Arizona’s own ‘Wallace and Ladmo’ show turns 60
Apr 1, 2014, 5:00 AM | Updated: Apr 2, 2014, 1:12 pm
PHOENIX — Tuesday marks the 60th anniversary of the debut of the beloved, locally-produced program, “Wallace and Ladmo.”
The show had an astounding run, beginning on April 1, 1954, and ending over 35 years later on December 29, 1989.
“To this day, after all this time, there is no day that somebody doesn’t come up to me, wherever I may be, with a memory,” said long-time “Wallace and Ladmo” actor Pat McMahon. “The show was successful for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it was funny, really, really funny.”
The show was originally hosted by two characters named Wallace and Ladmo, played by Bill Thompson and Ladimir Kwiatkowski, respectively. After McMahon joined the cast, the three of them helped create several characters that became synonymous with the show, such as Gerald, Aunt Maud and Captain Super.
“It was a show that was like ‘Saturday Night Live’ for kids and their parents,” McMahon said.
