Bob Elmore: Backyard Safari and Local History (Excerpt 19) by Bob Elmore (from his new book) posted March 8, 2010
BACKYARD SAFARI AND LOCAL HISTORY
This chapter was originally written for the Chattanooga Area Historical Association and published in volume 7 #1 of the Chattanooga Regional Historical Journal, 2004.
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Even though I made a living in advertising, I was totally unprepared for the impact and lasting power of Backyard Safari.
In the spring of 1971, I heard that the League of Women Voters TV Program was going off the air for the summer. that gave me an opening. I called Reeve Owen, General Manager of WTVC (Channel 9) and asked if the Convention and Visitors Bureau could have the time slot. He asked what we would do with it and I said, We will think of something.
Backyard Safari was born. the Andrew Sisters provided the theme singing, Happiness lies right under your eyes back in your own back yard.
the thirty minute Sunday afternoon program was the perfect vehicle for the Bureau. our budget was less than one percent of the current budget, so our strategy was to involve our citizens to help us sell Chattanooga. We didnt have a big budget, but we had the enthusiasm and knew we had television every Sunday afternoon.
It was amazing how little most citizens knew about our area. We decided to use Backyard Safari to enthuse Tri-State area residents about our scenery, history and natural attractions. our focus would be things to see and do within 50 miles of Chattanooga. our Public Relations man, Don Rainey, and I scrounged around for props and a set; chose an informal format (i.e. no ties or coats allowed) and wore hunting jackets with pith helmets in order to dramatize the safari theme. it was decided not to do a show without visuals: slides, films, etc to add interest.
after the first show with conservationist Lou Williams, people were complimentary but asked, what are you going to do after five or six weeks? No one thought there was enough to see and do here to sustain such a show. Backyard Safari was televised from 1971 until 1987 (with some gaps). We never ran out of ideas for programs. In fact when we lost the TV time slot, we had over seventy shows in our sights. Local history was one of our favorite topics. a 3M study had revealed that tourists were attracted by scenery, history and natural attractions and Chattanooga has an abundance of all three.
Dr Jim Livingood, Dr Gilbert Govan, Creed Bates, Joan Franks and others shared their knowledge about local history. Film, color slides, paintings, maps and the casual, informal discussion kept the program interesting. the audience knew the program wasnt rehearsed. it was painfully obvious, but that was part of the charm. the audience could relate to us; it was easy to see we were not professionals.
after Don Rainy moved, Don Wick served as co-host with me, then Geoff Owens and John Payne. Backyard Safari had hundreds of guests from every walk of life probably one third of our guests had never been on television before. our casual approach eased their pain. We featured many well-known people, too governors, senators, congresswomen, entertainers, preachers, etc. every program was different, with new people, new problems and new challenges.
the crew at Channel 9 and later Channel 12 took a special interest in Backyard Safari and helped to enhance, improve and improvise. some even donated their time to film on location; for example: one of the programs was filmed on a cold February day in the strip mines of Marion County. We were on all-terrain vehicles and despite the bitter cold, we had a great show. my wife, Bettye and daughters, Cindy and Candie and their buddy Beckie went and will never forget the experience. the people furnishing the all-terrain vehicles said they got more results from this show than all their other advertising.
Governor Winfield Dunn was late for his program. We started the show without him. when the Governor came in with his wife, we asked her to join us. my PR man gave her his seat and mike (we were already on the air). Don had prepared this show while I was in Washington. my shortcomings in preparation didnt hurt because Betty Dunn stole the show; she was charming.
Senator Bill Brock was on Backyard Safari with Chickamauga Park Superintendent Don Guiton. Congresswoman Marilyn Lloyd was on a couple of times. Lt. Governor Wilder shared his knowledge about state government. Governor Ray Blanton came in with a tie on. I removed it explaining we didnt allow ties. He never smiled; I dont think he liked it, but the audience did.
Governor (now Senator) Lamar Alexander and country music star Jerry Reed were on Backyard Safari while taping an outstanding white-water rafting public service announcement on the Ocoee River. the PSA was sensational and was televised for months state-wide.
Col. James Corn, who was largely responsible for establishing Red Clay Historic Park, gave me the pith helmet that he wore in India in the Army. that is why my hat didnt match the others.
when Bradley County Judge Nelom Jackson was our special guest, the monitor in the studio was terribly out of focus. the guests role was to look at the monitor and identify the visuals, but a blurred Dalmatian was described as a horse. at home the picture was clear; it was a dog, not a horse, so the Judge took a lot of kidding. Luckily he had a good sense of humor.
being next door to the nations first, largest and most visited National Military Park, provided a lot of interesting guests. Superintendents Don Guiton, Ann Belkov and Dan Brown, together with historian Ed Tinney, and several others appeared over the years. National Park Rangers put on another interesting show about our early history around Russell Cave. they demonstrated how to make arrowheads, spear points, etc.
the first time TVA Board Chairman Aubrey Red Wagner was on the show, his PR people feared an ambush. they called several times, asked a lot of questions and finally made a suggestion. they suggested that Red question ME. I told them that our viewers didnt care what I thought; they wanted to know what Red thought. He appeared, did a great job and came back later to share his photography on Watts Bar Lake. We also featured him in a show on the Great Lakes of the South. I had lunch with Red before we taped and let him suggest the restaurant. He said, Lets eat where that man with the dirty apron is. In the early days of TVA, Red was a land buyer for the construction of Chickamauga Dam and liked to eat at the Home Plate. Owner, Clarence Hudlow was the man with the dirty apron. We had a fine lunch at the Home Plate Restaurant.
Would you believe this? the largest caucus in the United States Senate started on Backyard Safari. Before taping Senator Jim Sassers show, I read in a trade magazine that Senator John Warner wanted to start a Tourism Caucus like the one in the House of Representatives. He said, “But I am the wrong party (with a Democratic majority). I told Senator Sasser about this and urged him to talk to Senator Warner so the two of them could organize the Tourism Caucus. they did and served as Co-chairmen for several years. the last I heard, the Senates Tourism Caucus had 70 senators as members.
Probably our best Christmas program was with Dr Ralph Mohney. He brought color slides of the stained glass windows at first Century Methodist Church. the history of the church and of Christianity was beautifully portrayed. Dr. Mohney made a dramatic presentation.
Backyard Safari highlighted history in various aspects archeology, music, art, religion, crafts, etc. Artist Ben Hamptons program on local artifacts was very interesting. Chester Martins paintings on Union Station and the little Tennessee were promoted on our show.
the Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered with artist George little to publish and promote many prints of local scenery and history. the first two, Fall Color Cruise IV and the Julia Belle Swain Steamboat were rushed into production. We needed them for gifts for travel writers we were entertaining in the fall of 1971. I didnt have time to get permission for the Board of Directors as this was not budgeted. the prints were displayed on Backyard Safari. after the show, George little appeared at Eastgate Shopping Center to sign prints. We received our total investment back (thank goodness) in less than two hours and continued to sell these prints for 15 years. this turned out to be a good investment. three of Littles original paintings were mounted on the wall at the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
this success led to other local prints by George little and other artists. George would go to travel shows to man Chattanoogas booth free and cover his expenses by painting local scenes (e.g. the Cincinnati Train Station). He published large Chattanooga posters depicting numerous attractions that were posted in airports nationwide and elsewhere. later he published a Tennessee poster.
We asked George little to paint the last Battle of the Revolution on Lookout Mountain. Dr Gilbert Govan, when he was 85 walked George and me all over the area around the Cravens House on Lookout Mountain. Dr Govan provided the history. mr. little provided the art. Congressman Lamar Baker helped and the National Park Service erected a marker. BINGO, we had a hook to tie in with the celebration of our nation’s 200th Birthday on Scenic Highway. (Later some people raised questions, saying that the battle was not with the British, but British-supplied Indians; also the Revolutionary War was over (Yorktown was nearly a year earlier.)
Sometimes we were a little sneaky; we would have a hidden agenda. for example, when I lunched with Lynn Seeber, TVAs General Manager, he mentioned coming through Chattanooga in his cruiser. His wife wanted to go shopping, but there wasnt a safe place to tie up his cruiser. Previously, I was Ralph Kelleys campaign manager when he ran for Mayor. We had a 10 plank platform. He accomplished the first nine in his first year as Mayor. the 10th plank was a Riverfront Park. Ralph didnt accomplish this. Hubert Fry and I tried to keep the idea alive with Public Recreation Commissioner Steve Conrad. Heres the hidden agenda. I told mr. Seebar on the air, that Commissioner Conrad was interested in a riverfront park and asked him if TVA would be willing to help. He said, Of course.
Monday morning Commissioner Conrad called to get Lynn Seebers phone number. Finally, Chattanooga got a river park at Ross Landing. No one could have envisioned the huge riverfront development continuing today. On the same program we showed mr. Seeber canoeing on the Hiwassee River. a few days later, officials from TVAs office of Power met with the recreation officials. this was the annual meeting where the recreation people begged the Office of Power people for more water for recreation. Im told the last man in (from Power) said something like, you can have all the water you want. the recreation people were flabbergasted until the Power representative added, I saw Backyard Safari yesterday with our boss on the Hiwassee.
later we helped get the TVA top brass and the outfitters together to promote the Ocoee River for white-water rafting, a major attraction for the Tri-state area. We also promoted Chattanooga as Nextdoor to Outdoors, with other programs on hang-gliding, wild caving, fishing, hunting , rock climbing, sky-diving, boating camping, etc. If it doesnt take an ocean, you can do it here, we said. Programs were televised on the Cherokee National forest, the Cohutta Wilderness, the Chattahoochee National Forest, Smokey Mountain National Park, state parks, etc.
We had a lot of surprises. one day I walked into the studio expecting to tape a program with two representatives of Mid-south Arts and Crafts Association. the studio was overflowing with artisans and crafters. Miscommunication. our TV crew just smiled and we were able to interview everyone and let them show their crafts. Jewell Coleman directed many of our shows and we had a fine crew that took a special interest in Backyard Safari.
Hubert Fry was full of surprises. when we were taping a program on fishing, he reaches down and pulls out a fish. the lively fish gave me a shower. Hubert was on the Game and Fish Commission and I was Chairman of the Tennessee Conservation Commission. He was a volunteer Chairman for the Convention and Visitors Bureau and I headed the staff. We were very different but worked together beautifully on a wide front. I was happy they named the Hubert Fry Fishing Park after one of Chattanoogas most colorful characters.
I worked 60-70 hours every week while serving as CEO of the Bureau because I enjoyed my work and loved to promote my home town. However, I didnt neglect my family as much as it seemed for two reasons: (1) I did a lot of work at home and (2) I took my wife and children to many of the activities and events. Since I always carried a 35MM camera, I photographed my girls in many places including the zoo, the rose garden, even on horseback and on all-terrain vehicles. many times these pictures would end up on TV. the girls (Candie and Cindy) were embarrassed. at Brainerd Junior High, they were asked if we had tigers and giraffes in our backyard.
the most Painful Safari was on horseback deep in the Cohutta Wilderness. my wife, Bettye and I walked those horses back, we were too sore to ride. I was sore for a month and havent been on a horse since.
Tourism was basically a summer business in the seventies. We used Backyard Safari to help proclaim Fall is best of all and promote projects like the Fall Color Cruise, Ketners mill Festival and Tennessee Valley Railroad Museums Autumn Leaf Special.
Area citizens rediscovered the Grand Canyon of the Tennessee River and the Beauty of fall foliage in the tri-state area. We had the state name Highway 41 along the river, Tennessees first Scenic Highway. the strategy worked. soon tourism, spread throughout the autumn- I still feel Fall is best of all.
at the Governors Conference on Tourism, the Mayor of a west Tennessee city said he watched Backyard Safari every Sunday. I asked how? We were on cable and didnt even know it. the CEO of six Flags over Georgia called and ask to do a program. His mother lived on the other side of Atlanta and was a Safari fan, (again on cable). I agreed to violate our 50 mile rule and do a six Flag Safari if they would introduce me to the news media in Atlanta. Chattanooga received some great coverage as a result (another hidden agenda).
Tennessees first Commissioner for Economic Development, Dr Pat Choate, led us on a Safari. later he took me on the Governors Lear Jet to Lake Placid. We both were speakers at the Discover America meeting. Dr. Choate authored several books.
after several years on TV, WDODs Earl Fredenburg and Ray Hobbs came to see me. they asked, Why isnt Backyard Safari on the radio? it sounded like a good idea, so Scenic Center Safari was born with a similar format. it was broadcast on WDOD-AM and FM for nearly 20 years. at first it was also broadcast on several other area stations, but distribution problems ended that. Terri Fredrick continued the program after I retired in 1990.
like its TV partner, Scenic Center Safari proved to be a useful tool to make friends and promote our areas virtues. for example, the Director of the U.S. Travel Service spoke at the Governors Conference on tourism. I complimented him and asked for an interview. He invited me to his room and we had a sparkling conversation and taped a great show. I had a file three inches thick corresponding with his agency trying to entice foreign journalists and/or tour operators to Chattanooga. I was getting the old bureaucratic run-a-round. soon after my interview with him, I got a call from Washington. they wanted to send 86 journalists from the United Kingdom. We hosted these journalists and a lot more through the years.
I have tapes of nearly every radio show but dont know what to do with them. I have very few tapes for Backyard Safari. both of these programs were vital tools in generating public support for tourism, educating citizens to the virtues of the Tri-state area and enlisting their aid to multiply the efforts of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. We welcomed all new Bureau members on the air, announced coming events and found numerous excuses to promote Lookout Mountain, Rock City, Ruby Falls, the Incline, Lake Winnepesaukah, the Chattanooga Choo Choo and many other attractions. However, we delighted in uncovering little known attractions such as 20 some-odd museums in this area. many worthwhile attractions had little or no advertising budgets.
Television and radio programs about surrounding cities and activities were good politics too. our neighbors appreciated our interest. for example, Crossville had a Bob Elmore Day they presented me with numerous gifts and even named me a 4-star General in the Crossville Police Department. Sweetwater gave me a Key to the City. the East Tennessee Tourist Council named me Man of the Year.
I thoroughly enjoyed hosting Backyard Safari and Scenic Center Safari and learned a lot about our entire area. WRCB (Channel 3) produced a somewhat similar public service show, with me as host. it was called, Discover Chattanooga. it was televised several summers. WTCI (Channel 45) televised this show and many episodes of Backyard Safari. Media support was vital to the success of a grossly under-funded Convention and Visitors Bureau. I will always be grateful for their support. believe it or not, more that 20 years after televising my last show, I continue to receive favorable comments almost every day about Backyard Safari. the greatest compliment came from WTVCs Reeve Owens widow, when she said, Safari was Reeves favorite program. I appreciated that because he was the one who made it possible.
it is too bad that I didnt keep notes, or a log, to record all the wonderful things that happened on Backyard Safari or because of the show. at 84, many memories are hiding in the back of my mind and are hard to pull out. I hope these gaps havent hurt anyones feelings. I would welcome the opportunity to share memories with former guests or anyone else.
(This is an excerpt from Bob Elmore’s new book, “A Funny thing Happened on my way to the National Cemetery.” the book is $10 in softback, $20 in hardback. Copies are available at the Bicentennial Library downtown, Wally’s (on McCallie), Senior Neighbors, the Racket Club and the Brainerd Trophy Shop. all proceeds, not just profits, go to the Chattanooga Area Historical Association. for more information, call 629-1366)
Bob Elmore: Backyard Safari And Local History (Excerpt 19)
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