Her Christian faith had deep roots going back to her parents. My folks were avid believers and were very active in the Baptist Church in Moline. My mother was a big influence in my life. Under her guidance I, too, became an avid believer and still am today. I depend on God to lead me and guide me in everything I do.
How did I decide to go to WMBI? I was living in a Christian girl's club in Chicago. One of the girls on my floor was engaged to the son of Wendell P. Loveless, who was the director of the radio station WMBI, at the Moody Bible Institute. I had just graduated from radio school and was looking for a job. I talked with her about the possibility of working at WMBI. She arranged an interview for me with Mr. Loveless and he hired me. I did everything there ... I was a writer in the Continuity Department; sang in various quartets and trios; had my own program; also had a kid's program; was one of the actors on "Number Nine Elm Street" (WMBI's Christian "soap operas"); and I filled in for Mr. Loveless on Continued Story Reading" when he was away. (He read Christian novels on the air. This is where I learned to do different character voices, etc..). I worked there from 1943-1950 and loved it! I have many favorite bible verses such as: Romans 8:35-39; Psalms 46:1-2; Philippines 4:13; Psalms 118:24; and Proverbs 3:5-6.
Anita Sundin's Christian faith is shown daily in the job she loves. She is a volunteer for the Iowa Department of the Blind, recording printed material on cassette tapes. She received the prestigious Perowsky Volunteer of the Year Award. She has recorded books on tape for over 27 years and has completed over 190 books.
IMPRESSIONS AND REFLECTIONS OF WOC AFTER 31 YEARS
When I came to WOC-TV on November 30th, 1953, we were in the old building which was located right next door to the present one. It was a big old house and the writers were in the attic! No air conditioning or heat up there! We sweltered in the summer and shivered in the winter. I can remember typing with my gloves on and wearing boots to keep my feet warm!
We were Channel 5 when I arrived, (changed to Channel 6 a few months later) and we were completely live.. both radio and TV. For radio we had ET'S (electrical transcriptions) but all the copy was read live. In television (we'd been on the air for four years when I started) we were completely live.. all commercials were live and all local shows were live! When I think back to those days there are many fond memories. I remember Warren Vasen and Ran Jensen hosting the "Tree of Lights" (telethon every December for the Salvation Army). I remember the newsmen tearing down 2 flights of stairs to make it in time for their newscasts. (Continuity had been moved to the second floor and the News Department was in the attic.)
I remember when the Film Department was in the basement and seeing strips of film hanging up to dry! (They had to be spliced and ready to go by news time!)
I remember when Bill Bailey was a TV weatherman (In the early 70's and he had a pet skunk named "Moopspa" that he had on the show with him sometimes! (The skunk had been de-odoorized)
Our main TV studio in those days is still standing. Its now the garage for...whatever! (I haven't checked it recently, so I don't know what they have in there!) In the summer time when we were plagued by flies, moths and bugs of every description, the production crew had to run around the studio and kill all of them before we went on the air! On several occasions they didn't get them all!
I remember one commercial in particular. It was for a local jeweler. We had a tight close up of a diamond, (the client wanted to viewers to think they were really getting their money's worth for this "big" diamond) and just as we got on the air, a fly landed on the diamond! It looked as big as a horse and made you realize just how small the diamond was!
Another time I was the hands on a dairy commercial for "Trip the Trio" (with Marge Meinert, George Sontag and Warren Vasen). We had a dark green tablecloth, a dish of strawberries and I was supposed to squirt Ready Whip on the strawberries as Warren spoke glowingly about how easy it was to use, etc, etc... I squirted but the glob of Ready Whip missed the strawberries completely and landed in front of the dish on the dark green tablecloth in one big mess! The director, instead of getting off the shot immediately, followed the script and stayed on that shot for what seemed like an eternity! I don't recall the reaction of the dairy people but I'm sure it wasn't good! However, the TV audience loved it! Today everything is so perfect because all the commercials are video taped. We had "bloopers" every day!
We were black and white until the early 60's... I think it was around '62 when we went color. That meant all new equipment, etc., etc... As I recall, video tape came into existence around the same time and so we started video taping all our commercials but we still did a few live shows. Pat Sundine's "Especially for You" and Captain Ken's Cartoon Showboat. Ken Wagner was the first Captain and of course, all the news shows were live (and still are). Then there was "Golden Opportunity" ... TV Traffic goofed when they typed the logs one day. They spelled it "Golden Pooportunity"!
Back in the 1950's Ran Jensen and Warren Vasen had a little troop of performers (mostly talent from Golden Opportunity) and they'd go out to the towns around the area and put on shows. Marvel Ingram, an accomplished accordionist at 11 was one of their stars. (She's now married to one of Iowa Illinois Gas and Electric Company's "big wigs", Bill Green. He's probably retired by now.
Mary Louise Marshall was another important personality. Elegant lady ... we did a radio show together in the late '50's and she taught me the art of interviewing. She also had a TV show called "At Home with Mary Louise Marshall".
Dough Dahlgren was one of our announcers. One day he was doing the TV noon weather and his tongue tripped up on him and he said "Tomorrow its going to be pair and f*rtly cloudy!" We had another announcer who goofed up "Schlitz Beer". He left the "L" out and he kept repeating it, trying to correct himself!
Back in the 1950's, women did not do news! That was strictly a man's field! Women anchors did not exist! (That happened sometime in the 1960's). Talk about discrimination! The only women's news I did on radio was strictly fashion news and other women's features that came over the Teletype machines.
Thirty-one years is a long time. So many memories, so much nostalgia. I'm glad I was in on the "ground floor" of television. It was fun back then! Now everything is so sophisticated! The computer age has certainly changed the TV world! What a wonder the control room is with all the electronic gadgets and computerized equipment! They can perform "miracles' now and do things we couldn't even begin to do years ago!
I've watched television grow from "grass roots" to the marvelous technical media it is today and I've grown with it year by year. One must change as the world changes or you're left behind.
I do miss it but I look forward to getting together with the other "pioneers and old timers" from time to time. We have a great time talking about the good old days and some of the funny things that happened during the days of early television.
"The Ageless Contessa" (Bill Wundram referred to me that way in one of his columns!)
MORE BLOOPERS FROM THOSE EARLY DAYS!
Warren Vasen was doing a beer commercial. At the end he was supposed to put the beer up to his mouth and drink it. As he was doing the commercial, he noticed there was a bug floating around in it. He tried his best to turn the glass so the bug would stick to the side of the glass but it didn't work. So he had to drink the beer, bug and all! Yuck!
For a short time Pat Sundine had a talk show on WOC radio.. one of those shows where people call in. On this particular day, there were several calls waiting "on hold", and Pat apologized, "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting but we have such a swizzy b*tchboard today." Of course, she meant to say "busy switchboard!"
A few pictures of Anita Sundin on Especially for You!
Anita posing with three gentlemen who were on EFY that day.
Especially for You director Ed Jones taking care of business.
Anita with Helen Plagman. Helen was famous for her floral arrangements and appeared many times on EFY.
Promoting the Indian Pow-Wow, which is an annual event at Blackhawk State Park in Rock Island, Illinois, on the set of EFY with Anita!
Anita, dressed as an elf on The Tree of Lights which aired every year at Christmastime.
On the left, Ken Wagner, who was the first Captain of The Cartoon Showboat on WOC, along with WOC personality Warren Vasen performing at the Tree of Lights.
Every day brought another feature on Especially for You. On this particular day, a local bakery presented their delicious bake goods!
Anita with longtime WOC employee Mary Louise Marshall.
 Click here to go to Captain Ernie's Showboat |
