This video is the 25th anniversary special for WTHI. Howard Caldwell and George Martin take audiences through the most important and memorable news stories, events, and changes in Terre Haute over the previous twenty-five years. They discuss tragedies, technological shifts, the motor speedway, etc., providing a summary of what has happened in Terre Haute over the years.
(part in color, part in black & white)
00:50 “The Way We Were” Open w/ Barbra Streisand song
01:15 Harry Frey, news anchor
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(commercials have a historical angle)
02:10 Central Federal Savings & Loan
2:45 Laughrey Bros. Roofing & Siding
3:15 Jim’s One Hour Cleaners & Tux Shop
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3:44 Ruth Ann Gordon, news anchor, Top News
Missing Helicopter near Effingham
Terre Haute car crash & motorcycle crash
Vigo County Fair -Antique Car Show
5:11 Brent Zhorne with weather forecast
6:23 Bob Forbes, SportsCenter 10
Major League Baseball
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7:44 Hook’s Drug Stores
8:10 Eston Fuson Cadillac
8:38 Terre Haute Conservatory of Music
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The Way We Were 25th Anniversary
9:12 Harry Frey, Howard Caldwell, George Martin (Exec Dir of Oklahoma Lung Association
Caldwell, July 22, 1954 until 1959
Martin started at WTHI radio in ’48, left in 1960
10:03 Howard Caldwell talks about first day 7/22/54
-old film from WTHI-TV -who is in that film?
-no sound cameras (silent film & tape recorder)
-he explains how the film and sound worked
-only station on the air for 11 years (WTWO in ’65?)
11:18 George Martin -Annie Oakley came to Terre Haute
-old film of Annie Oakley visiting WTHI to talk about her new program
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12:16 Meis Department Store
12:44 Holiday Inn Terre Haute -Woody Woodbury dinner show
13:17 Edgar County Savings & Loan, Paris, IL
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13:50 George Martin Clinton Hotel gutted by fire in 1956
-the new Clinton fire truck was in TH at the time of fire
14:18 Caldwell -Wabash River Flooding 1958
-1500 had to leave homes in West Terre Haute & Dresser because of levy breaks
-14 feet about flood stage
15:18 Martin: Viking Mine explosion 1961, 2nd worst in Indiaan history
16:28 Caldwell, 1961 School reorganization, very bitter issue
-Dr. Paul Humphrey talking to parents and saying kids will handle it better than parents
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17:53 Martin’s Snap Shop “If you can’t stop in, wave as you go by”
18:15 Jim’s One Hour Cleaners & Tux Shop
18:35 Hook’s Drug Store
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19:25 Caldwell: Home Packing Company explosion, 1963, North 1st St.
-WTHI sent film to all networks, 17 dead
20:25 two more explosions
20:37 1963, WTHI in Washington DC, Betty Chadwick for swearing in of U.S. Senator Birch
Bayh, Jr. with Vice President Lyndon Johnson -sound of LBJ swearing in Bayh
21:23 1963 early morning fire in Downtown Terre Haute. 6 million in damage
6th & 6th ½ and Wabash, worst in city history
Campus Bowl in basement of Deming building is where it started
12 buildings and offices were lost
-no serious injuries
22:32 1975 downtown fire 5th and Wabash, 3/3/75
Indiana Business College and Tindall
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23:11 Indiana Saving and Loan
23:38 Mike’s Motors, Clinton, since ‘31
24:11 Brown’s Flying School, Sky King Airport
24:43 Cash Registers Sales and Service
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25:15 Martin: 1963 Comedian Red Skelton comes home to Vincennes
-Wabash River bridge named in his honor
-Skelton speech, “shows what God could have done if he had money”
-he swam in the Wabash…
26:25 Betty Chadwick, chief photographer, & news director
-she appeared on three network shows, ‘To Tell the Truth” Missing Links, &
-film from “To Tell the Truth”
-film from Missing Links, Nipsey Russell
-film of Betty and husband Don on network show about Betty chasing an armed convict
-she was given Optimist national award
30:20 Betty Chadwick covered Miss America when Kathy Burke represented Terre Haute &
Indiana
30:53 Caldwell: Blizzard of ’77 & ‘78
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32:00 Laughrey Bros Roofing and Siding
Hook’s Drugs
33:00 Terre Haute Conservatory of Music
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33:35 WTHI Weather
Dom Dominix, Valerie Jones, Wayne Jenkins
34:00 Dominix, ’58 – ’71 -reading his own commercials
35:00 how he did the weather, film of wire machine & paper
-put small numbers on map to remind him of details
-took him 15 minutes to put together weather
35:45 Wayne Jenkins -the new weather wire, one of first in state
36:52 -doing weather before radar, he didn’t see rain coming
37:30 Jenkins talking about being WTHI Farm Director
38:10 Tractor Safety demonstration at Vigo County Fair track -film
-tractor does a wheelie and stuff fell off tractor
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40:00 Holiday Inn in Terre Haute -Woody Woodbury
40:20 Central Federal Savings and Loan
40:50 Esten Fuson Cadillac
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Bob Forbes on sports
41:49 Greg Bell in ’56 Olympics -film of him coming back to TH, Mayor Ralph Tucker
-Garfield Grad, IU athlete
-’56 Gerstmeyer & Wiley in final four. Howard Sharpe was coach
Gerstmeyer lost to Crispus Attucks & Oscar Robertson, film of TH parade
-’56 Wiley Football Team, 4th best in state & track team
43:00 ’56 the Terre Haute Huts minor league baseball team folds
44:10 Tony Hulman & Indy 500. Opening of the museum in ‘56
-old pagoda, and bridge
45:03 Virginia Mayo, actress was celebrity at ’56 Indy 500
Famous WTHI alums
45:17 Phil Jones worked at WTHI, now w/ CBS News and Face the Nation
45:38 Phil Jones interviewing Eddie Sachs at Indy 500 in 1961 during qualifications
-Sachs says only Roger Ward could beat him, he’s on the pole
-says he’ll retire if he wins
47:00 Interview with Roger Ward in 1961 at Indy 500
47:38 Eddie Sachs died in wreck at 1964 Indy 500
48:00 another big crash in 1966 Indy 500
48:18 Bob Forbes interviewing Lou Burdette, Major League Baseball, boston/Milwaukee Braves
-biggest memory of ’57 World Series, he had a perfect game this year
49:18 Tommy John from Terre Haute , Forbes interviewing Tommy John in 1966,
Getting ready for opening day for White Sox
50:54 Stan Musial, Bob Forbes and photographer Bob Harvey at his final game
Forbes interviewed Musial after his last game for St. Louis Cardinals in ‘63
-Musial gets a base hit on his final at bat
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53:37 Meis Department Store
Edgar County Savings and Loan
54:35 Midwest Radio and TV, Zenith, Twelve Points, Curt and Bill
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55:15 Caldwell, Martin and Forbes
-on first day, Caldwell did sports, Martin did news and Mike O’Neal ? did weather
55:00 Caldwell started in radio at WTHI in ‘52
(video gets very dark here)
56:21 Caldwell talking about one-camera show
-doing Champagne Velvet commercials, one night he didn’t have opener for the bottle
57:15 -now has teleprompter, no air conditioners in first years, very hot on studio
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57:54 Indiana Savings and Loan
58:25 Mike’s Motors, Clinton
58:55 Pabst Beer -first delivery after prohibition, Dever Distributing
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59:27 Harry Frey wraps up the 25th anniversary program
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1:00:31 Indiana Savings and Loan
Terre Haute Conservatory of Music