Frank Harden
Encyclopedia
Francis Guinn "Frank" Harden (born October 28, 1922) is a retired radio announcer whose career spanned more than 50 years. Harden is best known as the genial co-host of The Harden and Weaver Show, which aired on WMAL from 1960 to 1998.
chapter of AFTRA, and later, as a member of the AFTRA National board.
His book, On the Radio With Harden and Weaver, co-authored with Jackson Weaver and Ed Meyer, was published by Morrow in 1983.
, the son of Maude Scott and John Harden, a railroad worker. Unable to play school sports due to poor eyesight, he learned trombone. As a college student playing with local dance bands for extra money, he had his first exposure to the world of entertainment and radio. In 1944, he was drafted into the US Army and served for 9 months before receiving a medical discharge due to a detached retina.
Still wearing an Army uniform, the 22-year-old Harden walked into the offices of Savannah, Ga. NBC radio affiliate WSAV seeking employment. An on-the-spot interview and audition led to his first job as an announcer. Over the next three years, he worked at WSAV in Savannah, WRLD and WGST in Atlanta, and WKLZ in Denver. Learning of an opening at ABC
affiliate WMALW in Washington, DC, Harden auditioned and was hired, starting Christmas Eve, 1947.
At WMAL, Harden reported news and sports, covered presidential speeches, congressional and other public events. He was the announcer for Edward P. Morgan
and The News Show for 8 years.
to create a 15-minute evening slot, titled “The Frank and Jackson Show”, loosely modeled after Boston’s popular Bob and Ray
Show. In the late 1950's, they had their own WMAL-TV show, performing comic sketches written by Harden.
In 1960, WMAL manager Andy Ockershausen offered Harden and his partner an opportunity to create a show for the coveted 6 to 10 am morning drive time
. The resulting Harden and Weaver Show began without fanfare, but gradually gained status as Washington’s highest rated morning show. According to Marc Fisher, senior editor of the Washington Post, "By the mid-'60s, Harden and Weaver owned the mornings."
By all reports, the co-hosts enjoyed a rare rapport
with each other, and with their listeners. They mixed goofball comedy with music, guest interviews, news, and useful information. They delivered commercial scripts with off the cuff banter and ad-libs, an innovation in radio advertising.
Each program included a musical march and hymn, broadcast at the same precise time so that listeners could depend upon them during the morning routine. The co-hosts read letters from listeners, took on-air phone calls, and hosted occasional unscheduled guests.
Although Harden and Weaver discussed news events, they remained non-controversial, and neither revealed his personal political leanings in public. Harden wrote, in 1983, "(We) can be serious when the situation calls for it, and I can be a bit caustic at times. But it's usually on behalf of Everyman
railing against the system. We don't pose as heavyweights...We'll acknowledge an issue - satirically - but won't climb on a soapbox...We're not in the business of alienating people."
In classic comedy mode, Harden was the easy-going straight man
whose comments prompted Weaver’s comic antics, based on a recurring repertoire of characters, each with a distinct accent and vocal tone. "Their characters became part of the daily conversation in offices, schools and shops," reported Fisher in the Washington Post. "Harden and Weaver's Rocky Rockmont, a fictional car salesman from a Chevy dealer, won so much currency that the actual salesmen at the dealership donned buttons saying, "Hi, I'm Rocky." When the WMAL duo made fun of the kitchen help at Sam Wong's Moon Palace restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue NW, business there soared, and the owner became a regional celebrity. After Harden and Weaver started putting the Eastern High School choir on the air to sing each Christmas season, it gained a following and reputation that persist three decades later."
Congressman Frank R. Wolf recorded in the US Congressional Record that when a Virginia park was threatened by budget cuts, "Harden and Weaver helped spur the community on with their daily reports on the importance of the park to school children. And that park was saved. When Harden and Weaver spoke, folks listened.”
"Theirs was a quiet humor, restricted by a reticence that the culture soon would discard as old-fashioned. But before they vanished, (the show) did what many media efforts dream of, but never quite accomplish: They created community," wrote Fisher in the Washington Post.
Harden and his co-host made literally thousands of appearances at various community social and civic events, including serving as MCs at The Navy League and Whitehouse Correspondents dinner. In January 1975 the editors of Washingtonian Magazine named Harden and Weaver, “Washingtonians of the Year”. "It's not easy to make hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians wake up a little less grumpy every morning, but that's what Frank Harden and Jackson Weaver do," wrote the editors. "...Anyone who has ever heard them knows that Harden and Weaver like people. They have reached out and encouraged us to smile more often, and to help those most in need of aid. Their concern has made Washington a better place to live.
Harden and Weaver used their celebrity to raise funds for community organizations, most notably the Children's National Medical Center, widely called Children's Hospital. Their listeners have donated multiple millions of dollars to the hospital's research and treatment center, by means of an on-going golf outing. In appreciation, the hospital named a wing in their honor.
Guests, regular callers, and self-identified listeners to the Harden and Weaver Show included President Gerald Ford
, dozens of Congressmen, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas
, Army General Curtis LeMay
, radio legend Paul Harvey
, talk show host David Frost
, singer Jimmy Dean
, boxer Mohammed Ali, Washington Redskins' quarterback Sonny Jurgensen
and coach George Allen.
Media personality Willard Scott
wrote of Harden and Weaver, “They are successful because they are themselves. They love what they do and have a good time doing it, and the audience shares in this fun. They are dedicated to public service and have been active in the community. The show is not the result of a consulting firm or out of central casting...They are real and honest with themselves and their audience. The audience senses that and responds.”
Frank Harden has received the March of Dimes A.I.R. (Achievement in Radio) Lifetime Award and other honors. The Children's National Medical Center Golf Classic that he co-founded in 1971 remains an important fund-raiser: The 40th outing occurred in 2011.
Distinctions
Harden served as union president at the WashingtonWashington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
chapter of AFTRA, and later, as a member of the AFTRA National board.
His book, On the Radio With Harden and Weaver, co-authored with Jackson Weaver and Ed Meyer, was published by Morrow in 1983.
Early life
Harden was born in Macon and raised in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, the son of Maude Scott and John Harden, a railroad worker. Unable to play school sports due to poor eyesight, he learned trombone. As a college student playing with local dance bands for extra money, he had his first exposure to the world of entertainment and radio. In 1944, he was drafted into the US Army and served for 9 months before receiving a medical discharge due to a detached retina.
Still wearing an Army uniform, the 22-year-old Harden walked into the offices of Savannah, Ga. NBC radio affiliate WSAV seeking employment. An on-the-spot interview and audition led to his first job as an announcer. Over the next three years, he worked at WSAV in Savannah, WRLD and WGST in Atlanta, and WKLZ in Denver. Learning of an opening at ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate WMALW in Washington, DC, Harden auditioned and was hired, starting Christmas Eve, 1947.
At WMAL, Harden reported news and sports, covered presidential speeches, congressional and other public events. He was the announcer for Edward P. Morgan
Edward P. Morgan
Edward Paddock Morgan was an American journalist and writer who reported for newspapers, radio, and television media services including ABC, CBS networks, and Public Broadcasting Service Public television....
and The News Show for 8 years.
Mid-career
In the 1950's, when radio seemed headed for extinction and replacement by TV, Harden teamed up with fellow WMAL announcer Jackson WeaverJackson Weaver
Jackson J. Weaver was a professional broadcaster and voice-over artist for 45 years. In addition to being the original voice for Smokey Bear, he was the co-host of WMAL's Washington, D.C. morning drive program for 32 years, along with his broadcast partner Frank Harden.Weaver's final broadcast was...
to create a 15-minute evening slot, titled “The Frank and Jackson Show”, loosely modeled after Boston’s popular Bob and Ray
Bob and Ray
Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy team whose career spanned five decades. Their format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such as conducting radio or television interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue presented in a generally deadpan style as...
Show. In the late 1950's, they had their own WMAL-TV show, performing comic sketches written by Harden.
In 1960, WMAL manager Andy Ockershausen offered Harden and his partner an opportunity to create a show for the coveted 6 to 10 am morning drive time
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
. The resulting Harden and Weaver Show began without fanfare, but gradually gained status as Washington’s highest rated morning show. According to Marc Fisher, senior editor of the Washington Post, "By the mid-'60s, Harden and Weaver owned the mornings."
The Harden and Weaver Show
The Harden and Weaver Show aired 6 days a week, from 6AM to 10AM, and dominated the Washington, DC morning ratings for over 32 years.By all reports, the co-hosts enjoyed a rare rapport
Rapport
Rapport is a term used to describe, in common terms, the relationship of two or more people who are in sync or on the same wavelength because they feel similar and/or relate well to each other....
with each other, and with their listeners. They mixed goofball comedy with music, guest interviews, news, and useful information. They delivered commercial scripts with off the cuff banter and ad-libs, an innovation in radio advertising.
Each program included a musical march and hymn, broadcast at the same precise time so that listeners could depend upon them during the morning routine. The co-hosts read letters from listeners, took on-air phone calls, and hosted occasional unscheduled guests.
Although Harden and Weaver discussed news events, they remained non-controversial, and neither revealed his personal political leanings in public. Harden wrote, in 1983, "(We) can be serious when the situation calls for it, and I can be a bit caustic at times. But it's usually on behalf of Everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
railing against the system. We don't pose as heavyweights...We'll acknowledge an issue - satirically - but won't climb on a soapbox...We're not in the business of alienating people."
In classic comedy mode, Harden was the easy-going straight man
Straight man
Straight man may refer to:* Straight Man, a novel by Richard Russo* A member of a double act who plays a stooge, feed, or comic foil in theatrical comedy...
whose comments prompted Weaver’s comic antics, based on a recurring repertoire of characters, each with a distinct accent and vocal tone. "Their characters became part of the daily conversation in offices, schools and shops," reported Fisher in the Washington Post. "Harden and Weaver's Rocky Rockmont, a fictional car salesman from a Chevy dealer, won so much currency that the actual salesmen at the dealership donned buttons saying, "Hi, I'm Rocky." When the WMAL duo made fun of the kitchen help at Sam Wong's Moon Palace restaurant on Wisconsin Avenue NW, business there soared, and the owner became a regional celebrity. After Harden and Weaver started putting the Eastern High School choir on the air to sing each Christmas season, it gained a following and reputation that persist three decades later."
Congressman Frank R. Wolf recorded in the US Congressional Record that when a Virginia park was threatened by budget cuts, "Harden and Weaver helped spur the community on with their daily reports on the importance of the park to school children. And that park was saved. When Harden and Weaver spoke, folks listened.”
"Theirs was a quiet humor, restricted by a reticence that the culture soon would discard as old-fashioned. But before they vanished, (the show) did what many media efforts dream of, but never quite accomplish: They created community," wrote Fisher in the Washington Post.
Harden and his co-host made literally thousands of appearances at various community social and civic events, including serving as MCs at The Navy League and Whitehouse Correspondents dinner. In January 1975 the editors of Washingtonian Magazine named Harden and Weaver, “Washingtonians of the Year”. "It's not easy to make hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians wake up a little less grumpy every morning, but that's what Frank Harden and Jackson Weaver do," wrote the editors. "...Anyone who has ever heard them knows that Harden and Weaver like people. They have reached out and encouraged us to smile more often, and to help those most in need of aid. Their concern has made Washington a better place to live.
Harden and Weaver used their celebrity to raise funds for community organizations, most notably the Children's National Medical Center, widely called Children's Hospital. Their listeners have donated multiple millions of dollars to the hospital's research and treatment center, by means of an on-going golf outing. In appreciation, the hospital named a wing in their honor.
Guests, regular callers, and self-identified listeners to the Harden and Weaver Show included President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, dozens of Congressmen, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas
William O. Douglas
William Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
, Army General Curtis LeMay
Curtis LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of American Independent Party candidate George Wallace in 1968....
, radio legend Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
, talk show host David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
, singer Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Ray Dean was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. Although he may be best known today as the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand, he became a national television personality starting in 1957, rising to fame for his 1961 country crossover hit "Big Bad...
, boxer Mohammed Ali, Washington Redskins' quarterback Sonny Jurgensen
Sonny Jurgensen
Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983....
and coach George Allen.
Media personality Willard Scott
Willard Scott
Willard Herman Scott, Jr. is an American media personality and author best known for his television work on NBC's The Today Show and as the creator of the Ronald McDonald character.-Early years:...
wrote of Harden and Weaver, “They are successful because they are themselves. They love what they do and have a good time doing it, and the audience shares in this fun. They are dedicated to public service and have been active in the community. The show is not the result of a consulting firm or out of central casting...They are real and honest with themselves and their audience. The audience senses that and responds.”
Later career
After Weaver’s death in 1992, Frank Harden continued the show, with co-hosts Tim Brant and Andy Parks. The Harden, Brant, and Parks Show ranked at or near the top of the ratings for five more years.Frank Harden has received the March of Dimes A.I.R. (Achievement in Radio) Lifetime Award and other honors. The Children's National Medical Center Golf Classic that he co-founded in 1971 remains an important fund-raiser: The 40th outing occurred in 2011.