WSNS Channel 44 - Al Lerner Sports - "So Long..." (Part 4, 1971)

Here's Part 4 (the last part) of the final episode of Al Lerner Sports on WSNS Channel 44. Lerner was the station's first sportscaster, and would go on to a long career with such stations as WLS Channel 7, WMAQ Channel 5, WGN Radio 720 and WSCR-AM, as well as being a wrestling announcer. Also featuring a young (and at this point, moustacheless) Tim Weigel, then a sportswriter for the now-defunct Chicago Daily News, who himself would become a familiar face on Chicago television, working for all three network-owned stations at one time or another. Includes:

Al Lerner Sports title bumper

A bit of clowning around at the beginning, with Al wearing a football helmet and then a regular hat, with crew members throwing footballs to him; Al then reads more college football scores:

- Rice shuts out Baylor University, 23-0; Tim advises that their coach (Bill Beall) "is on the way out" - and as Al notes (misnaming the coach as Bob Beall), he was indeed fired, and replaced the next year by Grant Teaff); he had predicted this, and a crew member holds up an incandescent light bulb as Al says "I had an idea"

Al takes more phone calls; the first in this set is from George ??, who asks about the Arizona State-Arizona matchup, and Al advises it will be held later in the evening (Arizona State ultimately shut out Arizona, 31-0); the caller concludes by mentioning he watched Al's show. The second caller, a woman, thinks Al is pretty funny, and he says he thinks she's pretty funny; Al then gives WSNS's address for the woman to send a letter to get him back on the air. The third caller, another woman, asks how she could get a date with Tim (Al tells her Tim's married, thus he can't), then she says he's number two on her list. The call after that is a bust. Afterwards, another caller says he "needs" Al, and Al responds by saying "I need me, too," and then noting that he will turn up again (which, as the years prove, would many times over come to pass); the caller then calls Al "better than the Polish Variety Hour." Al then muses that hopes there are rumblings on WCIU Channel 26's aforementioned show, then mentions what movie is playing on WFLD Channel 32. The next caller, a boy named Steve Nagler from Lincolnwood, asks for Al's and Tim's opinions of the Bears' upcoming Monday (the 29th) game; both Tim and Al predict the Bears will lose in Miami (indeed, the Miami Dolphins routed the Bears, 34-3, in that Monday night football game). The last call Al takes is a call asking about the upcoming Orange Bowl; Al says Anita Bryant will lose (seriously, the Nebraska Cornhuskers routed the Alabama Crimson Tide, 38-6, in the Orange Bowl which was played on January 1st 1972). As usual, the phone number is seen on the screen at various points.

In the closing moments, a sandbag is dropped on the desk by a crew member, Al reads the last of the college football scores (Tulsa 31, Wichita State 13), thanks Tim for "putting up with this," thanks the viewers for a wonderful 12 weeks, and concludes by saying, "Until next we meet, bye now, and God love you."

Al Lerner Sports title bumper and theme music, with voiceover (by ??) advising, "Tune in each Saturday at 6 when Al brings you the most complete results of the day's sporting events" (wait a minute, wasn't this the last show of the series?); followed by end credit slide:

Directed by Joe Oher - with voiceover (by ??) advising that the show was "an exclusive service of Channel 44"

"You fog my glasses, Al."

This aired on local Chicago TV on Saturday, November 27th 1971 during the 5:30 to 6pm timeframe.

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