for the Deputy Chief. He is the one that asked if I had a way of locating this sort of thing. This came about when he listened to those out-takes that I mentioned. He is considering instituting a position of a departmental historian. Some senior uniform member that could lecture both academy classes and in service training classes.

If anyone wants a copy of those out-takes, let me know and I will forward a CD of what I have.

I am heading for 75 years and I recall a Saturday morning sort of kids quiz show/safety show that was live from somewhere on Seymour St. The crowds of kids that jammed into that studio on Sat. were incredible. I don’t recall who hosted the show as the announcer but there were several staff people that were involved putting it on.

I have another friend by the name of Art Leowski who lived right across the street (Jacombs Road) from the CKWX transmitter. He was a real brain and he worked as a night shift engineer while he was attending Richmond Sr. High. He later worked for CJOR as a sound and setup guy on locations, working his way through UBC.


I also recall that CKWX also did broadcasting on short-wave as did CBC, it was great receiving WX when you were on fishing trips in the 100 mile area.

Some years back I received a large western style belt buckle from Roy Jacques. It is a large oval shape with leather inlay and the letters CKWX tooled into the leather. It is still in new condition. I would certainly like to see it as part of your artefact collection, it needs a good home and would probably be tossed if I passed on.

In the late 60s I was a member of the police dog squad and had a very close friend, Jim Nielson, who was news director at CFUN. I used to drop in about 5:30 AM, the coffee pot was on and it was fun place to visit, this is where I got to know Roy Jacques, and Rob Malcolm and a lot of other great personalities as well.

There was an endless bunch of news guys that worked at 312 Main and I have passed some good times at the back of the Empress with them. Thanks for your help,

~~

Jim Morrison: I was a DJ, announcer, producer, etc., at CKWX in the 1960’s and 70’s and I have several complete “Why Do They Do It?” shows.They were produced by my good friend the late Laurie Irvine and 1950’s ‘WX News Director Bert Cannings, and they were excellent broadcasts in their day. The engineers at ‘WX put a microphone element in the reflector of Bernie Smith’s flashlight to record the roadside traffic stops. The flashlight was eventually given to Bernie sometime in the 1960’s as a memento of the show.



My recordings of the shows are not copies – they are the original 16” acetate transcription discs and require a special 16” broadcast turntable to be played. I have such a beast and have been meaning to install a recently rebuilt 16” tone arm and get it working. This is a good excuse to resume the project. (I have a lot of other 16” transcriptions to be copied as well.)



Please give me a week or so to evaluate this challenge and I’ll get back to you. Although Sgt. Bernie was on a motorcycle in the mid-1960’s, he got hold of a car occasionally so Cam McCubbin and I could ride with him and record the events of a night on patrol with the colourful “Whistlin’Smith”. Those recordings would be on audio cassette and I probably have them somewhere, too.

[cart_machine]

Grant asked me about this some time ago (we were both involved in a couple of different organisations) but I have never heard of the station having an audio archive on premises.

As a side note, CJOR's old audio collection ended up at the Provincial Archives in Victoria.

cArtie.

P.S. Jack, I'm sure you and Grant can have a chat about the way police/reporter relations were on the beat at one time.

[CubbyCam]

Ah yes, I well remember sitting in Bernie Smith's police cruiser doing what seemed like 60 miles an hour northbound on the wrong side of the old Cambie Street bridge, lights and sirens on... with Bernie crossing himself and assuring me he hadn't killed a reporter yet. If you remember the old Cambie Bridge, the lanes were divided by girders and seemed very close to me at the time. That same night Sgt Smith took me into the back rooms of some of the Chinatown restaurants and met some very interesting folk over a great meal. Such great memories... and yes, the relationship between media and police was much different then.

[Russ_Byth]

This old program question was brought to my attention more than a year ago when I still worked at WX.
I was certain the gentleman had been advised to get in touch with Red, who told me he had a number of the discs ? Or perhaps Red was going to put him in touch with Jim.

[CubbyCam]

This thread prompted me to find a copy of "Whistling Smith"... and watch it again... For those who haven't seen it, and know nothing of Smith... (who later became president of the Social Credit Party), here's a link to a streaming copy from the National Film Board. It's about 25 minutes long... and worth a look. http://tinyurl.com/3rxqmdu

[Jack Bennest]

Ok here is the question - what should happen to the belt buckle - it is reflective of promotion of radio stations of that era and I promised I would consult with Red about a local (BC) place for this. I have no intention of keeping it. I have pledged along with Bill Hughes a lot of artifacts from NW to the New West Museum.

What do you guys think?