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The nationally famous Hoot Owls, officially known as "The Order of Hoot Owls Roosting in the Oregonian Tower" aired from 1923 to 1933 as a 1-1/2 hour variety show that was broadcast to over one million listeners. After airing on Mondays in the early years, it became a Friday night favorite. Their slogan soon became "Keep Growing Wiser," whose initial letters represented the KGW call letters. The only other show that rivaled the Hoot Owls in popularity was Amos & Andy which first aired in Portland in 1928 on KFEC, which had studios on the fifth floor of Meier & Frank.

 

 

 

 

Early Hoot Owl Degree Team

 

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One of the performers on the Hoot Owls program, Mel Blanc, achieved fame as the author of cartoon characterization in later years in Hollywood where he became the nation’s voice for cartoon characters such as Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. Blanc, who received his high school education in Portland, joined the program in 1927. Nicknamed "The Grand Snicker" on the Hoot Owls, Blanc became well known for his comedy, as well as his skills as a storyteller, ad-libber, musician, vocalist, and, later, orchestra pit conductor.

Mel Blanc left KGW in 1932 and moved to Hollywood where success eluded him. In 1933,  Blanc returned to Portland to perform on KGW’s sister station KEX in the popular "Cobwebs and Nuts" program. In 1935, Blanc moved to Hollywood again to Warner Brothers’ station KFWB. Blanc did the voices for his first Warner Brothers cartoon in 1937, "Picador Porky." While working on animated cartoons at Warner Brothers studios in Southern California, he became known as the "man of a thousand voices."

During his early years in Portland radio, Blanc laid the foundation for many of his later cartoon voices and comedy routines.

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Mel Blanc in 1933 from a promotional shot used for his Cobwebs & Nuts program on KEX.

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Hoot Owl Degree Team from 1928 - 1929

 

The Midnight Ode signaled the end of the program for the night.

The Hoot Owls made their final broadcast in 1933.

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Last updated 10-24-16

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