The Phoenix City Council recently voted to ceremonially rename part of First Avenue in the downtown area "Wallace and Ladmo Way" in honor of the locally-produced children’s show that ran for decades.
"The Wallace and Ladmo Show," which started on KPHO in 1954, starred Bill Thompson as Wallace and Ladimir Kwiatkowski as Ladmo. It ended in December 1989 after more than 10,000 episodes.
Arizona media personality and character actor Pat McMahon played a variety of roles on long-running program.
“You get Emmys and all kinds of recognition — most particularly the laughter of the kids in the audience — and the recognition even all these years later,” said McMahon. “But this acknowledgement is so special for all of us cast members.”
McMahon said that even after the "Ladmo bag" prizes — a brown paper sack filled with prizes that was given away to a lucky few kids in the live studio audience during the show’s run — were no longer available, "The Wallace and Ladmo Show" always had something to offer viewers.
Just over 35 years after the last new episode aired, the show's cast gathered last week at Phoenix City Hall.
McMahon was a constant onscreen companion to the titular characters.
“Wal and Lad and I never did that sappy stuff that so many kids’ entertainers and hosts got into,” McMahon said. “‘Be sure to brush your teeth, boys and girls!’ No, we wanted to make them laugh.”
And he said that’s how the show earned its legacy.
“It was ‘Saturday Night Live’ for kids,” said McMahon. “And you grew into all of the material as you grew. You grew up, and there was always something there for you.”
When the camera wasn’t on the show’s main trio, Rita Davenport demonstrated recipes for kids in her "Cookin’ with Rita" segment.
“It's good to have this, I think, a bit of recognition for them that we all love them,” said Davenport. “And now there's a street sign named after them. And that is just so deserved.”
Davenport said it raised the bar for how local broadcasting can address viewers in a thoughtful, fun way and bring together the communities it reaches.
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