Talk of The Villages Florida - R.I.P. Phil Donahue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomer (Post 2361851)

Awww. Time sure goes by…….

He lived in Centerville, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, in the same neighborhood as Erma Bombeck. They both went big-time at the same time.

I was young and living in Dayton when his first network show hit. If I am remembering correctly, it was about childbirth, and the topic was considered by some as being a bit unseemly to talk about, in detail — and on television. (gasp) It got a lot of advertising and anticipation. I could not wait to watch it. (Does anybody else remember this? I don’t think I am making it up. That first network show was a very big deal in Dayton.)

Erma Bombeck’s column “At Wit’s End” had been running in the local Dayton paper before she burst into syndication with wonderful success. I had the fun of seeing her speak at a conference. She was just as delightful in-person as she was in print. She left us long ago after kidney transplant complications.

R.I.P., my fellow Ohioans, Centerville’s own, Phil and Erma.

Boomer

I agree time has sure gone by. I remember both Phil and Erma as two great personalities. When I was in high school, one of my classes (don’t remember which one) went to one of his shows in 1967 or 68 at a local Dayton TV station before his show became syndicated. All I remember is he interviewed a negro political activist. It was interesting and fun to watch the show from a live audience.