Ladimir Kwiatkowski
Encyclopedia
The Wallace and Ladmo Show
The Wallace and Ladmo Show, also known as It's Wallace? and Wallace & Company, was a children's television show produced by and aired on KPHO-TV in Phoenix, Arizona.-History:...
, a daily children's variety show broadcast on KPHO
KPHO-TV
KPHO-TV, channel 5, is a CBS-affiliate television station located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. KPHO-TV is owned by the Meredith Corporation, and has its studios located on Black Canyon Highway in the Alhambra Village section of Phoenix, with its transmitter located on South Mountain in Phoenix...
in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. The program featured clowns, cartoons and short comedy skits.
Kwiatkowski was born in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, to Walter and Florence Kwiatkowski. His father was a Cleveland police detective. In 1949 Kwiatkowski decided to attend Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
. He wanted to be a sports broadcaster. He played baseball with the ASU team and was considered by scouts from the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
.
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Ladimir Kwiatkowski graduated from high school in 1947. He had a baseball scholarship to attend Bowling Green University. At the time, he didn’t know whether he wanted to go to college or get a car. He decided on the car. He chose to work and earn the money. But he recognized the importance of a college education. So in 1949 he decided to go to Arizona to Arizona State University (ASU). He wanted to be a sports broadcaster. The baseball weather was good in Arizona. He played with the ASU team and was being eyed by scouts from the Cleveland Indians.
While at ASU, he met and married his wife Patsy Lou. Lad would graduate from ASU with a degree in journalism. He still needed to gain weight to play professional baseball. He decided to try and get a job in television. “If I get a job in television, I’m going to stay. If I can’t get a job in TV, I’m going to take the baseball offer.”
The day after his graduation, he went to Channel 5 to look around. He met with the general manager, Dick Rawls (the future inspiration for Mr. Grudgemeyer) and they hit it off. One hour after returning home, Lad received a call to start work the next day.
While working as a cameraman for KPHO in 1955, he became involved with the It's Wallace? program, developing both his Ladmo character as well as his trademark "Ladmo Bags." He went on to become one of the core cast members of the subsequent permutations of the show, later renamed The Wallace & Ladmo Show. The show's final taping was on December 29, 1989, after 36 years, becoming the longest-running daily children's television show. By that time the show had won many awards, including nine Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s.
Ladmo’s Legend lives strong in the Maricopa County Jails. A “Ladmo”, with the word “bag” now superfluous, is the lunch bag of expired and donated food. A highly coveted item central to gambling, extortion and the currency of inmate commerce.
Kwiatkowski was married to Patsy Killough on March 31, 1951, and they had five children. Kwiatkowski died of lung cancer in Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
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