Lee Rothman, Hosted "The Bowling Game"
Bill Schenley
By Amy Rabideau Silvers
http://www.jsonline.com/news/nobits/oct04/266074.asp
Years after the last contestant rolled the last ball, fans still asked
Lee Rothman when "The Bowling Game" would return to Milwaukee
television.
Thousands of bowlers - everybody's friends and neighbors - appeared on
the show next to Rothman, host from 1975 until its end in 1994.
"When he would be at the State Fair with his great-grandson, people
would come up to him and say, 'Hey, Lee, when do we bowl again?' "
said daughter Lynne Pearson. "They'd say, 'When is the show coming
back?' "
Many regarded Rothman as a friend.
"If you're in people's living rooms, five nights a week for 20 years,
they feel that they know you," said his wife, Dorothy Rothman.
Rothman, of Wauwatosa, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
He was 77.
He grew up in Peoria, Ill., which is where a young cheerleader from
another school caught his eye.
"I was 15, and he was 17," said the former Dorothy Weill. "He was the
sports reporter for the newspaper - all the grown-ups were away at
war - and he worked for the Peoria Journal Star.
"The other reporter said, 'She'll never go out with you,' " she said,
telling the story. Lee Rothman bet a quarter that she would, and he
won more than a date.
He was drafted while still in high school, leaving right after
graduation in 1945. He returned in 1947, soon marrying his sweetheart.
"I was 17 then, and he was 20," his wife said, laughing. "He said it
was the most expensive bet he ever made."
By 1952, he landed in Madison with WKOW-AM and then WKOW-TV.
"He hosted 'The Lee Rothman Show,' " said his daughter, describing it
as sort of a local variety show. "It might have featured a tap dancer
from Beaver Dam or a singer from Dodgeville."
Rothman moved to Milwaukee and WRIT-AM in 1957, again in the morning
drive-time slot. The station first billed him as "Melvin the Milkman,"
who played "Grade A moo-sic."
"It was a name that he really disliked," said Don Metzger, a friend
and colleague. Rothman quickly became one of Milwaukee radio's top
morning personalities.
WRIT's early rock format drew stars to Milwaukee and, as a result, his
children never knew who might be visiting after school.
"Frankie Avalon might be at home, or the Smothers Brothers," Pearson
said. "Or it was, 'We're going to dinner with Annette Funicello.' "
Rothman was later named program director and vice president at WRIT. A
second career as a commercial announcer also took off. Rothman did
hundreds of commercials over the years, many with Metzger and his
agency, including for Heiser Ford and Ernie von Schledorn.
The advertising agency for Anheuser-Busch Brewing heard his voice and
hired him for commercials and as introductory announcer for St. Louis
Cardinals baseball games sponsored by the brewery. He did other
national spots for TV and radio.
"Lee had one of the finest commercial voices in the business," Metzger
said. "He was versatile and could change from hard sell to soft sell
like no other announcer I'd ever know. He had a rich, mellow, friendly
sound. . . . He was one of the broadcasting icons in Milwaukee."
In 1975, he was hired as host for "The Bowling Game" - and then he
really became famous. Tom Kohl, a younger deejay, auditioned on a
whim.
"All of a sudden I get to work with a guy I had grown up listening to
on the radio," Kohl said. "And it was a great experience. I was his
color man - he always called us co-hosts, but that was his kind heart.
"Lee was the one interviewing the bowlers in front of the board," he
said. "People got to see their neighbors and everybody had their 15
minutes of fame. Lee just pulled it off and made everyone laugh. He
was the perfect host for that."
The viewers apparently agreed. The show, then on Channel 18, was the
highest-rated independently produced program in the country. About
1988, it moved to Channel 58, where it aired until that station became
a CBS affiliate.
Rothman was active with local charities, especially the Wisconsin
Variety Club Children's Charities. He proudly served as its "Chief
Barker," otherwise known as president.
In 1993, Rothman and Metzger co-founded the Milwaukee Broadcasters
Club. Its next quarterly meeting will be for "Remembering Lee
Rothman."
In addition to his wife and daughter Lynne, survivors include another
daughter, Susan Loveridge; granddaughters; and great-grandsons.
There was a private burial. Visitation will be held from 5:15 p.m.
Thursday until a memorial service at 6 p.m., at Congregation Shalom,
7630 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Fox Point.