JOE FRANKLIN

We lost an American icon today. Joe Franklin passed at the age of 88. Joe and i  had been friends for quite a while. We met at one of the Al Jolson Society's annual get together in Oceanside, N.Y.  Recently, Joe and I were at work on a new book Joe named " Star Maker" about the people who made other people famous by exposing one of those he had interviewed on one of his shows. Joe started his career at radio station WNEW in New York where he was the record picker and music librarian for the great Martin Block for his famous"Make Believe Ballroom"radio show. There he met Al Jolson , who told him to throw away the record selection "Movin Man', Don't Take My Baby Grand" but he refused.

Joe has claimed he interviewed some 300,000 guests from Barbra Streisand to Bing Crosby,  and Frank Sinatra three times. His radio named Memory Lane lasted longer than any other show. The television show began in 1950  and ran 43 consecutive years.  His favorite was Bing and Kathryn Crosby. Read it word for word in my book prize-winning book  "Bing Crosby - Crooner of the Century."

Joe and I were getting together this upcoming Spring to work on the book.

I will miss Joe and the many radio discussions we had over the years. We did a one hour interview on Bloomberg Radio not too long ago.

The King of Nostalgia was truly the King with his many books and endless radio and television shows that helped many a aspiring show business hopeful get started. I will continue to finish the book was started"Star Maker." Look for it Sping 2015.