Don McNeill's "Breakfast Club"


1948

[From "Twenty Years of Corn"
]


This was "party year" on the Breakfast Club. Don McNeill was drafter as the laugh candidate of the "Fourth Party" and carried on a mock presidential campaign from May to August. An audience of 3,200 and thousands of televiewers in the East saw him "nominated" in Philadelphia. Atlanta turned out 8,000 supporters for a personal appearance show in June. Another 8,000 fans attended the "withdrawal" broadcast from New Philadelphia, Ohio.

Breakfast Club celebrated its 15th anniversary with a Garden Party broadcast from the McNeill's home. Annette King, Evelyn Lynne and Nancy Martin appeared in January while Patst Lee was ill.

Allen Prescott and Jack Paar emceed the show in February while the McNeill's "second-honneymooned" in California. General Mills became the first quarter sponsor in August. Two months later Breakfast Club moved to the new ABC Civic Studio after 4500 broadcasts from the Merchandise Mart.

Left: Patsy and Don aboard "the presidential special" in Chicago's Northwestern station.

Right: Atlanta hails Don McNeill as "The South's Favorite Yankee".

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