‘Wallace & Ladmo’ featured on new Phoenix Public Library cards
April 16
The Phoenix Public Library is honoring two familiar Arizona faces, unveiling a new special edition “The Wallace & Ladmo Show” library card.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, at Burton Barr Central Library, the library is hosting a celebration honoring the Arizona television program.
The show brought generations together for more than 35 years, airing on KPHO-TV.
Lee Franklin, Community Relations Director of Phoenix Public Library, and Pat McMahon, “Gerald” on Wallace & Ladmo, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the celebration.
“…imagine me and my brother and sister spending thousands of minutes watching the Wallace and Ladmo show,” Franklin said, “…everything that Pat represents the legacy, how it brings community together…in a joyful, nostalgic, connected way, which you can always find at the library.”
McMahon explained how much the Wallace and Ladmo show means to him, decades after it ended, and how extraordinary it is to see many places honoring and preserving the show’s memory.
“…it resonates still so much whenever I mention or talk about this,” Frankling discussed, “…it’s just remarkable that this thread has…stayed so strong and is connecting the library walls, and Ladmo show…plus so many multi-generations across our community.”
McMahon explained how unique the Wallace and Ladmo show was at the time, as there was no other show like it.
“We continue to tell everyone we were the most valueless children’s show in the history of Television, because it was a comedy show,” McMahon said, “…it’s a sketch show, it’s Saturday Night Live for kids, and never pretended to be anything else…now, the values were there.”
McMahon discussed how close the cast members were as they tirelessly worked together throughout the week. Working five days a week at Channel 5 and on weekends doing personal appearances, McMahon emphasized how they still never had an argument.
