WMAQ Channel 5 - 5 Cheers Chicago's New Year (Part 4, 1980/1981)

Back to the festivities at Miomir's Serbian Club at 2255 W. Lawrence, with Warner speaking with a lady, Carole(?) Black, whose birthday is January 1st (her 23rd), who wishes for good health and a good husband; her friend explains that she has a good husband but he's not at the club with her, instead he's in Florida; Warner then gestures Jerry to wish her a happy birthday as well as a happy New Year, and not long after club owner Miomir plants a kiss on the birthday girl (upon which Jerry gives his best Steve Martinesque "Excu-u-use me" impression)

Back at the Fireside Lounge at 8740 South Ashland, Barry is commenting on Red Holt Unlimited's performance as the patrons are listening and dancing, and he identifies the instrumentalists (besides Red, there's Keith Daniels on bass, (?) Holmes on guitar, Mike Finnerty(?) on tenor sax, and Charles Taylor on Fender Rhodes electric piano); he then summons the lounge's manager/owner, Renee Hudson, who explains her motives for preserving jazz on the South Side, rather than new wave or rock, including that South Siders just love jazz, and that Red performs every Friday (when not on the road) from 9:30pm to 2am, and Saturday from 9:30pm to 3am

Barry then signals for the Miomir's feed, but they go to the Abbey Pub where Carol explains the hall has been cleared for the patrons to listen to owner Peter Furlong(?) and two assistants on the bagpipes, playing traditional Irish tunes

Meanwhile, back at Miomir's, Jerry signals for the table where weekend weatherman Terry Burhans has been giving out signed photos of himself without much success, upon which Jerry mentions that Gary Deeb is watching; as they sit down, a small insert on the screen focuses on the revelry at Fireside Lounge where Barry is dancing among the crowd, and they comment about his dancing to the Red Holt Unlimited's performance

We then dissolve to a shot of a "Happy Happy New Year" balloon up in Miomir's before zooming out to the dancers, as Tony Martin's(?) version of "As Time Goes By" is playing; dissolving amongst Miomir's (with Jerry cutting up the rug with a lady), Fireside Lounge and Abbey Pub, before the audio transitions from Miomir's (where Jerry and Warner are now dancing together, joined by Miomir himself) to the bagpipers at Abbey Pub, and a plea to cool it at Fireside Lounge

Meanwhile, at Abbey Pub, Carol is speaking with John Kublahan(?) as a version of "The Moonshiner" is being sung in the background; he came to the U.S. in the early '70's, and we hear him singing before she comments on how all this has been going on all night, and signaling to whichever is next...

...which is Miomir's, where Warner is looking for Jerry who, when he comes, explains that Warner had stepped on his foot twice (a recurring "gag" through the special); Warner promises 1981 to be a great year for the station and in general, before cutting to...

...Barry at Fireside Lounge, who's speaking with Red Holt's mother Mary (who's also the grandmother of three of the members of Perfect Element whose name she can't remember); she is asked about how she raised such great musicians, and she explains it's a combo of "the good Lord" and their being "very obedient boys"; Barry then signals for a listen to Red Holt Unlimited's now mellow sounds

Back to Miomir's, where Warner and Jerry are with Miomir, whom they compliment for giving "a heck of a party," and he compliments them for coming here on this night, and wishing New Year's greetings in Serbian ("Srecna Nova Godina"); while Warner comments on Jerry's sense of rhythm, over which they have a hearty laugh, before closing with Happy New Year's wishes, upon which the closing credits start (to the backing of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" by Eydie Gorme):

Produced & Directed by Dean Rowe
Technical Director - Herb Elliott
Associate Producer - H. M. Goldman
Associate Directors - David Ratzlaff, Al Yellon
Field Producers - Douglas Manning, Don Moseley
Remote Technicians
- Abbey Pub: Jerry Ongaro, Char Halman, John Scott
- Miomir's: Howie Salzman, Hal Holck, Conrad Mangrum
- Fireside Lounge: Eddie Banks, Ron Doetsch, Paul Young
Writer - Ruth Fitzpatrick Taft
Videotape Editors - John Martin, Jean Gilbert, Debbie Morge
Audio - Jim MacDonald
Electronic Graphics - Elijah Mondy, Jr.
Pre Tape Remotes - Pete Ranger, Hal Bernstein
Stage Technicians - Kim Daley, Dan Kaniff, Mike Hack
Production Assistant - Kris Wehmeyer
Executive Producer - Dillon Smith

Special Thanks To Managements of
- Abbey Pub
- Fireside Restaurant and Lounge
- Miomir's Serbian Club

WMAQ-TV
(C) National Broadcasting Company, Inc. 1980/81
All Rights Reserved

HAPPY NEW YEAR
From Everyone At Channel 5

In the last seconds, a rendition of "Early in the Morning" emanating from the Abbey Pub is heard in the background

Very brief animated shot of tree with a face before recording cuts out

This aired on local Chicago TV on Wednesday, December 31st 1980 / Thursday, January 1st 1981 during the 11:30pm to 12:30am timeframe.

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