Talk:Gay Morning America

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Gay Morning America was a weekly volunteer-run variety show that aired on Manhattan public-access cable for three seasons from 1983-1985. For the first two seasons, the show ran for one hour from 7:30-8:30 am, and was reduced to a 1/2 hour time slot from 11:30 am to 12:00 pm in the third and final season. The show also featured commercials for Greenwich Village gay establishments, as well as endorsements by the hosts which helped support the show. [1]


Contents 1 History 2 Staff 3 Segments 4 References History Gay Morning America was founded by George Sardi, Johnny Pool, and Lynn Lavener, all of whom either co-owned or frequently performed at the piano bar Waverly Waverly. The bar, situated at the corner of Waverly Place and Waverly Place in Greenwich Village, in Manhattan, New York, hosted regular cabaret-style performances. Though the clientele was largely gay, it was not exclusively so.[2]

Staff George Sardi, founder, producer, host

Lynn Lavner, founder, performer

Johnny Pool, founder

Jimmy Mellow, director

Johnny Savoy,

Jerry Fitzpatrick

Lord Byron Falk

Leslie Irons

Segments Most shows began with opening credits followed by a community news segment. Also included were special guest interviews with LGBT celebrities including Whoopie Goldberg, Jack Choplin, and Maria Manville, cabaret-style performances, and theater reviews.

A large portion of the run-time was usually devoted to "commercials" for local gay-owned business during most shows. The most frequently featured was "Waverly Waverly", though other gay bars including "Limelight", "The Monster", "The Follies", "Peeches", "Copacabana Bar", "Village Apothecary" and other types of businesses such as "Gay Hotlines". There were also many spoof commercials for establishments such as the U.S Department of Transportation and The Yellow Pages.

References "LGBTQ National History Archives | LGBTQ History and Media". The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Retrieved 2019-09-03. "Pooled Resources: The Legacy of Waverly Waverly and Oh Johnny". The Andrew Martin Report. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2019-09-03. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 20:29, 1 October 2019‎ (talkcontribs) Khicks3 (UTC)