The Prospect Studios (also known as ABC Television Center [West]) is a lot containing several television studios located at 4151 Prospect Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, at the corner of Prospect and Talmadge Avenues (named in honor of silent screen star Norma Talmadge), just east of Hollywood. For over fifty years, this facility served as the West Coast headquarters of the American Broadcasting Company, before the network moved its main headquarters to the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. From 1949 to 1999, the ABC-owned Los Angeles television station, KABC-TV, was also located there. The station moved to a new state-of-the-art facility located on a portion of Disney's Grand Central Creative Campus (GC3) in nearby Glendale, California in December 1999.

History[link]

Opening in 1915 as The Vitagraph Studio, the original silent film plant included two daylight film stages, support buildings and many exterior film sets. In 1925, Vitagraph's founder Albert Smith sold the company to the Warner brothers. In 1927, the facility became The Warner East Hollywood Annex and was used for many large-scale films. Here, in 1927, Warner Bros. shot portions of the historical first sound film, The Jazz Singer, using the Vitaphone process which synchronized audio and picture. The "interior" club scenes for the film were shot in Stage 5, still located today in the center of the Studio Lot. In the 1930s and '40s, Warner Bros. continued to shoot on the Lot using large water tanks, ship and backlot sets.

In 1948, the property was sold to the newly formed American Broadcasting Company, and the film lot was transitioned into the new world of television as the ABC Television Center. Then, ABC proceeded to place their new Los Angeles television station, KECA-TV (now KABC-TV) in the newly purchased lot, a year later. Construction on the studio lot to bring it to its more familiar current form took place in 1957. ABC still uses the Prospect facility as a network retransmission center for its programming. Many great and memorable television shows, including those produced for ABC, other networks or syndication, have been produced in the studios. American Bandstand started recording there in 1964 (moving from Philadelphia). ABC's longest running program, General Hospital, now in its 49th year on the air, has been taped at this location since the mid-1980s after relocating from the Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. Many other classic television shows were also produced there including The Lawrence Welk Show, Barney Miller, Fridays, Mr. Belvedere, Welcome Back, Kotter, Benson, and Soap. Barney Miller, Benson, and Soap were also shot at Sunset Gower Studios.

Four of the most well-known game shows in television history were recorded at ABC Television Center: Family Feud (1976–85, hosted by Richard Dawson), Let's Make a Deal (1968–76, hosted by Monty Hall), The Dating Game (1965–74, hosted by Jim Lange), and The Newlywed Game (1966–74, hosted by Bob Eubanks). Other game shows taped there included Hollywood Squares (the mid-80s edition hosted by John Davidson), Password (game show) and Password All-Stars (1971–75, both hosted by Allen Ludden).

Davidson, along with Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton and Cathy Lee Crosby co-hosted That's Incredible!, an ABC show that ran from 1980–84, and considered one of the first true shows of the reality TV genre. ABC's long-running show, America's Funniest Home Videos, taped here from 1990-93.

The Los Angeles Bureau of ABC News was also located at The Prospect Studios until it was moved to the KABC-TV studios in Glendale in 2011. The facility also served as broadcast headquarters for ABC's coverage of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.

In 1996, ABC became part of The Walt Disney Company, the origins of which trace back to its first studio in Silver Lake. As the television and film industry entered the next millennium, the Lot was renamed The Prospect Studios. In 2002, the property underwent a major renovation to position its facilities for the future and new technical innovation.

Current shows besides General Hospital produced here include ABC's Thursday night program, Grey's Anatomy.

Shows produced here[link]

• 1984 Summer Olympic Games
• ABC World News Tonight (periodically anchored out of Los Angeles; segments also produced here)
• All-Star Blitz (1985)
• American Bandstand (1963-1989)
• America's Funniest Home Videos (1990–1993, 1996-1997)
• America's Funniest People (1990–1992)
• Animal Crack-Ups (1987–90)
• American Journal (1993-94)
• AM Los Angeles (shown locally on KABC-TV)
• Barney Miller
• Benson
• The Better Sex
• Break the Bank (1976 on ABC Daytime; 1976–77, syndicated nighttime version)
• Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak (1986)
• The Dating Game (1965–73)
• The Dick Cavett Show
• Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (musical performances)
• Diff'rent Strokes (final season, 1985–86)
• The Dolly Parton Show
• Double Talk (1986)
• The Ernie Kovacs Show
• Eyewitness News (KABC-TV edition)
• Family Feud (1977–1985)
• Fridays
• General Hospital
• Grey's Anatomy
• Hail to the Chief
• Hollywood Squares (1987)
• Hot Seat
• It's Garry Shandling's Show (first two seasons)
• The Krypton Factor (1981 US Version)
• Let's Make a Deal (1968–76 seasons)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (some seasons; others were at the Hollywood Palladium)^[1]
• Live with Regis & Kelly (a week of shows in Los Angeles, March 2007)
• Love Connection (1983–87)
• Married... with Children (1987-88 episodes only)
• Match Game (1990–1991)
• Mr. Belvedere (1985–1990)
• The Newlywed Game (1966–74)^[2]
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (periodic West Coast shows)
• Password (1971–75)
• Port Charles
• Rhyme and Reason
• The Shield
• Soap
• Soap Talk
• The Sonny and Cher Show (1976–1977)
• Space Patrol (1950–1955)
• Split Second (1972-75)
• That's Incredible!
• That's My Mama
• Trivia Trap
• The View (periodic West Coast shows)
• Welcome Back, Kotter
• What's Happening!!
• Who's The Boss?
• You Asked for It

References[link]

• ABC.com
• ABC Television Center at the Internet Movie Database
• The Prospect Studios

Notes[link]

Coordinates: 34°06′08″N 118°16′58″W / 34.10222°N 118.28278°W / 34.10222; -118.28278

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Ernest "Ernie" Earle Anderson (November 12, 1923 – February 6, 1997) was an American disc jockey, and television and radio announcer/voiceover artist. He is best known for his portrayal of Ghoulardi, a host of a late night horror movie presentation, and for his longtime role as the main voice of the American Broadcasting Company.

Early life and career[link]

Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Anderson planned to go to law school but was instead drafted into World War II. After the war, Anderson became a disc jockey at WSKI in Montpelier, VT.^[1] Anderson worked as a disc jockey in Albany, NY and Providence, RI before moving to Cleveland^[2] to join WHK. After WHK switched to a Top 40 format in late 1958, Anderson was let go as his persona didn't fit with the format's newer, high-energy presentation. From there, he went to NBC affiliate KYW-TV (now WKYC), where he first collaborated with Tim Conway for some on-air work.

Both Anderson and Conway moved to then-CBS affiliate WJW-TV to host a local morning movie show called Ernie's Place, which also featured live skits and comedy bits reminiscent of then-popular comics Bob and Ray. When the two joined the station, Anderson sold Conway to WJW's management team as a director for the program, even though Conway never held any qualifications or had experience for that position. Unable to do the work, other staffers were called in to assist - including technician Chuck Schodowski - before Conway was ultimately dismissed. With Anderson deprived of his comic foil, Ernie's Place was canceled, but management soon offered him a horror host role for a local incarnation of Shock Theater that WJW acquired the rights to air late-nights on Fridays.

From 1963 to 1966, Anderson presented the program under the alter ego of Ghoulardi, a hipster that defied the common perception of a horror host. While this version of Shock Theater also featured grade "B" science fiction and horror movies, Ghoulardi openly mocked and berated said films, and spoke in an accent-laden beatnik slang. Often, comedic sound effects or music would be inserted in place of the movie's audio track. Occasionally, Ghoulardi would even insert himself into a film and appear to run from the monster, using a chroma key system that WJW normally utilized for art cards. He loved firecrackers (which at the time were against the law in Ohio) and started by blowing up apples and leftovers and graduated to blowing up model cars, statues and items sent in by viewers.

One remnant of Ernie's Place was also revived: the live comedy sketches and skits, only with Chuck Schowdoski assuming Conway's role as Anderson's primary sidekick. On occasion, Conway - by this point assuming the stage name Tim Conway - would make cameo appearances on the program and serve as a writer, but had also become a star on ABC's McHale's Navy.

Anderson's "Ghoulardi" persona often lampooned 'unhip' targets, the most famous having been Dorothy Fuldheim. The first woman to anchor a TV news show in America, and a life-long staffer for the city's ABC affiliate, WEWS, Fuldheim openly expressed a dislike for Anderson, feeling that the youth of Ohio were under attack with his pot jokes and childish antics, which she found distasteful. Ghoulardi responded by mocking her every week, usually referring to her as "Dorothy Baby." Their mutual on-air jibes created what viewers considered a battle of 'the beatnik and the empress of Ohio news.'

A weekly series of vignettes also debuted that parodied both the popular soap opera Peyton Place and also another 'unhip' target of Ghoulardi's, the bedroom suburb of Parma. Parma Place became an instant hit among the viewers, but its heavy usage of ethnic jokes and asides toward Parma eventually caused that city's elected officials to complain to WJW management. While the station acquiesced and ordered the cancellation of Parma Place, the publicity from that incident and the Fuldheim feud put the Ghoulardi character at the peak of his popularity.

By 1965, Anderson not only hosted Shock Theater but also the Saturday afternoon Masterpiece Theater and the weekday children's program Laurel, Ghoulardi and Hardy, all of which were ratings successes. Anderson also created the "Ghoulardi All-Stars" sports teams, which would often attract thousands of fans to as many as 100 charity contests a year. With some help from Conway, Anderson even went to Hollywood to shoot a TV pilot, and featured the audition and films of his trip on his show, highly unusual for local TV in 1966.

However, the promises of becoming an actor in Los Angeles, California, as well as some strains of fatigue on Anderson's part, led up to his decision to leave Cleveland permanently that summer. Shock Theater ended in October 1966, and the Ghoulardi name was retired. WJW tapped both Schodowski and meteorologist Bob Wells (aka "Hoolihan the Weatherman") to co-host the successive program, Hoolihan and Big Chuck.

After moving to Los Angeles, Anderson first appeared on the first two episodes of Rango, a short-lived comedy that starred Conway. Anderson and Conway soon collaborated on a comedy act, appearing together on ABC's Hollywood Palace and later released two comedy albums together.^[3] Beginning in 1974, Anderson replaced Lyle Waggoner as announcer for The Carol Burnett Show, on which his old performing partner Conway became a regular starting the following year.

Career at the American Broadcasting Company[link]

After finding limited success in front of the camera, Anderson moved behind the microphone when Fred Silverman made Anderson the voice of the American Broadcasting Company. Anderson's voice is likely best remembered for his newscast introductions for various ABC stations across the country: "Eyewitness News...starts...NOW!" (WEWS would be one of these affiliates, utilizing Anderson's voice throughout the 1980s.) Anderson's signature was putting emphasis on a particular word. One example was his enunciation of "Love" in "The Love Boat." Another would be "The Man... The Machine... Street Hawk!" from the 1985 motorcycle action series. His voice was also heard in the ABC bumpers as he was saying "This is... ABC!" Anderson was also the announcer of America's Funniest Home Videos from 1989 to 1995 and did the voice over for the previews of new episodes during the first three seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation until he was replaced by Don LaFontaine.

Anderson told the San Francisco Chronicle that his goal as an announcer was to "try to create a mood. I have to concentrate on each word, on each syllable. I have to bring something special to every sentence I say. If I don't do that, they might as well just get some announcer out of the booth to read it. I want people to hear me talk about a show and then to say, 'Hey, this is going to be great. I want to watch this.'"^[4]

Death[link]

Anderson died of cancer in Los Angeles on February 6, 1997.^[5] His son, director Paul Thomas Anderson, dedicated his 1997 film Boogie Nights to his memory. In addition, The Drew Carey Show episode "See Drew Run" was dedicated to his memory. His death was also mentioned on an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos that same year.

In the movie Magnolia, much of the material regarding Jason Robards' character was based on Paul Thomas Anderson's experiences while watching his father die of cancer.

More than a decade after his death, radio stations can still license Anderson's voice for promotions.^[6] By paying a licensing fee, stations including New York City's WHTZ use Anderson's voice for positioning statements such as, "If it's too loud, you're too old" and "Lock it in and rip the knob off!"^[7]

Personal life[link]

Despite being a daily presence on American television, Anderson lived in relative anonymity in Southern California. "But that's all right," he said. "If I'm out in public and I feel like being recognized, I just raise my voice and say... 'The Love Boat.'"^[8]

Ernie did the voice over for the very first PowerPuff Girls episode entitled 'Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins' for the WanerBros/Hanna Barbera Cartoon Network in 1995. He reprised the role for 'Crime 101', the second PowerPuff Girls episode produced, the next year. Tom Kenny was his replacement once the actual series started production two years later.

He had nine children in total. Five children with his first wife, Marguerite Hemmer Anderson. He ended his "Ghoulardi" show, divorced his first wife and left Cleveland; three of their children relocated to live with him in Studio City, California, the other two, the youngest of the five, stayed behind in Rhode Island with their mother.

He married Edwina Gough soon after she arrived in California, a few weeks after Ernie. They had four children, one of whom was director Paul Thomas Anderson.

Ghoulardi Music[link]

• Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow - Rivingtons
• Desert Rat - Duane Eddy
• Surfin' Bird - Trashmen
• Space Rock Pt.1 & 2 - Baskerville Hounds
• Green Onions - Booker T. and the MG's
• Sweet Georgia Brown - Brother Bones and His Shadows
• Blues Theme - Davie Allan
• Time Bomb - Johnny and the Hurricanes
• Wiggle Wobble - Les Cooper and the Soul Rockers
• Rumble - Link Wray
• Wham! - Lonnie Mack
• Whittier Blvd. - Midnighters
• Dartell Stomp - Mustangs
• Incoherent Blues - Oscar Peterson
• Mumbles - Oscar Peterson
• Birth of the Beat - Sandy Nelson
• Peanuts - Sunny and the Sunglows
• Night Owl Blues - Lovin' Spoonful
• Stronger Than Dirt - Tom King and the Starfighters
• Buzz Saw - The Turtles
• Peachfuzz - The Ventures

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Feran, Tom; Heldenfels, Rich (1999) Ghoulardi: Inside Cleveland TV's Wildest Ride. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-886228-18-4
• Schodowski, Chuck (2008). Big Chuck: My Favorite Stories from 47 Years on Cleveland TV. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59851-052-2

External links[link]

• Official site
• Ernie Anderson at the Internet Movie Database
• Cleveland festival honoring Late Night TV hosts and Cleveland celebrities
• Wiki Tree