History Soundbite By Dix Harper
Mal Hansen, NAFB emeritus, NARFD president in 1953 and 1993 NAFB Hall of Fame inductee, has many memories of the young man who became a late-night TV icon.
When Johnny Carson died in late January, WOWT, Omaha, used some of those memories in their eulogy and on their website. And, the next day Mal talked about them with Mike Adams on the 73 stations that carry "AgriTalk." Omaha print media also printed a few of Mal's other memories and told of his appearance on "AgriTalk."
Mal Hansen was farm director on WOW, Omaha, when John Carson came to the station as a staff announcer in 1948 from the University of Nebraska. Carson already had a reputation in Iowa and Nebraska as a magician and ventriloquist. Mal remembers he was a creative hard worker who didn't always behave. He was soon well-known for his quirky humor. He ran the "Happy Ranch" program with country singer Slim Everhart. And, when WOW put WOW-TV on the air in 1949, Mal and Johnny were two radio personalities who were brave enough to work in this new thing called television.
There was no network then, so Mal had a noon farm program and an evening garden show called "In Your Own Back Yard." And, one of his innovations was the establishment of a farmer short course on television. With Iowa and Nebraska Extension people Mal conducted these short courses one hour each day for a week each January. They were very popular with farmers. In addition to announcing for Mal's programs, Carson created his own "Carson's Cellar" and his "Squirrel's Nest" shows.
One night Carson introduced the garden show and Mal began his program. The studio door opened and JohnnyMal and the camera. He went to the kitchen set, one of five side-by-side in the studio, and started dropping pots and pans to floor, cursing loudly. Mal recalled he lost it and didn't know what to do. JohnnyMal. I set the clock ahead ten minutes. You're not on the air yet." Mal said he had a "helluva" time settling down when he actually went on! crossed right between started laughing and said, "It's okay
Mal remembers when Omaha officials were concerned about all the pigeons on the Douglass County Courthouse. Carson went up on the courthouse roof to interview the pigeons! Another time he was walking down the hall after picking up his pay check when he ran into WOW manager Frank Fogerty. Johnny said, "Frank, you want to see a joke?" Frank said, "Sure." Johnny showed him his check.
June 18, 1951, was Mal's 5th anniversary as farm director on WOW. He still has the recording of the program Johnny Carson wrote and narrated to commemorate, tongue-in-cheek, the anniversary. In that familiar voice you hear "This is Johnny Carson with the saga of a boy farm director, born in Dixon, Iowa...a son named Malvin." Then, sounding astonished, "MALVIN???" Johnny claimed Mal's first words were "hogs up ten, corn down..." And his first love at 16 (SOUND of "Moo") was "a cow named Bessie."
Great memories of pioneer farm broadcaster Mal Hansen who's nearly 89 years old
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