Bowlers Journal International - April 2008 - (Page 65)

BY J.R. SCHMIDT TIMECAPSULE FLASHBACK 10 YEARS AGO PETE WEBER IS NOW TWOthirds of the way to pro bowling's Triple Crown after winning the PBA National Championship at Ducat's Imperial Lanes in Toledo After ﬁnishes of ﬁfth, 10th, 14th and 17th in his ﬁrst ﬁve tournaments of the season, Michael Haugen Jr. is second in the PBA's Merit Rankings, prompting this observation: "Evidently, we may be hearing more from Mr. Haugen." In the inaugural AMF World Tenpin Masters staged in England, Tore Torgerson of Norway defeats Tomas Leandersson of Sweden for the $30,000 winner-take-all title The American Bowling Congress and Women's International Bowling Congress begin a tiered membership test in 10 market areas, involving 300,000 bowlers. Platinum ($25), Gold ($20) and Silver ($13) levels are offered Boxing champion Evander Holyﬁeld and football star Jerome Bettis take part in Bowlerama V, a charity fundraiser in suburban Chicago. BOWLING MAKES IT BIG ON THE SMALL SCREEN THE SPORT'S FIRST-EVER TELEVISION SHOW PROVIDED 'SPLENDID ENTERTAINMENT.' IN 1947, TELEVISION WAS NEW. ONLY one-time match-game king, was known as about 4,000 TV sets a month were being built, “Chesty Joe“ because of his bombastic, bragthere were no networks, and broadcasts could gart personality. Just recovered from a major be beamed about 50 miles — if the weather illness, he still put on a grand exhibition. After was clear. Some experts thought the new each successful shot, he loudly proclaimed, medium had a bright future, while others con“There is only one Joe Falcaro!” sidered it merely a passing fad. By now, the program had crept over its allotProgramming was wide open. In New York, ted half-hour time slot. Just as the proceedsportswriter Pat McDonough thought a bowlings were drawing to a close, emcee Elliot ing show would be a dandy way to ﬁll some air grabbed a ball off the rack, rolled it down the time, and approached the local CBS station. lane — and got a perfect strike. “And there is When McDonough secured a $500 only one Win Elliot!” he shouted, as sponsorship from American Bowlthe broadcast faded away. ing & Billiards, the deal was closed. In 1947, there was no accurate The ﬁrst-ever TV bowling program way of knowing how many people went out live on the evening of had watched a particular program. January 26, 1947. The site was the Across the East River in Queens, a Capitol Health Center in midtown bunch of bowling fans had gathered Manhattan. Capitol was a famous at Rego Park Recreation to view the establishment, it was located near broadcast. At the time, a TV screen CBS headquarters, and its fourthwas only about the size of the moniﬂoor bowling room provided a clear tor on a modern laptop. Yet the gang PAT McDONOUGH signal for the broadcast antenna at Rego Park reported “clear visibilatop the Empire State Building. And, ity, ﬁne detail, and splendid entersince the sponsor owned the place, the rent tainment.” was free. Bowlers Journal devoted a page to the teleMore than 200 spectators crammed Capitol to cast in its March 1947 issue. Writer Paul Gould watch the action. Four huge cameras were set predicted that, “One day, kegling fans will be in place. Early TV required massive artiﬁcial seated comfortably in their homes and watch lighting, and with the crowd and the overhead championship events taking place all over the klieg lamps, the temperature on the lanes was country.” Gould also foresaw the day, “when almost unbearable. bowlers could go to their alleys and observe But the show went on. With no established large screens set up nearby for their ediﬁcaformat to guide him, McDonough opted for a tion, learning the ﬁne points of the game from variety script. Win Elliot, a radio game-show expert and famous instructors. host, had been hired as the broadcast’s an“There’s a great day coming,” Gould connouncer. The program opened with famed included. structor Bill Shaul giving bowling tips to Elliot. Within a year, regular bowling shows were Then local proprietor Bill Landgraf appeared being telecast in New York City. Other cities to explain how to keep score. That was followed followed. The rest is history. by a mixed-doubles match, with Marty Cassio As for Win Elliot, he went on to a distinguished and Ann Sablowski taking on Dom Suraci and national career on CBS radio. His show was Tillie Taylor. There is no known record of which called “Sports Central USA.” And though the team won the match. program was carried by a rival network, he alThe ﬁnal portion of the show featured Joe ways announced the ﬁnalists for the Saturday Falcaro performing trick shots. Falcaro, the afternoon PBA telecast. BJI ARCHIVES 25 YEARS AGO THE FIRST-EVER NETWORK TV deal for women's professional bowling is negotiated by the LPBT with the public television stations across the country. The deal calls for 25 Tour stops to be aired on a tape-delayed basis Fran Bax sets a new all-time ABC Tournament record with an 833 series in the Team event on opening day of the 1983 renewal in Niagara Falls Norm Duke, 18, tells Bowlers Journal: "I have aspirations to be named the greatest bowler of all time." 50 YEARS AGO THE ALL-TIME TEAM SERIES record of 3797, set by the Hermann Undertakers in 1937, is eclipsed by the St. Louis-based Budweisers team of Don Carter, Ray Bluth, Pat Patterson, Tom Hennessey and Dick Weber. The Buds string games of 1265, 1300 and 1293 for a 3858 total The 55th ABC Tournament begins, as Syracuse prepares to welcome 5,434 teams — including 2,863 in the Booster Division Meanwhile, the ﬁnal entry count for the WIBC Championships in San Francisco reaches 2,587 teams Frank Benkovic is elected to the ABC Hall of Fame after receiving exactly the minimum number of votes needed on the national ballot Merle Matthews is named to the Brunswick Advisory Staff of Champions Three new bowling books hit the marketplace: How to Bowl Better, by Ned Day; Modern Bowling Techniques, by Murray Goodman; and The Complete Handbook of Bowling, by Oscar Fraley. APRIL 2008 bowlers journal international 65

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Bowlers Journal International - April 2008

Bowlers Journal International - April 2008 Contents Leading Off Letters Bowlitically Incorrect Calendar Par Bowling The Coach Frame of Mind Inside Line The Truth Be Bowled Tournaments Pro Bowling PBA Bayer Classic PBA Pepsi Championship PBA Don Johnson Classic Regional Roundup Cover Story Up Close Senior Tour The USBC Move USBC Convention Pattern Play Anniversary Flashback Time Capsule Media Beat No Holes Barred Shop Talk Spotlight Marketplace Hall Marks Profit Prophet Advertisers' Index Classified Advertising Intelligencer Business Calendar Business People Strikes Me

Bowlers Journal International - April 2008

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