Thanks for playing Know Your City! Let’s review the questions.

  1. From 1967 to 1984, the TV show he hosted had the highest Arbitron and Nielsen ratings of any live entertainment/information program in the Midwest. Who was he?
  2. Can you name Cincinnati’s first department store?
  3. Cincinnati was once home to a members-only nightclub that was part of a chain created by a well-known robe-wearing entrepreneur. What was the name of the club?

And here are the answers:

  1. Bob Braun—Braun hosted a live weekday noon variety show—The Bob Braun Show, of course–that featured such guests as Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Barry Manilow, Isaac Hayes, Jerry Lewis and many more. Here’s a clip from one of Braun’s favorite episodes, with guest David Cassidy and Jack Hanna (with animals that proceeded to wreak havoc).
  2. Shillito’s—The first Shillito’s was built on Fourth Street but it was moved to a landmark building on Race and Seventh that had eight floors, five elevators, over 800,000 square feet of space, and employed over 1,000 people. In 1946 it was the nation’s first department store to give credit to African-Americans, as well as employ them as salespeople and executives. The store’s restaurant was the first in downtown Cincinnati to serve African-American customers.
  3. The Cincinnati Playboy Club—In existence from 1964 to 1983, the club was located at Seventh and Walnut streets. Cincinnati Ballet and Middletown Symphony Orchestra conductor Carmon DeLeone performed at the Cincinnati Playboy Club from 1964 to 1968.

Thanks for playing Know Your City AND for reading Cincinnati Future!