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Jack Cullen: Remembering radio’s irreverent rascal

his colleague and good friend, Red
Robinson. “I had a disc cutter; so one time |
made records of Elvis singing ‘Ready Teddy’
on The Ed Sullivan Show,” Cullen said. “Red
Robinson and | were competing with each
other at that time. Red had been receiving
phone requests to play ‘Ready Teddy’ on his
radio show because his listeners had heard
me play the song on my show.

“So, Red sent a kid into my record store to
buy a copy of ‘Ready Teddy.’ However, in the
middle of the song, on the instrumental por-
tion, you can hear my voice saying: ‘This
record is available at Jack Cullen’s record
store.” And Red played it without auditioning
it. It went on the air! That's one of Red’s
favourite stories!”

At the end of our interview, | told Cullen |
was unhappy with CKNW’s decision to dis-
miss him and that | was one of his biggest
fans. Cullen, in his usual wit and charm
replied, “So, you’re the one!”

| did talk to Jack Cullen one more time
after our interview, but it was under somber

circumstances. In December 2000, he was
ill and had been in hospital..!| called his
home to say hello, and a family member
answered. | asked for Cullen and he eventu-
ally came on the phone. | asked him how he
was doing. He began to cry as he told me
his son, John, had recently died. |
expressed my condolences to him and his
family and thanked him for the interview he
gave me. Cullen said, “That’s very kind of
you to call.”

On May 1, CKNW’s The Agenda with Jon
McComb had a three-hour tribute to Jack
Cullen. The next day, a memorial service
was held at the Shrine Temple in Burnaby.
Over 400 people attended that included
Cullen’s friends, family, and a large contin-
gent of the Vancouver media—who were rel-
egated to standing. Some of the attendees
included radio personalities like Gary
Bannerman, Dave McCormick, John
Ashbridge, Brian “Frosty” Forst, George
Garrett, Bill Hughes, Rafe Mair, Neil
MacRae, Norm Grohman, Phil Reimer, John

Tanner, Joy Metcalfe, and Vic Waters. Also
paying their respects were politicians Grace
McCarthy, Ed Lawson, and Don Bellamy. In
the corridor, photos and a giant scrapbook
of Cullen’s accomplishments were on dis-
play.

The mood of the service was kept upbeat
with humourous anecdotes given by Lorne
Cullen, Bill Hughes, John Ashbridge, Sev
Morin, and Red Robinson. Ashbridge
recalled walking into Jack Cullen’s office
one time and noticing “a plastic urinal.” He
also witnessed Cullen separating tape with
his teeth and then stapling the two together
“because he couldn’t find any splicing tape
or razor blades to cut it.”

Jack Cullen was a legend in his time.
Though | was not around during the majori-
ty of Cullen’s career, | enjoyed listening to
him in the 1980s and 1990s. He will be
remembered for the decades of entertain-
ment he provided to thousands of house-
holds, who let Cullen soothe them to sleep.
One of the great icons in radio is now gone,