My older sister, Angel Howell, graduated from Lanier in 1959. I graduated in 1965. By 1965, Teen Time was gone. But my memory of Teen Time was from Angel's connections.

While Angel was in high school (1956-1959), she went to Teen Time a few times with some of her friends. I believe people could make reservations for a grop on Teen Time, and you took your group when they could accommodate you. The groups were for birthday parties, or whatever. I was just the little brother who got to tag along with Angel and my mother. I was fascinated by seeing a real TV studio in operation.

Angel also "appeared" on Teen Time, too. She pantomimed (before it was called lip-syncing) songs by Teresa Brewer and Gale Storm (they were white girls who did covers of R&B songs). Angel started out doing that in 4-H Club talent shows in the 9th grade at Pike Road Jr. High School. I believe she did pantomime on Teen Time 2 or 3 times. Angel is 63 now, living in Titus. I will have to ask her more about Teen Time. Angel saw Elvis Presley the first time he came to Montgomery, in 1955, when she was 14, and he was the third-billed act on a country show starring Hank Snow.

Another person who pantomimed on Teen Time was Haynes Owens. He used to do Little Richard songs, and he really hammed it up. One time, he even did Marilyn Monroe, dressed up in a blonde wig and a slinky dress, and people thought that was unusual. He later went into ballet, worked in New York, and returned to Montgomery a few years ago, in retirement. He worked most recently with ballet students at the Armory Learning Arts Center. I don't know him, and he certainly wouldn't know me. He would be in his mid-60's, too, like Angel.

I believe Ed Brown was a local "radio star" when they started Teen Time. I believe, too, that he was a pretty good amateur golfer. I do not know how old he was then. I do remember one night they played a record called "Purple Stew" which was really bad, and Ed called for the guy in the booth to bring the record out. Ed broke the record into pieces, live, in front of the camera, and said they would never play it again.

My Dad was from the little town of Duquesne, PA located about nine miles southeast of Pittsburgh. In 1944, he enlisted for two years in the Air Force and was stationed at Maxwell AF Base in Montgomery. My mother (Tay) was working on base as a secretary. He was discharged in 1946 and moved to New York City to begin a career as a singer. He worked in several night clubs but returned to Montgomery in the Fall of that year when he learned that my mother's father had died. That same year he took a job as an announcer for WJJJ-AM.

His show originated from the Exchange Hotel on Court Square in downtown Montgomery. A large window allowed the public to watch and hear the show from the sidewalk. Ed always ended his show by saying, "I'd say goodbye, but goodbye is too final, so I'll just say so long!" His show was very popular not only because of Ed's sense of humor, but also because he had Cary Grant looks and a crooner's singing voice. We could never walk down the street without him being stopped repeatedly by people who wanted to shake his hand. I remember one story in particular from his radio days.

In 1947, the year before WJJJ became WCOV, Hank Williams (then 23 years old) came in and asked my father if he could perform a live one hour program on Saturday mornings. Hank started as a local talent having attended Lanier High School in Montgomery, but now he had a regional following. My dad said "Sure" to the idea and every Saturday Hank would arrive with guitar in hand and dad would pull up a stool and turn on a mic in the studio. Hank would then proceed to sing whatever he was in the mood to sing. However, my dad was more a Como/Sanatra fan so, when Hank would start to sing, he would cut off the sound from the studio into his booth and listen to Big Band music.

On one occasion, he heard a knock on the glass window and looked up only to see Hank standing there pointing to his watch because his hour was up. No, my dad was not a Country-Western fan but he and Hank did become friends. He would occasionally borrow a stage outfit from Hank on Halloween for costume parties. It was hard for anyone to believe that two years later Hank would make his first appearance on the Ryman stage in Nashville and even harder to believe he would be dead by the age of 29.

In 1953, the WCOV-TV studios were opened. My father built our home on Bankhead Avenue with the idea that he could "walk to work everyday" (which he did). He would have to put on knee-high rubber boots to make the journey because it involved walking through pastures and climbing over barbed-wire fencing to get from Bankhead to the studios. The station's format was open to any and all suggestions in those days. My father continued to host both radio and TV shows as-well-as announce for the Montgomery Rebels Baseball team. I think the games were broadcast over WCOV radio.

I remember the TV studio might broadcast anything from live wrestling (including midgets and women) to children's shows like 'Captain Zoomar' (my personal favorite). I even got to sit in the co-pilot's chair and give the opening line to start the show in front of a live audience. After the show, I was personally escorted by the Captain himself into the treasure room and allowed to pick out a prize to keep. I was overwhelmed with all the floor to ceiling shelving full of give-a-ways supplied by various sponsors, but I made my choice. It was a blue marble yoyo that I still have to this very day. My sisters and I gave several on-air performances by lip syncing to recorded songs. My older sister was even in a Clardy's Furniture commercial at the ripe old age of eight.

My dad's Top 40's show 'Teen Party', came on too late (10:00 pm) for me to watch on a regular basis but I do remember seeing a few of the shows in a darkened den with my mom. One time I watched as he came out from behind the podium and danced with a young lady. The crowd really seemed to love it! I recently learned he also hosted a children's TV show on Saturday mornings in the early 50's. I learned this in a somewhat remarkable way.

As director of an art center, I was talking with the founder of the Shenandoah Shakespeare Company when he asked me where I was from. I said, " Montgomery." He said, "Are you related to Ed Brown?" I said, "My father's name was Ed." He said, "Ed Brown born September 7th?". I said, "Yes, but how could you possibly know that?!" He said, "When I was seven years old, I went on your father's show as a 'Birthday Boy'. Upon hearing this, your father invited me out of the stands and on to the set. I remember I sat on his knee and he said 'Today is my birthday too!' I remember the cameras and lights and looking at the audience. I remember that I thought 'I like this!' From then on I was hooked on public performances and today I am the founder of a nationally recognized theatre company."

What a remarkable story about how lives are effected in ways we can never know. In 1955 he became the Press Secretary to Governor James 'Big Jim' Folsom, (1955-1959) but continued to host a Saturday morning radio show and the ever-popular 'Teen Party' on Saturday nights. In the early 1960's he left WCOV radio and TV to pursue a successful career in the insurance business. He died in his home surrounded by his family on December 3,1992 .