Earl Freudenberg: Christmas With Luther In The 50s And 60s

Growing up in Chattanooga during the 1950s and 60s was a fun time, especially at Christmas. Families would catch the Southern Coach Line buses and head downtown to shop. The day would include a visit to one of the dime store’s luncheonettes or maybe a stop to eat at Millers or Loveman’s lunch counters.

WDEF TV, Channel 12, came on the air in 1954 but many families were slow to purchase television sets. The main source of entertainment was still the radio, which would see a lot of changes by the end of the decade.

During this time, radio personality Luther Masingill was very much a part of our lives. The Chattanooga Kiwanis Club and WDEF Radio hosted one of the city’s largest Christmas parties at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium; the master of ceremonies was no one other than Luther. He said, “Every seat in the auditorium was taken, the lobby was full, and some were standing outside; everyone had a good time.”

In the mid 50s, Admiral, Zenith, and RCA began to sell small transistor radios and my father bought one from the Miller Brothers Home Furnishings on S. Broad Street. Friends in the neighborhood would gather around my little transistor to hear Christmas songs and Letters to Santa.

WDEF AM was the top radio station in Chattanooga while WDOD, WAPO, WDXB, WAGC, and WMPS followed. Although WDEF’s power was 5,000 watts, the station was difficult to pick up in the early morning hours when Luther hosted the Sundial program. Somehow, we managed to enjoy his broadcast through lots of static, which would go away at sunrise. FM wasn’t really introduced to the Chattanooga market until the early 60s.

The Christmas Season was a very special time when Luther would dig out his extensive collection of holiday favorites (some very scratchy) and start playing them the day after Thanksgiving. Luther was on the air for over 70 years and one of the first to air “Christmas Dragnet” by Stan Freberg. Luther said when Freberg had car trouble in Chattanooga; he went to Amos and Andy Buick downtown for repairs. Luther said Freberg came to the S. Broad Street radio station and the two of them went to lunch. Luther said, “Freberg thanked me several times for all the spins of Christmas Dragnet.”

Luther said Dinah Shore came to see him soon after WDEF had moved from the Volunteer Building downtown to 3300 S. Broad. He said, “I don’t remember the year and why she was in Chattanooga but she gave me an RCA Victor extended play recording of ‘You Meet the Nicest People at Christmas.’ There were several other songs on the recording. She even gave me a kiss and thanked us for playing her records. We did an interview with Dinah on both radio and television; a very nice lady indeed.”

Luther said Buddy Houts, his control broad operator, would open the new records and one season came across “Jingle Bells” by the Singing Dogs. It became a listener favorite for years to come. The only complaint he received was from News Free Press writer J.B. Collins who Luther said (with hearty laugh) hated the record.

Luther especially enjoyed the Christmas Comedy recordings. There was “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Jimmy Boyd, “The Angel in the Christmas Play,” by Gayla Peevey, “Christmas Dinner Country Style,” by Bing Crosby, “17 Million Bicycles” by Wendy Burton, “Santa’s Comin’ in a Whirlybird” by Gene Autry, “Santa Played the Trombone in the North Pole Band,” by Poppa John Gordy and his Dixielanders, “Henry (a turkey) had a Merry Christmas” by Walter Brennan, “The Night Before Christmas” by Louis Armstrong, “Merry Christmas in the NFL” by Willis the Guard and Vigorism, “I Want Eddie Fisher for Christmas” by Spike Jones, “Santa Baby” by Homer and Jethro, and “Nuttin’ for Christmas” by the Fontane Sisters. Luther was one of the first radio programs to play “Santa Claus is Watching You” by Ray Stevens, and we can’t leave out “Blue Christmas” by Seymour Swine.

Another Christmas recording that Luther played first was “The Reindeer Boogie” by Hank Snow from the Grand Ole Opry. The song was written by fellow Chattanooga broadcaster and country singer Charles “Peanut” Faircloth. Luther said Peanut brought him the record and, although WDEF didn’t play country music, the station played this song written by his good friend. Luther said year after year it became a Christmas favorite of the audience.

Luther said someone brought him an LP by the Rhodes Kids. “I didn’t know them but they had a good sound; after listening to the project in its entirety, I started playing, “A Carpenter, A Mother, and A King.” Luther said, “I was told I was the first to play the song” and the company later released it as a single. At Luther’s suggestion, the Forrester Sisters, from Rising Fawn, Georgia, later recorded the song for Warner Brothers.

A youngster called Luther one morning and requested, “Santa and the Doodle-li-boop” by Art Carney. When Luther was asked, “What is a Doodle-li-boop?” he responded, “some type of a new toy, I really don’t know.”

As a young 11-year-old boy getting ready for school, there was one recording I remember Luther playing just about every morning - it’s Teresa Brewer’s “Lost A Little Puppy” on the Coral label. Years later, after the recording was released, Luther met Ms. Brewer, who was in Chattanooga for a benefit concert at the Memorial Auditorium. Ms. Brewer said the song was never a hit and only released as a single; it was never released in album form. Luther said he told Ms. Brewer he was a finder of lost animals and the song was a listener favorite, especially at Christmas. The song goes, “Lost a little puppy who wandered away, Lost a little puppy who can’t find his way; a puggly nose - chocolate brown, tip of a tail that wiggles around. Wherever he is, he’s gotta be found. Please bring him back to me.”

When Luther was asked his favorite Christmas recording, there was a long pause in the conversation - then the broadcaster of over 70 years said, “I like the Real Meaning of Christmas by the Ray Conniff Singers.” When the record was released, Mr. Conniff told Luther in a telephone conversation, “One year during the holiday season, he was driving to Los Angeles, and it dawned on him we forget what the real meaning of Christmas is. He pulled over to the side of the road and wrote down his thoughts on the back of some envelopes. The song, about the giving of love, was composed in about 20 minutes. Conniff said it turned out to be one of the best things he’d ever written.”

Luther remembered the call from Kathy Lennon of the Lennon Sisters from the Lawrence Welk television show. Luther said she wanted to make sure I had the sisters’ new Christmas album, “Christmas with the Lennon Sisters.” Luther said she was so young but very friendly and polite. “My favorite on the album was Christmas Island,” said Luther.

He said one of his most requested Christmas tunes was “Old Christmas Card” by Jim Reeves. Vaughn Horton wrote the song for Bing Crosby in the late 40’s but he never recorded it. The song lay dormant until Jim Reeves discovered and recorded it in 1962. Reeves convinced RCA to release “Old Christmas Card” the following year. Luther said the song became more popular after Reeves was killed in a plane crash in 1964 than when it was first released.

Luther recalled a short conversation in 1964 with Jimmy Dean about his recording of “Yes Patricia, there is a Santa Claus.” Luther said the narration became popular, partly because Dean was frequently seen on TV.

Luther’s Christmas songs list is endless as he enjoyed them all. A few days before Christmas, Luther would get serious and play the Morman Tabernacle Choir, Roger Williams, Lawrence Welk, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Vic Damone, the Norman Luboff Choir, and a lot of great orchestras playing familiar Christmas Carols.

Luther said he never got tired of hearing Nat King Cole, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Perry Como sing, “Oh Holy Night.”

Luther said when “The Chipmunk Song” was released in 1958, he wore out several copies. “I had to go to the record shop and buy replacements - it was so popular.”

Luther Masingill received his Eternal promotion 10 years ago, passing Oct. 20, 2014. When the decorations go up, and the Christmas season begins, this writer is reminded just how much the Hall of Fame broadcaster enjoyed the season. Luther volunteered to work most Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings so fellow broadcasters could spend time with their families.

Luther looked forward to taking his family downtown to see the Electric Power Board, Miller Brothers, and Loveman’s Department store window decorations. Luther said, “Loveman’s nativity scene in their corner window on Christmas morning was my favorite.”

Luther would often talk with listeners about their holiday plans. Those listeners included Mrs. Violet Pannell on Walden’s Ridge who shared stories about the weather. Community Kitchen director Slim Johnson would remind listeners about the Christmas meal for the homeless or anyone who just needed a warm place to go and eat a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

A short time before Mary Masingill died in the summer of 2021, this writer had a good visit with the legendary broadcaster’s widow at a Hixson restaurant. Mrs. Masingill said her one wish would be that the community keeps the memory of Luther alive for years to come, especially at Christmas.

“Luther’s Christmas Favorites” will be broadcast Sunday Morning, Dec. 22, from 7–9 a.m. on WDYN AM 980, WDYN FM 94.7 and WDYN FM 94.9 and on the Internet at WDYN.com. The program will be re-broadcast on WDYN, Christmas Eve from 5:30–7:30 p.m. The show was recorded one evening in 2005, a few weeks before Christmas. “Luther’s Christmas Favorites” can be heard anytime under “special programs" on WDYN.com.

We can’t forget Luther’s sense of humor, especially at Christmas. When asked if he had a favorite Christmas gift, Luther responded, “It was from David Carroll and other station employees; a new shower cap, hair brush, and a comb, (pause) I just wish I had some hair to go with it.”

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Heyearl1971@epbfi.com