Joe Franklin Dead at 88

Radio Show Pioneer Joe Franklin died last night in Manhattan. Besides his popular TV Show called Memory Lane, Franklin had an open air movie theater at Feltman’s on Surf ave. in Coney Island during the 1950’s. He was crowned King Neptune of the Mermaid Parade (2nd year) in 1984. Coney Island USA Artistic Director Dick Zigun tweeted tonight:

 

We had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Franklin the day he visited the Coney Island History Project in August of 2007. Then again a couple of years ago at the Coney Island USA Mermaid Gala held at Webster Hall.

According to his webpage:

“The Joe Franklin Show ran on Television for 40 consecutive years! He’s even in The Guinness Book of World Records! There isn’t now and never will be another show quite like it. Its host Joe Franklin was, in many ways, the pioneer of the modern TV Talk Show Format.

Joe Franklin is one of Television and Radio’s most durable and beloved personalities ever. In addition, he is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on “Nostalgia.” Through the course of The Joe Franklin Show Joe interviewed an astonishing 300,000+ guests!

For a time, Joe employed Bette Midler and her accompanist Barry Manilow as his in-house singer. Woody Allen, Dustin Hoffman, Barbara Streisand, Bill Cosby, and Liza Minnelli are among the world’s great talents who got their first exposure on The Joe Franklin Show.

There was also a great uniqueness about the program. On any given night you might find a world renown artist sitting next to a balloon folder from New Jersey! Joe’s Franklin’s lovable and funny persona even prompted comedian Billy Crystal to imitate him on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” for four years.

In addition to his TV Talk Show, Joe appeared regularly with Conan O’Brien. He’s also seen on “The David Letterman Show,” “Live With Regis And Kathy Lee,” and has been mentioned several times on the hit cartoon series “The Simpsons.”

Joe played himself in the films “Manhattan,” “Ghostbusters,” “Twenty Ninth Street,” “Broadway Danny Rose,” and has been featured in The New York Times, Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and The Village Voice. He was recently honored by The Museum Of Television and Radio and can currently be heard Saturday nights broadcasting on WOR’s “Memory Lane” (710AM in NYC, 12 midnight). Joe can also be heard daily on Bloomberg Radio’s “Lifestyles” segment.”