Santa Barbara, CA ![]() Created April 15, 2001 Updated 7/17/09 See more Barron links here |
[Page hosted by www.bemorehealthy.com ] New "Cindy, Oh Cindy" .wav file 7/20/01 |
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When I discovered
that my good friend Bob Barron had passed away in the year 2000, I was
moved to look back through scrapbooks and tapes for some of the mementos
of a much earlier time, when Bob was already in the radio business and
doing some acting, and I was just finishing high school.
He gave Bob Jones and me, two seniors from South Charleston (WV) High School, an opportunity to collaborate with him on a two-hour Saturday morning radio program, the "Bop Shop." This program aired for a couple of years on radio station WGKV-AM (later WHMS) in Charleston, WV. It was one of those rare opportunities to grow up a little, to take on some real responsibilities and to have useful stuff to do. This came at a time of life when dumb choices sometimes get made during too much spare time. We corresponded all too seldom after Bob Barron moved to Hollywood, and my own move more recently to Santa Barbara reminded me that we should get together. Alas, no way. I am finally back in touch with Robert C. Jones (yes, he is still in television work in Florida). I was able to let him know that Bob Barron's works are now his complete works; we three had great fun together. Thanks for allowing me the honor of contributing to this memorial, and thanks, Bob Barron, for believing in a couple of kids. Those were good times for Bob, Bob and Bob... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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In July,
2009, I received the following note from Edward Morris. Thanks!
I thought you might want
to know a little more about Bob Barron, whom I met in the fall of 1954
when we were both freshmen at Morris Harvey College in Charleston (now
the University of Charleston). He and I became friends when
we went through Hell Week together as pledges to Kappa Sigma Kappa fraternity.
Always the actor, Bob enlivened one night of Hell Week with his portrayal
of Richard III on the steps of what is now the Kanawha County Public Library
(I forget what it was at the time). When I became editor of the college
paper, The Comet, my sophomore year, I gave Bob a weekly column, which
he named The Barron Waste. He wrote some truly funny stuff.
I think it was during his second year at Morris Harvey that he spent some
time in New York and California looking for acting jobs. That's when
I first discovered his genius as a correspondent. His flawlessly
penned, spelled and punctuated letters were always causes for celebration.
He once decided that he and I should write some freelance articles together.
So for several days I went over to his house on the West Side (I think
he lived on Wyoming Avenue), where we wrote little but listened a lot to
Julie London sing "Cry Me A River." He, I and the rest of the fraternity
brothers drank excessively, each fantasizing that he was a Hemingway in
embryo. Our favorite establishment was The Barn, which was a few
blocks from Morris Harvey on MacCorkle Avenue toward the South Side Bridge.
I recall that several of us once visited Hugh McPherson when he was on
the air to talk to him not about jazz but flying saucers.
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Click on the thumbnails for larger pictures (the downloads may be pretty lengthy unless you're on DSL or cable). |
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Sol Padlibsky article on Bob Barron, Part 1 |
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This is a picture, probably earlier than 1959, at another Charleston, WV radio station, WKNA-AM. Wow - a dress code? We never wore white shirt and tie at WGKV / WHMS! |
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Here's a Hollywood promotional shot, probably late 50's. |
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A Kanawha Players (Charleston, WV) playbill for "Visit to a Small Planet" with Bob in the starring role. My high-school girl-friend and I attended. |
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A letter excerpt from 1990 when Bob and I re-connected after a long silence. My daughter had moved to Los Angeles, and she was interested in seeing how film production works. |
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A
two-page letter from 1990, in which Bob is reacting to an audio tape I
sent him of some "poetry" recorded in 1960 or so, and is sending me a video
tape with excerpts of his work.
Karen is my older daughter, and unfortunately, as schedules slip in real life, she never had the chance to see Bob at work. |
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And here's the index of the video tape. Maybe we can get some video clips posted one of these days. There's some classic stuff in here! |
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Bob wrote
the song "Cindy, Oh Cindy" with Bert Long in 1956 ("...Cindy don't let
me down; write me a letter soon, and I'll be homeward bound..."). It became
a top-10 hit in 1956 for Eddie Fisher and also for Vince Martin with the
Tarriers.
Listen to the Eddie Fisher version here. Note, it's almost 400K, so be patient. |
![]() Rest in Peace, Bob |