Illinois

Beringia

(5,721 posts) Tue Jul 7, 2026, 09:50 AM 6 hrs ago

Family Classics with host Frazier Thomas and the opening theme song

Family Classics is a Chicago television series which began in 1962 when Frazier Thomas was added to another program at WGN-TV. Thomas not only hosted classic films, but also selected the titles and personally edited them to remove those scenes which he thought were not fit for family viewing

The name Frasier Thomas came to me yesterday and his show Family Classics. It must have made a big impression on me because I remember him well and the opening theme song. Here is an article from the Chicago Tribune written upon his death.

FRAZIER THOMAS, KIDS` TV PAL FOR 35 YEARS

Frazier Thomas, 66, who gave generations of children TV`s Garfield Goose, was circus master of ”Bozo`s Circus” and served as host of ”Family Classics” on WGN-TV (Channel 9). He was a pioneer in providing a special blend of children and family television.

In more than 35 years on the screen, Mr. Thomas never lost his sense of awe and wonder nor the ability to share it with millions of people, young and old, whom he addressed as ”boys and girls” with the mesmerizing and excitement-promising voice of a circus ringmaster.

After joining WGN-TV in 1954, Mr. Thomas became known to generations of Chicago-area children with his ”Garfield Goose and Friends” program.

Mr. Thomas got his first broadcasting job as a summer replacement on radio station WLW in Cincinnati when he was 18 years old. He later became a staff announcer at the station, and in the late 1940s, he did his first television work on WLW`s experimental station.

http://archive.today/2026.07.07-133423/https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/04/04/frazier-thomas-kids-tv-pal-for-35-years/