''Don McNeill's Breakfast Club'' was a long-running morning

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

NBC Blue Network The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the National Broadcasting Co ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

radio (and briefly on television) originating in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Hosted by Don McNeill, the radio program ran from June 23, 1933, through December 27, 1968. McNeil's -year run as host remains the longest tenure for an emcee of a network entertainment program, greater than

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...

( years) on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

'' and

Bob Barker Robert William Barker (December 12, 1923 – August 26, 2023) was an American media personality, game show host, and animal rights advocate. He hosted CBS's '' The Price Is Right'', the longest-running game show in North American television ...

( years) on ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...

,'' albeit split between radio and television, whereas Carson and Barker were on television only.

History

In Chicago during the early 1930s, McNeill was assigned to take over an unsponsored early morning variety show, ''The Pepper Pot'', with an 8 a.m. timeslot on the

. McNeill re-organized the hour as ''The Breakfast Club,'' dividing it into four segments which McNeill labeled "the Four Calls to

Breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. Various "typical" or "traditional" breakfast menus exist, with food choices varying by regi ...

". McNeill's revamped show premiered in 1933, combining music with informal talk and jokes often based on topical events, initially scripted by McNeill but later ad-libbed. The series eventually gained a sponsor in the Chicago-based meat packer

Swift and Company JBS USA Holdings, Inc. is a meat processing company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian multinational JBS S.A. The subsidiary was created when JBS entered the U.S. market in 2007 with its purchase of Swift & Company. JBS USA is ba ...

, beginning February 8, 1941. McNeill is credited as the first performer to make morning talk and variety a viable radio format.

Format and performers

The show's structure was tightly formatted to fit the needs of its audience, who could wake up and eat breakfast while it was on, and then leave for work or school. Every quarter-hour came the "Call to Breakfast" — including the popular "march around the breakfast table," a rousing band march. In addition to comedy performances, vocal groups and soloists, and instrumental dance music, regular segments included inspirational verse, conversations with members of the studio audience, and a moment of silent prayer. There was often a "trip down memory lane," as audience members recalled their decades-earlier encounters with the show, such as being born while it was on the air, or knitting socks for Don McNeill's baby when he announced the birth on-air. Riddles and jokes were submitted and performed by audience members, shout-outs were made to the home towns of those in attendance and brief interviews were conducted with groups of high school students and members of clubs and trade organizations who were visiting Chicago. The program showcased many musicians and comedians, including

Fran Allison Frances Helen Allison (November 20, 1907June 13, 1989) was an American television and radio comedienne, personality, and singer. She is best known for her starring role on the weekday NBC-TV puppet show '' Kukla, Fran and Ollie'', which ran fr ...

(later of ''

Kukla, Fran and Ollie ''Kukla, Fran and Ollie'' is an early American television show using puppets. It was created for children, but was soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed. It was broadcast from Chicago bet ...

'' fame) as "Aunt Fanny", plus Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers, and comedy bits by Sam Cowling. Guests included

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

, Emmett Kelly,

Ilka Chase Ilka Chase (April 8, 1905 – February 15, 1978) was an American actress, radio host, and novelist whose career spanned stage, film, and television. Born into a well-known New York family, she made her stage debut as a child and later became a ...

Warren Hull John Warren Hull (January 17, 1903 – September 14, 1974), known professionally as Warren Hull, was an American actor, singer and television personality active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in t ...

, Jim and Marian Jordan of

Fibber McGee and Molly ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime American husband-and-wife team radio comedy program. The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most popular ...

, the Anita Kerr Singers,

Jimmy Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

, and

Charlie Applewhite Charlie Applewhite (November 25, 1932 – April 27, 2001) was an American singer and radio host. The height of his fame came as a regular on the Milton Berle show in the mid 1950s, and he became a highly-paid entertainer, performing on records, ...

, with Ted Mack as a guest host. Featured vocalists on the show included Dick Noel,

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and anti-gay rights activist. She had three top 20 hits in the United States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and a brand ...

, Cathie Taylor, and, under her professional name of Annette King, Charlotte Thompson Reid, who later became an Illinois congresswoman for five terms (1962–71). Eileen Parker was a regular vocalist with the program in 1953.

Broadcast venues and networks

Radio

''The Breakfast Club'' initially was broadcast from the NBC studios in the

Merchandise Mart The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building in Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it opened in 1930, it was the List of largest buildings, world's largest building, with of floor space. The Art De ...

. In 1948, after 4,500 broadcasts from the Merchandise Mart, the program moved to the new ABC Civic Studio. It was also heard from other Chicago venues: the Terrace Casino (at the Morrison Hotel), the College Inn Porterhouse (at the Sherman House) and the Cloud Room of the Warwick Allerton Hotel on Chicago's Magnificent Mile," as well as tour broadcasts from other locations in the U.S. It remained a fixture on the ABC radio network (formerly the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

Blue Network The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the ...

; it became known as ABC in 1945), maintaining its popularity for years and counting among its fans

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Associate Justice An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...

William O. Douglas William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898January 19, 1980) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1939 to 1975. Douglas was known for his strong progressive and civil libertari ...

. After ABC Radio was split into four networks in 1968, ''The Breakfast Club'' was moved to the new American Entertainment network, and was known for its last months on the air as ''The Don McNeill Show.''

Television

On May 12, 1948, the program was "

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

" with the ABC radio show as an experimental broadcast. The show, which originated that day from the Academy of Music in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, was televised on several participating East Coast television stations, stretching up from the ABC television station WMAL-TV in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

to the DuMont television station

WABD WABD (97.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is an American radio station licensed to serve the city of license, community of Mobile, Alabama. The station, established in 1973 as WABB-FM, is owned and operated by Cumulus Media. Its studios are on Dauphin ...

in New York. Sponsor

Philco Philco (an acronym for Philadelphia Battery Company) is an American electronics industry, electronics manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia. Philco was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In 1961, the company was purchase ...

promoted this special television event by running newspaper advertisements which invited fans in the participating cities to view the show at a local Philco dealership. Beginning on September 13, 1950, the show aired as ''TV Club'' (aka ''Don McNeill's TV Club'') on ABC in the 1950-51 prime time season in a 60-minute version, Wednesdays at 9p.m. ET. From September to December 1951, the show returned to ABC in a 30-minute version, Wednesdays from 9pm to 9:30pm ET. Beginning on February 22, 1954, and ending on February 25, 1955, ''Don McNeill's Breakfast Club'' was simulcast in its regular morning slot on ABC Radio and

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

. At least two

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...

recordings survive of these telecasts, including a February 17, 1954 "test kinescope," produced a week before the regular ABC simulcasts began. However, the show failed to make a successful transition to television in either version. File:Don McNeill Sam Cowling Breakfast Club 1956.JPG, McNeill with comedian Sam Cowling on a broadcast remote from San Francisco, 1956. File:Breakfast Club last broadcast1968.JPG, The last broadcast of the Breakfast Club. The program was taped on December 20, 1968, at the Allerton Hotel and aired on December 27.

Book

John Doolittle's book about this program, ''Don McNeill and His Breakfast Club'' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2001), was reviewed by Susan M. Colowick in ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'': :Before Garrison was even a twinkle in Mr. Keillor's eye, Don McNeill launched a radio show with a unique mix of humor, music and audience participation. From 1933 to 1968, the Chicago-based ''Breakfast Club'' aired every weekday on the ABC radio network (originally NBC's Blue Network). Millions of Americans tuned in to hear songs, jokes, interviews, the "March Around the Breakfast Table," the "Moment of Silent Prayer" and other regular features. (Except for his strong support of public prayer, McNeill eschewed politics, though he did run for president in 1948 on the Laugh Party ticket.) In this thoroughly researched and highly readable account, Doolittle reminds us just how popular ''Breakfast Club'' really was, especially with homemakers of modest means but also with the likes of

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

and Justice William O. Douglas. Many show business celebrities were guests on the show, including

and

. The book is accompanied by a CD that features clips from actual shows.

References

Bibliography

*John Doolittle, ''Don McNeill and His Breakfast Club''

University of Notre Dame Press The University of Notre Dame Press is a university press that is part of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The press was founded in 1949, and claims to be the largest Catholic university press in the world. The ...

, 2001), *David Weinstein, ''The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television'' (Philadelphia:

Temple University Press Temple University Press is a university press founded in 1969 that is part of Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, a global library consortium approach ...

, 2004) *Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'', Fourth edition (New York:

Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

, 1980) *Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows'', Third edition (New York:

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. Ballantine was acquired by Random House in ...

, 1964)
Dunning, John. ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio.'' Oxford University Press, 1998.

Listen to

* ttp://www.vintageradioplace.com/broadcast/archeritage0807.html Rich Samuels' tribute to ''The Breakfast Club'' (February 2004)

External links

*
Marquette University: Donald T. McNeill Collection, 1928-69
* {{IMDb title, 0159865, TV Club
1948 kinescope of DuMont TV and ABC Radio simulcast (May 12, 1948)
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

''Breakfast Club'' timeline
1954 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings 1930s American radio programs 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs 1960s American radio programs ABC radio programs American Broadcasting Company original programming Breakfast Club, The Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows NBC Blue Network radio programs