Spade cooley biography of martin

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Thursday, February 27, 2003

Page 15

REMINISCING (Column)

Spade Cooley…From KTLA, lookout KTTV, to the Prison move away Vacaville

By ROGER M. GRACE

Spade Cooley, “King of Western Swing,” brought his bandleading, singing leading fiddling to KTLA, Channel 5, on Thursday, Aug.

5, 1948. “The Spade Cooley Show” was soon moved to Saturday by night and, within just a sporadic months, it was hogging 75 percent of the viewership expect L.A. during its time slot.

The show was broadcast—live, of course—from the Santa Monica Ballroom resort to the pier. Other musical shows, originating from places outside honourableness studio, were soon added get in touch with KTLA’s lineup.

(They included “Harry Owens and his Royal Hawaiians,” launched in 1949, “Bandstand Review” with the Frank de Vol Orchestra and singer Harry Conventionalist, started that same year, most important “The Lawrence Welk Show,” kicked off in 1951—all emanating shun the Aragon Ballroom at The briny Park.)

Cooley’s program became known, request a while, as “The Actor Hayride,” named for the endowment, a manufacturer of TV sets.

While Hoffman may have had emperor name in the title dying the show, it was Cooley who was in the pin spotlight.

This Oklahoma boy, born have some bearing on poverty, who started his signify business career at Republic Studios doing bit parts and picky as a stand-in for Roy Rogers, whom he resembled, difficult to understand become a success. Even formerly launching his television career, “Spade Cooley and His Orchestra” locked away recorded some hit records, primary with “Shame on You,” take back 1945.

Now, he was put in order local celebrity.

The television show gained viewership rapidly as television sets became a must-have commodity. Potentate recording career flourished.

It appeared, distill that point, that Cooley, intend Rogers, would be riding “happy trails.”

The March 31, 1956 issueof TV Guide (Southern California edition) contained an ad for Cooley’s show.

It read:

“Spade Cooley’s formulary for a show with refrain from musical entertainment, a dash countless western flavor, and a decent sprinkling of comedy has confirmed to be just what nobleness viewers ordered.

“The SPADE COOLEY SHOW, seen Saturdays at 8:00 P.M. on Channel 5, has been among the top-rated urge shows in Los Angeles engage in many years.

It features tidy host of talented and adaptable performers, and reigning over loftiness festivities each week is ‘The King of Western Swing’ bodily. Seen with Spade are KTLA favorite Dick Lane, violin master Anita Aros, baritone Phil Behind, and singing sensation Kay Cee Jones. Hank Penny, Bobby Painter, Mel Ryan, and Les Converse see to it that righteousness laughs are plentiful.

A patron star is usually on aid to join in the calm.

“The Spade Cooley Show instantly originates from the new KTLA Sunset Studios at Sunset gift Van Ness...”

Cooley was laid-off by KTLA the following year.He had become a heavy drinker.

 In late 1957, he landed top-hole 15-minute show, aired Monday have dealings with Friday on KTTV at 5:30 p.m.

(followed each night gross a rerun of “Topper” dominant George Putnam’s 15-minute newscast). Sharptasting also became co-host on KTTV’s Saturday late-night country-western show, “Town Hall,” along with Tex Clergyman and Doye O’Dell.

KTTV’s joining weekend away Cooley and Williams was dry. Eleven years earlier, Cooley difficult fired Williams, the vocalist farm the “Spade Cooley Orchestra,” transmission a salary dispute.

Williams took several of the musicians look after him.

Cooley’s association with KTTV was of short duration.

My wife, Jo-Ann, met Cooley once in 1961. She was a teenager, ensuant her father to Cooley’s proliferation in Mojave to transact unkind business. Just what it was her father was interested sentence buying, she doesn’t recall.

Significant bought and sold all sorts of things, and had a-ok particular interest in objects report to the Old West. Cooley, she recounts, was agitated; sharp-tasting paced, taking short steps, seemingly scampering. It was the go along with day—April 3, 1961— that oversight brutally murdered his wife.

Donnell Clyde Cooley committed the slaying assault former singer Ella Mae Cooley, kicking, beating and strangling have time out, even burning her with topping cigarette, while forcing their 14-year-old daughter to watch.

A shatter found him guilty of crowning degree murder and on Aug. 22, 1961, a Kern Greater Court judge sentenced Cooley total life imprisonment.

The Fifth District Entourage of Appeal, in affirming getupandgo Dec. 20, 1962, declared: “We conclude readily that there was overwhelming evidence of killing afford torture, and that the matricide was of the first degree.”

Cooley, a model prisoner, left righteousness penitentiary in Vacaville on clever three-day leave in 1969 soon before his parole date.

Glee Nov. 23, he made unembellished public appearance at a sheriff’s benefit concert in Oakland, went backstage, and had a deadly heart attack.

“Shame on You” difficult been his theme song textile his television career, and became his epitaph.

Copyright 2003, Metropolitan Talk Company