Performer interviews with Connie B | Grand Ole Opry (12-31-50)

Summary

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Old Time Radio Westerns – Performer Interviews with Connie B | Grand Ole Opry (12-31-50)

Podcast: Old Time Radio Westerns
Host: Andrew Rhynes
Episode Date: September 25, 2025
Highlighted Segment: Performer interviews with Connie B. Gay, featuring Grand Ole Opry stars
Original Broadcast: December 31, 1950

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Episode Overview

This special episode dives into the excitement of a Grand Ole Opry road show performance in Washington, D.C., at the close of 1950. Preserved from an original broadcast, it features legendary voices of country and western radio being interviewed live from the National Airport by Connie B. Gay, with special appearances by Minnie Pearl, Cully Holt of the Jordanaires, Rod Brasfield, and Red Foley. The focus is on backstage banter, performer camaraderie, and enthusiastic anticipation for the night’s giant concert at the National Guard Armory. The conversation is rich with personality, humor, and a palpable sense of community typical of the era’s radio variety shows.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Welcoming the Opry Stars to D.C.

[01:00 – 01:30]

• Donald Tucker sets the scene, announcing the special nature of this final show for 1950 and handing over hosting duties to Connie B. Gay.

2. Minnie Pearl’s Signature Humor

[01:40 – 03:37]

• Minnie Pearl brings her trademark warmth and humor as she banters with Connie B. Gay about the flight from Nashville.
  • Discusses a fellow passenger:

    "There was one nice looking feller sat down by me and looked over at me and smiled." – Minnie Pearl, 02:01

  • Jokes about her attire and prospects for meeting someone at the show.
  • Chimes in on the excitement:

    "We's talking about it all the way up. Every one of us hollering and screaming and yelling about." – Minnie Pearl, 02:34

  • Expresses affection for Washington audiences:

    "We'd rather play Washington in almost any place in the world." – Minnie Pearl, 02:43

3. Details About the Concert Venue

[03:00 – 03:23]

• Connie B. Gay shares practical information for concert-goers:

  • "We've got 5,000 tickets that we've set aside for sale at the door tonight... [The] Armory is a powerful big place." – Connie B. Gay, 03:01

  • Discusses the vast "two acres of unobstructed floor space" for the event.

4. The Performer Roll Call

- Cully Holt (of the Jordanaires)

[03:38 – 04:53]

• Connie is introduced to Cully Holt:
  • Confirms the Jordanaires’ versatility:

    "We do most anything the occasion calls for. Anything from Ragmop. Right on." – Cully Holt, 04:15

• Their focus on spirituals, but readiness for all types of music.

- Rod Brasfield’s Comic Relief

[04:53 – 06:09]

• Light-hearted talk about the cold and travel woes:

  "It's plum cold outside. In fact, it's been so cold in Hornwall last week, the old hinge is laying from a standing position." – Donald Tucker (as Rod Brasfield), 05:21

• Shares about being well-treated and fed, and anticipates the show.

- Red Foley’s Professionalism

[06:09 – 09:22]

• Praised by Connie B. Gay for his contribution to American folk music.
• Recalls fond memories of previous Washington performances.
• Previews an extensive, no-intermission concert:

  "Everything that we've ever done the last five or six years... we plan on throwing it at them over there tonight." – Red Foley, 06:40

• Promises to perform "Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy" as per Connie's request.
• Repeats event details to encourage listeners to attend:

  "That's tonight from 9 until 2 in the National Guard Armory in Washington, D.C... The price is $3 plus tax. Wonderful. That’s the best price I know of in the nation." – Red Foley, 08:59

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Minnie Pearl (about men on the plane):

  "Well, he finally laughed out loud, so it didn’t mean much. Not a whole lot, I'd say." (02:08)

• Connie B. Gay (on venue space):

  "We got two acres of unobstructed floor space over there tonight." (03:14)

• Rod Brasfield’s Weather Humor:

  "It's plum cold outside. In fact, it's been so cold in Hornwall last week, the old hinge is laying from a standing position." (05:21)

• Red Foley (on performing the hits):

  "Everything that we've ever done the last five or six years... we plan on throwing it at them over there tonight." (06:40)

• Red Foley (plugging the concert):

  "Show and dance and celebration. No intermissions. Is that wonderful? Complete from nine till two." (08:45)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:00 — Donald Tucker opens, sets context for the episode
• 01:40 — Minnie Pearl’s entrance, comic anecdotes, and pre-show excitement
• 03:00 — Info about show seating and the size of the Armory
• 03:38 — Cully Holt introduces the Jordanaires and their music styles
• 04:53 — Rod Brasfield brings humor and stories of traveling
• 06:09 — Red Foley discusses the show, memories, and setlist
• 08:45 — Red Foley shares final event logistics and encourages attendance

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Episode Tone and Atmosphere

The language is playful, affectionate, and colloquial—smattered with good-natured teasing, rural metaphors, and lively anticipation. The cultures of country and radio variety are on full display, capturing both the community spirit of these road shows and the humor that endeared these performers to generations.

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Conclusion

This episode is a delightful window into the camaraderie, humor, and showmanship of Grand Ole Opry stars on the eve of a major D.C. performance at the close of 1950. Listeners get a sense of backstage dynamics, pre-show jitters, and the distinct voices that made country radio a cornerstone of American entertainment. The vivid personality exchanges and direct invitations pull the audience not just into a broadcast, but into a living event full of anticipation and genuine warmth.

Transcript

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[Donald Tucker]

Good afternoon, everybody. This is Donald Tucker speaking to you from the National Airport in Washington. This is our final show for 1950. So we have something just a little bit special for you this afternoon. Have some guests with us this afternoon, folks whose voices are very familiar to you. Ones that you've heard and learned to really enjoy in the past few years. Oh, quite a number of years to be exact. And I'm going to ask Connie V. Gay to take over right here and introduce everybody and have a talk with him.

[Connie B. Gay]

Thank you, Donald. And I'm going to be very brief in mind. I'm going to call this young chicken over here and say howdy too. Howdy.

[Minnie Pearl]

Well, if it is proud to be here.

[Connie B. Gay]

If it ain't my girlfriend from Grinder Switch, cousin Minnie Pearl. How are you, Minnie?

[Minnie Pearl]

Fine, thank you. How are you, Connie?

[Connie B. Gay]

Just as fine as. Well, I don't know what but as what? Yeah, a chicken. Did you have a nice flight up from Nashville?

[Minnie Pearl]

Yes, sir, just smooth as could be.

[Connie B. Gay]

Did you have any interesting experiences coming along?

[Minnie Pearl]

Well, there was one nice looking feller sat down by me and looked over at me and smiled.

[Connie B. Gay]

You better watch out. Hessy might be listening.

[Minnie Pearl]

Well, he finally laughed out loud, so it didn't mean much. Not a whole lot, I'd say.

[Connie B. Gay]

Well, Minnie, it certainly, certainly good to see you. And you're looking wonderful. That's a nice outfit you got. Are you gonna wear that tonight?

[Minnie Pearl]

Oh, well, I don't know. I didn't pay much for it. In fact, I heard one fellow say I must have Got it for a ridiculous figure.

[Connie B. Gay]

Oh, well, that went right to me. Anything else happened on the way up that you think?

[Minnie Pearl]

Well, we was all so excited about the show, though. I'm telling you now, Connie, we's talking about it all the way up. Every one of us hollering and screaming and yelling about.

[Connie B. Gay]

Looking forward to.

[Minnie Pearl]

You know, we'd rather play Washington in almost any place in the world.

[Connie B. Gay]

Well, Mimi, we'd rather have you than just about any girl that we know of.

[Minnie Pearl]

I keep thinking every time I come up here that I might find me a feller.

[Connie B. Gay]

Well, you might. There are going to be thousands of them there tonight.

[Minnie Pearl]

And is it right to tell me there ain't no be no reserved seats? Just first come, first serve?

[Connie B. Gay]

First come, first serve. We've got 5,000 tickets that we've set aside for sale at the door tonight. See, that Armor is a powerful big place.

[Minnie Pearl]

Yeah.

[Connie B. Gay]

You know how big 2 acres of land is at Grinding Switch.

[Minnie Pearl]

Oh, my. Awful hard to hold.

[Connie B. Gay]

We got two acres of unobstructed floor space over there tonight.

[Minnie Pearl]

For the unobstructed floor space.

[Connie B. Gay]

Well, man, it's nice, daughter.

[Minnie Pearl]

We're gonna have a whole bunch of unobstructed stage space, too.

[Connie B. Gay]

I don't know what it means.

[Minnie Pearl]

I'm scared of Connie. He's city broke and I ain't.

[Connie B. Gay]

I was broken. Lizardly, North Carolina. Let's get somebody else over.

[Minnie Pearl]

Here's a handsome feller, Connie. I don't know as you've met him personally before, but he's been with us now for quite some time with a fine bunch of fellers down at the PA show. His name is Cully Holt. He's with the Jordan AES. Cully, I want you to meet Connie Gaye.

[Connie B. Gay]

How are you? Glad to know you. Glad to know you. And tell us a little about your trip up here, did you? Well, this is going to be dull after many. Yes, sir, we enjoyed it very much. You looking forward to the show tonight? Oh, certainly. We've been looking forward to it for a long time. Are the boys all in fine fettle? Well, they're all here in good voice. They're all here. They're all here and raring to go tonight. Yes, sir. Listen, there's one question that has been asked of me that I want to ask of you. The records that we play and the transcriptions that we play by the Jordan heirs are all spiritual in nature. Now, you do other type of singing, do you or don't you? Yes, we do. Most anything the occasion calls for. Anything from Ragmop. Right on. That's right. Well, it's nice having you here, Cully. And I want to say that your boys certainly look good. And I know they're going to sound good tonight in the National Guard army in Washington. Now let's see. We got another fellow over here. I don't know, he looks like he's got a mouthful of goat burger or something. It's Rod Rasfield. Hi dear.

[Donald Tucker]

Carney.

[Connie B. Gay]

Glad to have you. Rodney.

[Minnie Pearl]

Ned, I'm so mad I could eat.

[Connie B. Gay]

A goat burger right now. I ain't just a kid. What are you mad at?

[Donald Tucker]

Well Flitter, we've been a flying for.

[Minnie Pearl]

Hours to get yer.

[Connie B. Gay]

Well, you didn't expect to come on the buggy, did you?

[Donald Tucker]

Well, I wished I had. I was out there flying. I love to get high, but not that high.

[Connie B. Gay]

I tell you, I'm glad to get you little Courtney. I sure am. Have you got any news for us or any.

[Donald Tucker]

Well, I'll tell you one thing. It's cold outside, baby. It sure is. It's plum cold outside. In fact it's been so cold in Hornwall last week. The old hinge is laying from a standing position.

[Connie B. Gay]

All the hens are laying from a standing.

[Donald Tucker]

But I'll declare, I believe it's warmer here in Washington than it was in Nashville and Hornwell.

[Connie B. Gay]

It's a beautiful day here. Yeah, it's a beautiful day in Washington. Did they treat you all right?

[Donald Tucker]

Come on. Yeah, just swell. I'm telling you, we had more good old coffee and bologna sandwich.

[Connie B. Gay]

That's a new name for bologna.

[Donald Tucker]

Henry Candle.

[Connie B. Gay]

Shoot me, won't he? Well, Rod, it's not. Are you looking forward to the show tonight? I sure am.

[Donald Tucker]

Looking at the armory. Which way did it go?

[Connie B. Gay]

Oh, it's still there. Well, thanks a lot. Rod Bradfield from Hohenhaul, Tennessee. Nice to have you. Now here's a fellow over here that's kind of new in this business. He hasn't been around very much. Good afternoon. And what is your name, sir? Red Foley. Have you. Red, you're looking sweaty. You know, that's a wonderful thing, isn't it?

[Donald Tucker]

That you.

[Connie B. Gay]

You work with a guy like I've been working with Rod about four years almost now and the guy still tickles my funny bone. He knocks me out. I just can't stand to be around him. You know, if he tickles somebody that works with him every day, those folks that are going to come down there tonight are bound to bust their sides. Red, how'd you get along? Coming on up here. Oh, wonderful. Had a wonderful fly. We hit a few clods out there, couple of places, but outside of that, we're smooth flight. This is really going to be a nice shindig tonight, Red. And I know you're going to mow them down. You've got the full repertoire of songs tonight already. Well, everything that we've ever done the last five or six years, Connie, we plan on throwing it at them over there tonight. Can I ask a favor of you? Absolutely. When you do Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy tonight and when somebody starts shining, so let it be my shoes. Look at it, Mike. All right, I've been out here. We'll make that a point. All right. We'll see if we can. Connie, we've never forgotten the last time we was up here with you at the Watergate Theater. And we had such a wonderful big audience over there. And we all went back home and talked about that for several months. It was really quite an event. Tonight's going to be even bigger, though, Ed. Well, I certainly hope so. We got five full hours tonight. Show and dance, just anything they want. Show and dance and celebration. No intermissions. Is that wonderful? Complete from nine till two. Wonderful, Red, it's nice having you in the capital city. Nice to have you for our show tonight. We're proud of you. You've done a wonderful job for American folk music. I want to say that for myself and from our listeners, too. Thank you, Connie. And of course, I imagine you want to get one more little plug in about where we're going to be. Yes, sir. I'll just haul off and say, ladies and gentlemen, it's tonight from 9 until 2 in the National Guard Armory in Washington, D.C. now, the National Guard armor is located at 20th and East Capitol streets. That's you go to the United States Capitol. Drive right out to the end of the street on East Capitol. You can't miss the building. If you do, you run into the Anacostia River. Now, we've got 5,000 seats that we've set aside at the door for sale tonight between the hours of nine and two. If you can't come by nine, that's okay. Come on, just as late as you want to. The last Prince Albert Vandelope show will go on pretty late. So you'll see a show even if you are late getting there. There'll be dancing, there'll be refreshments, there'll be souvenirs, noisemakers, free parking tables and chairs, and you're all invited. That's tonight in the national guard Army Washington, D.C. the price is the lowest price celebration in Washington. The lowest price celebration of its kind in the East. A lot of good clean farm we're going to have right on. The price is $3 plus tax. Wonderful. That is the best price I know of in the nation. See you all at the Armory tonight. Now this is Connie B. Gay turning things back over to Donald Tucker.

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[Donald Tucker]

May was named Defense Bond Month for a very good reason. The 1st of May was the 10th anniversary of the Series E Bond program, which was started in 1941. There were two worthwhile objectives for Defense Bond Month. The first was to sell an extra Defense Bond to as many buyers as possible. In this connection, some 25 million pledge order forms were distributed by the nation's newspaper boys. Probably many of you listening were visited by your newspaper boy and asked to fill out one of those pledges. But the second objective was was even more important. It was to expand the Payroll Savings Plan among the wage earners of the nation and to make those plans available not only to industrial plants, but to stores and offices as well. And this is a continuing program. It is hoped that enough new companies will install the Payroll Savings Plan and that enough workers will sign up so that a firm start will have been made on our 1951 goal. That goal is to double the number of Americans on payroll savings. That is a big job, but I know we can do it. With unions and management supporting the drive. By the time the next new year dawns, payroll savings should have at least twice as many participants as a year earlier. I think you might be interested in knowing how payrolls started. It developed from similar plans long used by private industry for purchases of company stock by employees and for payment of industrial insurance premiums. The U.S. treasury Department began to sell savings bonds in March 1935. By 1938, a number of companies voluntarily put payroll plans into effect in order to encourage employees to save regularly. You may not remember, but until 10 years ago, the treasury sold savings bonds by mail. But on May 1, 1941, our government faced the enormous task of raising billions for our defense. Payroll savings was one of the first ideas put into effect. America's industries, realizing the value of thrift, cooperated eagerly. Thoughtful union leaders, too, realized the need for some plan to give the word earner an easy automatic way for regular saving. Americans ended the war with four times as much savings as they had in 1940. Payroll savings plans should get the credit for a large part of these savings. After the war, many companies dropped the plan and the effect on employee savings was immediate. But now the trend is in the opposite direction. More and more companies and more and more wage earners and their unions realize that there is a war on not only against communism, but a war against inflation as well. A war to safeguard the future of the individual. American payroll savings participants are increasing by leaps and bounds and the figures are going higher all the time. They show that bond purchases on payroll plans are rising sharply. Sale of $25E bonds during the first three months of this year increased more than 13% over the same period in 1950, the largest increase in four years. Sale of $50 E bonds marked up a five year record, increasing over 2% above the first three months of last year. We still have four to go to reach our 1951 goal of doubling the participant. Can we do that? I am confident that we can. In Georgia or over a six month period, the number of wage earners on payroll savings has actually been doubled. So we know it can be done. But will it be done? That depends on all of us. We did well during May. Let us do even better during the rest of the year. Thank you.

[Minnie Pearl]

Foreign.

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This has been a presentation of otrwesterns.com and we hope you enjoyed. Please take some time to like and rate our shows in your favorite podcast application. Follow us on Facebook by going to otrwesterns.com Facebook subscribe to our YouTube channel by going to otrwesterns.Com YouTube and send us an email podcasttrwesterns.com you can call and leave us a voicemail 707-986-8739 this episode is copyright under the Attribution Non Commercial Share Like Copyright for more information go to otrwesterns.com copyright have a great day and thanks for listening.

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