Long John Nebel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Long John Nebel
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| Born | June 11, 1911 Chicago, Illinois
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| Died | April 10, 1978 (aged 66) Manhattan, New York City
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | radio host |
| Known for | late night radio show on WOR radio, New York |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Dallas (early 1960s) Candy Jones (1972-his death) |
| Children | Jackie (daughter) |
Long John Nebel (born John Zimmerman; June 11, 1911 – April 10, 1978) was a very important New York City talk radio host. He was known for his unique late-night shows.
From the mid-1950s until he passed away in 1978, Nebel hosted a super popular all-night radio show. Millions of people listened regularly. His show talked about strange and unexplained things, like UFOs and other unusual topics.
Contents
Long John Nebel's Life and Radio Career
Early Life and First Jobs
Nebel was born in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. He stopped school after the eighth grade. But he loved to read and knew a lot about many subjects. People used to say he ran away to join a circus when he was young.
Nebel moved to New York City around 1930 when he was 19. His first job there was an usher at the New York Paramount Theater. He tried many different jobs, like being a photographer and a street salesman. Later, he opened a successful auction store in New Jersey called Long John's Auctions. At his auction house, he was known as "Long John, the gab and gavel man." People would even come just to be entertained by him.
His nickname "Long John Nebel" came from his height. He was 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) tall and very thin.
Nebel did not start a radio career until about 1954. He was 43 years old then.
In 1972, Nebel married Candy Jones, who used to be a famous model. She became the co-host of his show. Her claims about being part of a secret project influenced the show's topics in its last six years.
Starting at WOR Radio
In the mid-1950s, radio stations across the United States were struggling. Television had become very popular. Nebel had friends at different New York radio stations because he bought airtime to advertise his auction house. WOR, a big New York station, had low ratings in 1954. Nebel suggested an interview show. This show would talk about "strange and unexplained topics."
WOR's managers were not very excited about Nebel's idea. But they had little to lose. So, WOR gave him a time slot from midnight to 5:30 am. These were the hours with the fewest listeners. Nebel used his auction house's fame and his "Long John" name for his radio show.
To WOR's surprise, Nebel's show quickly became a hit. Many night-owls and early risers in New York loved it. They talked about Unidentified flying objects almost every day. Other topics included voodoo, witchcraft, parapsychology (study of psychic abilities), hypnotism, conspiracy theories, and ghosts. One of Nebel's sponsors was even caffeine pills to help people stay awake!
Within a few months, Nebel had high ratings and got attention from newspapers across the United States. WOR's strong signal meant his show reached over half of the country. Some listeners found his style a bit rough. But many more loved him for his honest way of speaking. He was a kind listener and a caring host.
Using a Seven-Second Delay
Nebel used one of the first tape delay systems in radio. This system gave engineers a chance to remove any bad language before it went on air. In 1956, an engineer named Russell Tinklepaugh created the system Nebel used. It recorded sound on a loop of tape. This created a delay of several seconds. It was just enough time to hit a "stop" button to prevent any unwanted words from being broadcast.
Today, these kinds of delays are done using computers.
Moving to WNBC Radio
In 1962, WNBC offered Nebel a lot of money, more than $100,000 a year. This was a huge amount for a radio person at that time. He accepted the offer and broadcast from WNBC until 1973. WNBC's ratings were dropping, and they decided to play only rock music. Nebel refused to change his show's content. He left the station because he disagreed with their decision.
Time at WMCA Radio
Nebel was quickly hired by WMCA. From 1973 to 1977, he continued his show there. It was almost the same as it had been on WNBC. The show was still popular. But his ratings on WMCA were not as high because it was a less powerful station. At WMCA, callers would sometimes play pranks on him.
Broadcasting Nationwide with Mutual
Starting in 1977, Nebel's show was broadcast all over the country. This happened through the Mutual Broadcasting System.
Books by Long John Nebel
Nebel wrote two books about his most interesting guests. The Way Out World, published in 1961, covered his years at WOR. It included people who claimed to have met UFOs, a stage magician, and more. Nebel said he learned all this from "twenty thousand hours of interviewing and research." His second book, The Psychic World Around Us, came out in 1969. It was co-written with Sanford M. Teller. This book focused more on paranormal stories and guests he interviewed at WNBC.
Marriage to Candy Jones
Nebel had been married briefly before and had a daughter named Jackie. In the early 1960s, he was married to Margaret Dallas. But he was single again in 1972 when he met and married the fashion model Candy Jones. She was one of the most popular pin-up girls during the World War II era. They got married very quickly after knowing each other for only a month. Jones became the co-host of Nebel's show right away. She continued in this role until he passed away.
Jones had some unusual changes in her mood and personality. She also had some strange events happen in her life that were hard to explain. Because of this, Nebel thought she might have been part of a secret CIA project. Her story, which sounded like a conspiracy theory, definitely changed what they talked about on Nebel's radio show during its last six years.
His Final Years
Nebel had heart disease for a long time. In 1971, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He tried different treatments. By the mid-1970s, his health was very poor. However, he kept broadcasting, usually six nights a week. Candy Jones was his co-host.
Nebel passed away in April 1978. Larry King took over his show slot on the Mutual network in January of that year. James Randi, a skeptic and frequent guest on Nebel's show, took over his show on WOR.
How Long John Nebel's Show Worked
Nebel's program seemed very free and unplanned. It often went off-topic, which was different from most radio shows back then. Sometimes, there were heated arguments. These were mild compared to today's shows, but they were surprising for the 1950s and 1960s.
Nebel and his regular guests would interview different people. These included psychics like Kuda Bux and others who made unusual claims. They also took phone calls from listeners in the New York area. He would also interview authors and talk about their books. Once, he was surprised when author Iris Murdoch said she listened often and based a character on one of his guests.
Nebel's style was special. Talk radio as we know it today didn't really exist yet. Nebel was exploring new territory. Sometimes, Nebel joined the discussions. Other times, he called himself a "moderator." He let his guests have lively debates, only speaking occasionally to guide the talk or announce breaks.
It was common for Nebel to disappear for 20 minutes or more around 3:00 a.m. He would leave his group of frequent guests to run the show without him. Nebel usually invited callers during the last two hours of the program. Up to 40,000 people might try to call in during this time.
Nebel was often described as a curious skeptic about paranormal topics. He often said he was a "non-believer." About the many people who claimed to have met UFOs, Nebel said: "I don't buy any of it." He was interested in UFOs, but he didn't have any strong ideas about them.
Some critics said Nebel let "crackpots" (people with strange ideas) on his show too much. But he replied that his show was not like a traditional news program. He said it was up to the listeners to decide if a guest's claims were true.
Nebel often asked tough questions if he found problems or contradictions in his guests' stories. He didn't like foolishness, unless the foolish person was very entertaining. Still, he was kind enough to give guests a chance to share their claims.
When shows talked about health, Nebel liked to say: "I am a lover, not an athlete." He also made up the phrase "wack-a-ding-hoi" for an idea or guest he thought was a little "crazy." When asked why his TV show was no longer on air, Nebel would say he wasn't good-looking enough for television. His friendly, good-humored way was a big reason for his popularity.
Regular Guests on the Show
Jackie Gleason, a famous actor, was a frequent guest. On one show, Gleason offered $100,000 to anyone with physical proof of aliens visiting Earth. He later increased the amount to $1 million, but no one ever claimed it. Another memorable show had Gleason in a sharp debate with publisher Gray Barker. Gleason criticized Barker for sharing stories about the Men in Black and people who claimed to meet UFOs as if they were facts.
The two most frequent guests on his radio show were science fiction writers Lester del Rey and Frederik Pohl. Each appeared on more than 400 of Nebel's broadcasts. Nebel also often had philosopher Mortimer Adler and James Randi on his show.
Show Sponsors
Nebel's sponsors included some unusual products. For example, the KelCo Class Calculator was, according to Nebel, made by a NASA scientist. This scientist was sometimes a guest on his program. The "calculator" was like a slide rule and was supposed to help pick horse racing winners.
Nebel's commercials were often as fun as the show itself. Nebel was a master storyteller who could create long tales about how great his sponsors' products were. Commercials often lasted several minutes.
UFO Discussions
Flying saucers were often in the news during the 1950s and 1960s. They were a frequent topic on Nebel's show. Guests related to this subject included retired Marine Corps Major Donald Keyhoe, people who claimed to meet UFOs like George Adamski and George Van Tassel, artist Paulina Peavy, and skeptics like Arthur C. Clarke and Lester del Rey. Nebel discussed the Shaver Mystery, the Flatwoods monster, the Nazca Lines, and many other uncommon subjects.
Nebel gave a chance to Otis T. Carr, a man from Oklahoma. Carr claimed he had found the secret to making flying saucers move, by studying the work of Nikola Tesla. Nebel and some of his regular guests traveled to Oklahoma City to see Carr's saucer. (Carr was later found guilty of fraud and jailed. He took hundreds of thousands of dollars from investors but never made his working saucer.)
One day, at a show in New York City's Paramount Theatre, Nebel's friend, William Neff, a famous magician, stepped into the spotlight. As Nebel watched, it looked like he could see light through Neff's body. It was as if Neff was turning into frosted glass. Slowly, Neff became see-through, then disappeared completely. But his voice could still be heard. After a while, a faint outline began to appear. A few minutes later, Neff gradually reappeared, looking perfectly normal. The audience thought the vanishing act was part of Neff's magic show.
As soon as the show ended, Nebel rushed backstage to ask Neff how he did the trick. Neff seemed surprised. He didn't know he had "faded." But he said the same thing had happened three years earlier in Chicago. Nebel later wrote this story in his book "The Way Out World" and had no explanation for it.
Fun Pranks and Hoaxes
Nebel enjoyed playing a few pranks for entertainment and ratings. For example, he once worked with a friend. His friend pretended to support a guest's claims about astral projection (the idea of leaving your body).
Nebel spent weeks on his show telling his audience a story. He said the Empire State Building was rotated on giant ball bearings very late at night. At first, Nebel said the movement was almost impossible to notice. As the prank continued, Nebel started telling callers that if they visited the Empire State Building very late, the shops on the ground floor would have moved to the next block.
Nebel also liked to tell his audience that the best candle wicks were grown on "wick farms" in the Midwest.
Nebel's second wife, Candy Jones, claimed to have been part of secret projects. Some people thought this was just another prank by Nebel. They pointed to his history of promoting hoaxes. But Nebel said he believed what Jones told him under hypnosis. He never thought her story was false.
Long John Nebel's Impact on Radio
Jackie Gleason wrote in a book about Nebel: "Why is [Nebel] so strangely entertaining?... because the best entertainment opens your mind and tells you the world is bigger than you thought it was."
Radio historian Michael C. Keith wrote that few people before or since Nebel brought such creativity and variety to all-night radio. He was a pioneer in late-night programming.
Nebel greatly influenced talk radio. Donald Bain noted that in the early 1970s, new radio announcers at broadcasting schools studied tapes of Nebel's shows. Recordings of Nebel's shows have been shared among fans for decades.
Nebel's show style opened the way for later radio hosts. These include Art Bell, George Noory of Coast to Coast AM, Hilly Rose, Jeff Rense, and Clyde Lewis. All of them have hosted shows about paranormal topics. Some even called Nebel the Art Bell of his time.
