Talent: JOHN SPRAGGE
Station: CHUM Toronto
Date: February 21, 1962
Time: 26:52

John Spragge always sounded like he was talking one-on-one with his listeners. On this aircheck, he literally does that with a segment called "Open Line."

Best known as a jock, Spragge displays his skills as a talk show host in this brief segment. He takes calls from female listeners then - surprise - Jose Jimenez shows up. Jimenez - whose real name was Bill Dana - gained fame in the '50s and '60s with his impression of a dim-witten Hispanic person. The character occupied several occupations, the most famous of which was an astronaut which even spawned a hit record. Dana retired the character in 1970 ater complaints from Hispanic groups. He died in 2017 at the age of 92.

Also heard on this aircheck are long-time CHUM newsman Peter Dickens and there's also a report from Stan Rantin, who would later teach broadcasting at Ryerson (now known as Toronto Metropolitan University).

Enjoy John Spragge with Jose Jimenez (Bill Dana) on CHUM here.