[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 141 (Thursday, October 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RETIREMENT OF JOHN GALLOS, TWIN CITIES TELEVISION PIONEER

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, there was a song actor Walter 
Brennan made popular in the early 1960's in which he reminisces about 
an old farmhand he recalled from his childhood. ``I can't remember when 
he 'tweren't around,'' went the lyrics. I rise today to pay tribute to 
an outstanding Minnesotan, one of our State's pioneers in television, 
of whom can truly be said, ``We can't remember when he 'tweren't 
around.''
  An entire generation of Minnesotans fondly remembers John Gallos as 
Commodore Cappy and Clancy the Cop, the characters he created for a 
pair of early-morning children's programs at WCCO Television in 
Minneapolis. In the early 1950's, television was in its infancy. It was 
anything goes as John and his colleagues experimented with and defined 
this new medium. The weekly prop budget of $1.50 did not buy much in 
those early years, but the kids who flocked to their television sets to 
start their days with a dose of Cappy or Clancy did not care: they had 
found a place where they were always welcome.
  Besides his children's programming, John hosted a nondenominational 
religious talk show entitled ``Sunday Morning With John Gallos'' which 
ran on WCCO for 31 years. The show was honored in 1995 with a Wilbur 
Award from the Religious Public Relations Council for its excellence in 
communicating religious and ethical issues. John rightly counts 
``Sunday Morning'' as one of his proudest achievements.
  When I think of John, another of his Sunday projects comes to mind: a 
weekly salute to Laurel and Hardy that introduced the comic legends to 
a new generation.
  There is one story John often tells because to him, it demonstrates 
the positive impact local television can have on a community. For the 
rest of us, it exemplifies the positive impact John Gallos himself has 
had on the lives of Minnesota families. It happened just before 
Valentines Day around 1959. John, as Commodore Cappy, was talking on 
the air with Vivian Vulture, one of his puppets. ``I suppose you'll get 
a lot of Valentines this year,'' he told her. ``No, Commodore, I never 
get any Valentines,'' answered Vivian, and she started to cry. The 
Commodore wiped a tear from his own eye and said, ``Perhaps the 
children will think of you this year.''
  Mr. President, over the next few days, more than 10,000 Valentine 
cards poured into the WCCO studios addressed to that little puppet.
  In recent years, the voices of most of the pioneering talents in Twin 
Cities television have grown quiet, as they trade their shifts in front 
of the cameras and microphones for retirement. And now, after nearly a 
half century spent inside the radio and television studios of WCCO, 
John Gallos is retiring, too. My colleagues in the Senate join with me 
in congratulating John for his lifetime of service to his community. We 
thank him for his generous spirit, and wish him well in the years to 
come.

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