About Mike Tangi

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 and advertising, during an era of glamour and excess, 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 story unfolds while television is in its infancy. TV, the new kid on the broadcast block, quickly becomes a powerhouse that changes broadcasting, advertising and society forever. Cincinnati's early TV, radio and recording scene is a springboard for many famous careers: Rod Serling, the Clooney sisters, James Brown and Doris Day. Cincinnatians make 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 our early, local "live" TV programs, created and produced in Cincinnati, 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, WCPO-TV's news anchor, invented the offsite roaming news segment, copied by stations across the country.

Junior: the early years

Born in Stamford, Connecticut, Mike "Junior" was the oldest of Patrina and Mike Tangi's three children: Mike followed by Palma, then Pat. Patrina's parents emigrated from Sicily to Stamford in the early1900s. Patrina's 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 and lived with his sister until he joined the Army at eighteen. Mike Sr. would become a printer at Conde Nast Publications and work there for more than fifty years.

Both of Mike's 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 them. He built on their base, 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 his goal. While touring with an Army troupe as an emcee, ukulele-playing singer, comic and female impersonator, Mike discovered entertaining others was the key to his mission's success.

Mike became enamored with television, while traveling as a soldier entertainer. After his tour of duty, he enrolled in the New York Television Workshop and learned 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.

Mike's Life: behind the camera

One week after graduating from the New York Television Workshop, in 1953, he received a call from WCPO-TV in Cincinnati. The station's executives offered him a TV director position. A week later, he moved to Cincinnati, with very little cash in his pocket, but lots 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, Larry Smith, Al and Wanda Lewis, Len Goorian, Bud Chase and many others. One show in particular would stand out: "The Uncle Al Show." Mike produced, directed, wrote jingles, scripts, songs, and was the character voice for 33 different animals, puppets and inanimate objects for the show. With a director's headset on and open microphone in front of him, one minute he was positioning the crew, the next responding in character voice to Uncle Al's greeting, "Good Morning, Mr. Sun."

Mike's most famous song he wrote for "The Uncle Al Show," passed down from generation to generation in the Greater Cincinnati area, is "Put Your Toys Away." His advertising jingles for the show's sponsors, like Pat & Joe's Furniture and Barq's, are embedded in the minds of almost everyone that watched the program during its thirty-five year run. Mike is with "The Uncle Al Show" during its first ten years.

Mike's Life: love and marriage

Shortly after Mike arrived in Cincinnati, Mollie Marlain, Paul Dixon's occasional Gal Friday on his TV show, introduced Mike to her niece, Mary Lou. Mary Lou was a dance instructor for Arthur Murray's Dance Studio in downtown Cincinnati, 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.

In 1985, Mary Lou dies of cancer at age 50. Mike remarries in 1986. Mike and Jan (Austin) are together until his death, in 1995, at age 64.

Mike's Life: career in the spotlight

Mike helped his many clients grow their businesses, during his 32 years in advertising. While at Robert Acomb Advertising, Mike's role with client, King Kwik Minit Markets, became his hallmark—both creatively and monetarily for the client.

Each year, Mike developed new ideas for King Kwik's ad campaigns. In 1970, Mike introduced the "Kwik Sisters" to TV viewers and radio listeners. They sang off key with a piano backup, while a voice-over reminded the audience to visit their neighborhood King Kwik store for milk.

The Kwik Sisters didn't quite deliver the punch he wanted for the commercials. So, Mike thought a couple of "Brothers," with a little more style and better singing voices, would fill the bill. 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 of himself. The client loved it, and a decade-long advertising campaign was born.