Aug. 1, 1952:
TIMES-SHAMROCK ARCHIVES Mel Blanc, known worldwide as the voice of Bugs Bunny, entertains the crowd at Capitol Records’ 10th anniversary celebratory luncheon on Aug. 1, 1952, at the Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
The City of Scranton and the Scranton Chamber of Commerce hosted a day-long celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of one of the city’s bigger employers, Capitol Records.
Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva and Glenn Walichs started the record company in 1942, focusing on young entertainers, and found their first hit record with Ella Mae Morse’s “Cow Cow Boogie.”
As the company grew thanks to artists such as Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee and Margaret Whiting, it needed some help with shellac supplies and reached out to the Scranton Record Co. Capitol Records went on to buy Scranton Records for $2 million in 1946. In 1952, more than 700 people worked at the Scranton facility.
For the anniversary celebration, the plant on Brook Street in South Scranton hosted an open house for the community starting at 10a.m. Each visitor received two souvenir recordings, “Cow Cow Boogie” and the 1952 hit “Wheel of Fortune” by Kay Starr. Plant officials reported that some 15,000 people visited the facility.
At noon, 250 guests attended a luncheon and reception at the Chamber of Commerce building. Capitol Records officials attending included President Glenn Wallichs, General Counsel Dan Bromlight, Scranton Plant Manager MacVal Hardy, Vice President and Promotions Manager Hal Cook, Vice President of Merchandising Floyd Dunn and New York Sales Manager Al Levine.
All great celebratory luncheons need outstanding entertainment, and this party hit the mark. World-renowned voice actor Mel Blanc entertained the guests with many of his famous impressions and characters. Blanc also was a Capitol Records artist.
During the festivities, telegrams from those unable to attend were read. Yogi Yorgensen – a Swedish dialect comedy singer character portrayed by comedian Harry Stewart, who also was signed to Capitol Records – expressed regret about missing the luncheon but said he would attend the nighttime reception.
That event took place at the Scranton Club and was for employees of the Scranton plant, Capitol Records executives and local government officials. Wallichs presented 106 plant employees with 10-year service awards. It was noted that, in other parts of the record company, only five people had been employed for 10 years, including Wallichs.
Days later, on Aug. 9, the employees of Capitol Records’ Scranton plant held another celebratory event: their annual clambake at Phillips Manor in Cortez.
From Hollywood to Scranton and the World
The old Capitol Records slogan “From Hollywood to Scranton to the World” is played out in a short film starring Mel Blanc that depicts how a record gets to the record store. The portion dealing with Capitol Records’ Scranton plant starts at 18:54.
Brian Fulton has been the librarian at The Times-Tribune for the past 15 years. On his blog, Historically Hip, he writes about the great concerts, plays/musicals and celebrity happenings that have taken place throughout NEPA. He is also the co-host of the local history podcast, Historically Hip. He competed and was crowned grand champion on an episode of NPR quiz show “Ask Me Another.” Contact: bfulton@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9140; or @TTPagesPast
