First Airing of ‘King of Real Estate’ Spot in 30 Years
King Davis to Appear on Open Mike

Kingsbury “King” Davis has a surprise for WHAV listeners when he appears on the Open Mike Show, Monday, Dec. 16.

One of the most memorable and popular of WHAV’s commercials of years gone by was a singing jingle for the King Davis Agency. Mr. Davis has generously provided original recordings of those commercials and these will be heard again for the first time in 30 years over WHAV.

Mr. Davis will explain the origin of those commercials and discuss his various civic commitments and interests.

Do you remember the words?

Call King Davis for the castle in your dreams
With full-time service he reigns supreme
Insist on service and list with real estate’s King—King Davis
He has the home you desire or a luxury buyer
He’s the full-time service realtor of renown
King Davis is king of real estate, but it’s the client who wears the crown
Call King Davis for the castle in your dreams
King Davis is the king of real estate service,
but the secret of his great renown is the client who wears the crown

Hear King Davis on the Open Mike Show with Tim Coco. The show begins at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 16.

Rare Recordings Greet Christmas Eve and Day Listeners
Enjoy Christmas by the Radio

By Tim Coco
President & General Manager (volunteer)

In the old days at WHAV, a tattered cardboard box was retrieved each Christmas season from the music library in the basement. It contained recorded holiday jingles, stories read by former announcers—the names of many of whom have long been forgotten, scratched 45s and albums, old reel-to-reel tapes and more.

Happily I managed to save recordings of some of these. One will air for the first time in decades during WHAV’s annual Christmas Eve and Christmas day broadcasts. It is a poem by Eugene Field (1850-1895), “Little Boy Blue,” with Silent Night as the background music. If anyone can identify the announcer, WHAV listeners will be grateful.

According to the Poetry Foundation, “Eugene Field was a popular humorist and newspaperman often called the ‘Poet of Childhood.’ Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Roswell M. and Frances Reed Field, both of New England ancestry, Field claimed two birthdates—2 and 3 September 1850—in later years so that if friends forgot him on the first day, they could remember him on the second.

His father was an attorney and attained some fame after successfully defending Dred Scott, fugitive slave, in Scott’s first trial. Field’s mother died when he was six, and he and his younger brother Roswell were sent to Amherst, Massachusetts, to be cared for by their paternal cousin Mary Field French until their maturity… It was in 1888 with the publication of ‘Little Boy Blue’ in America, a weekly journal, that Field won immediate and long-lasting fame.

Here’s the poem:

The little toy dog is covered with dust
But sturdy and stanch he stands
And the little toy soldier is red with rust
And his musket moulds in his hands

Time was when the little toy dog was new
And the soldier was passing fair
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there

“Now, don’t you go till I come,” he said,
“And don't you make any noise!”
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed
He dreamt of the pretty toys

And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue
Oh! the years are many, the years are long
But the little toy friends are true

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand
Each in the same old place
Awaiting the touch of a little hand
The smile of a little face

And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair
What has become of our Little Boy Blue
Since he kissed them and put them there

‘G.M. Hooker’ Presents a ‘Kiddie Christmas’

Another treat for WHAV holiday listeners—particularly the younger set—is a 1978 program by popular Haverhill High School instructor George “G.M. Hooker” Moonoogian. G.M. Hooker, Moonoogian’s alter ego, was so named because of the shape of his nose. He narrates the entire “Kiddie Christmas” in a raspy voice reminiscent of Wolfman Jack.

Moonoogian’s show includes Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Ding-a-ling, the Little Elf, Everett the Evergreen, Stan Freberg’s Christmas Dragnet, I’m Gonna Put Some Glue ‘Round the Christmas Tree, Dasher With the Light Upon His Tail and The Little Drummer Boy. It also includes rare holiday messages from Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas, Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations, Frederick Earl “Shorty” Long and the Supremes.

The program isn’t for audiophiles—the rare, original records are scratchy, but enjoyable. If you enjoy hearing George again, consider making a donation in his name to the George Moonoogian Piano Fund, C/O Consentino School, 685 Washington Street, Haverhill, MA 01832 for the restoration and maintenance of the piano George donated to the school.

Throughout the holiday, listeners will also hear the voice of the late Ralph Hall, wishing a Merry Christmas to all. Hall may be best remembered for his “no school, all schools” announcements on snow days.

News and Notes
WHAV Now on Apple’s iTunes

WHAV is now available on iTunes. Click on the “Internet” tab within Apple’s iTunes application, click on to “Golden Oldies” and then scroll down to “WHAV.”

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More than 35,000 listeners turned in to WHAV on the Internet during the last 30 days, according to Shoutcast.

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January marks the 10th anniversary of WHAV streams on the Internet.

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WHAV membership makes a great stocking stuffer. Click here to learn more.