Retro Rewind: Ed Little and the Town Casino | Arts & Culture

During the spring of 2000, legendary Buffalo broadcaster Ed Little recorded a "flashback" broadcast of his famous early 50's radio show from the Town Casino. Little appeared on WEBR-AM from a studio constructed at the nightclub on Main Street in Downtown Buffalo, New York giving him nightly access to the biggest names in entertainment included Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Johnny Ray, Danny Thomas...the list is endless. This is a 3 min sample of the project. Thank you to Steve Cichon & Staffannouncer.com for additional production assistance.

ED LITTLE spent an astonishing 62 years on radio, nearly all of it in Buffalo and Rochester. His awe-inspiring career took root in 1938 when he stepped in front of the microphone at WEBR as a child actor with a grown-up voice. Later he played many parts on stage and on the air with the UCLA Campus Theater troupe.

During World War II, Little carried a wire recorder aboard B-29 bombing missions over Japan and delivered the play-by-play description for later playback on NBC. Joining WEBR as a music personality post-war, he soon became host of the late-night Town Casino broadcast, interviewing every megastar of the 1950s—from Danny Thomas and Tony Bennett to Johnnie Ray and Rosemary Clooney—at that storied nightclub.

During 1958-64 he lit up the night airwaves at KFMB San Diego, then returned to Buffalo for an eye-opening career shift—becoming the newsman during Joey Reynolds' nighttime romp on WKBW. Following 14 years as the afternoon news anchor at WBBF Rochester, Little in 1981 joined the news team at WBEN, where his trademark delivery continued to add a sense of distinction to that station’s aura until his retirement in 2000. Ed Died in 2001.