Mike Tangi, an early Cincinnati TV pioneer and advertising guru, fondly remembered as the Kwik Brothers, is my father. His life was all about people—making them happy the way he knew how—by entertaining them. Within the historical context of Cincinnati broadcasting, advertising and during an energized social scene era, my story is about my father's life: the people he interacted with and touched; his contribution to live TV; and the genius behind one of the longest-running ad campaigns in Greater Cincinnati.

Mike's life unfolded in an exciting era, television in its infancy, quickly growing into the powerhouse that would change advertising and society forever. Cincinnati's early TV, radio and recording scene became a springboard for many famous careers: Rod Serling, the Clooney sisters, James Brown and Doris Day. Cincinnatians made icons out of local celebrities such as Ruth Lyons, Paul Dixon, Nick Clooney, Uncle Al and Wanda Lewis, Dotty Mack, Bob Braun, Larry Smith, Bob Shreve, Skipper Ryle, Al Schottelkotte, Rich King, Jim Scott, Gary Burbank, yes, even the Kwik Brothers.

Many of the "live" TV programs here set the standard nationwide. Late-night talk-show host David Letterman credits Paul Dixon with being a model for his own zany on-air humor. In 1959, Al Schottelkotte developed a newscaster style that would be copied across the nation. Al also invented the offsite roaming news segment.

Junior: the early years

Born in Stamford, Connecticut, Mike ("Junior") was the oldest of Patrina and Mike Tangi's three children. They arrived within a five-year span: Mike, followed by Palma, then Pat. Patrina's parents emigrated from Sicily to the U.S. during Prohibition. Her father owned a fruit and vegetable business, with a side venture in bootlegging. Mike "Senior" moved to Stamford from Foggia, Italy, when he was fourteen to live with a sister, one of his few surviving relatives. He would become a printer at Conde Nast Publications and work there for more than fifty years.

Both parents were singers and storytellers. Although neither one of them took their talent to the stage, they had captive audiences in their children, family and friends. Role modeling his parents, Mike vied for attention in his family by entertaining. He built on their base by teaching himself to play musical instruments, sing and tell jokes. It's no wonder he ended up in the Special Services Division of Entertainment in the Army at age eighteen.

Joining the Army in 1949, prior to the start of the Korean War, his duty was to entertain our stateside troops. This sparked his personal mission to make people happy. He didn't care what he had to do to accomplish that. Touring with an Army troupe as an emcee, comic, ukulele-playing, female impersonator, Mike took his job seriously.

During his Army travels, Mike became enamored of a new kid on the block—television. After his service, he entered the New York Television Workshop as a student learning how television worked and how to work with television. He attended school on the GI bill and supplemented his income by playing the piano and singing three nights a week in various Connecticut nightclubs and driving a taxi.

Mike's Life: behind the camera

One week after graduating in 1953, he received a call from the four-year old station WCPO-TV in Cincinnati. The executives offered him a position as a director for live TV. A week later, he moved to Cincinnati with $500 he borrowed from his sister Pat using his green Studebaker convertible as collateral, and plenty of enthusiasm.

During his tenure, Mike was a creative force and directed nearly every "live" program on WCPO. He worked with Paul Dixon, Bob Braun, Dotty Mack, Al and Wanda Lewis, Len Goorian, Bud Chase and many others. One show in particular would stand out "The Uncle Al Show." Mike directed, produced, wrote scripts and songs, and provided the character voices for 33 different animals/puppets. With a director's headset on and an open microphone in front of him, one minute he was positioning the crew, the next responding in character voice to Uncle Al's "Good Morning, Mr. Sun."

Mike's most famous song on Uncle Al, remembered by many (40+ year olds) Cincinnatians to this day, was "Put Your Toys Away." Mothers still sing that song to their children. He also wrote the advertising jingles for the sponsors. This was the beginning of his advertising and jingle career.

Mike's Life: love and marriage

Shortly after Mike arrived in Cincinnati, Mollie Marlain, who worked at WCPO with Paul Dixon and others, introduced Mike to her niece, Mary Lou. Mary Lou was working as a dance instructor in an Arthur Murray Dance Studio, which Mollie managed.

After a whirlwind romance, Mike and Mary Lou were married in November 1953, with Uncle Al Lewis as his best man and almost everyone from WCPO in attendance. They had three children: Mary Lynn, Marci and Michael III. They led a very fast-paced social life, running in fascinating and diverse crowds including politicians and vaudeville stars, business owners and artisans. At their parties everyone sang, entertained and danced, fueled by plenty of good food and drink. They lived their lives to the fullest while surviving many challenges with style and grace.

Mike's Life: front and center

After leaving WCPO in 1963, Mike ran his own ad agency for a couple of years before joining Robert Acomb Inc. as a television and radio director. He eventually became president of the small agency in 1975.

Although Mike worked with many clients at Acomb, King Kwik Minit Markets would become his hallmark. He started with the account in the late sixties and created an ad campaign around the "Kwik Sisters." They sang off key with a piano backup while a voice over told viewers why they needed to go to their neighborhood King Kwik store for milk.

The Kwik Sisters didn't quite deliver the punch he wanted for the commercials. So, in the early 70's, Mike thought a couple of "Brothers," with a little more style and better singing voices could fill the ticket. Mike began his search for twin brothers. With only two weeks to present a new campaign to the client, he couldn't find the singing and dancing twins he wanted, so Mike cast himself in the role. He knew enough about television production and chroma-key in particular to make twins out of himself. The client loved it, and a ten-year-long lasting advertising campaign was born.

His Daughter's Quest:

In pursuing my father's legacy, I'm discovering who he really was. Through this book, it's my desire to create a place for him in Cincinnati history, honoring his creativity, talent and contributions to the industries and community he served.