Chappell:
I know you
recently saw a
couple of
World Wide
shows on video
from the late
70s, when you
were the
announcer.
What passed
through your
mind when you
saw those?
Landrum:
Oh wow, it
was like a
trip down
memory lane!
Chappell:
I’d
imagine!
Landrum:
Oh, it
really was! My
wife and I
watched them
first, and she
was looking at
it and wasn’t
saying much.
Which was
good, because
if she didn’t
say anything
then it was
all right!
Chappell:
It must
have been like
watching an
old home
movie, or
something like
that.
Landrum:
It really
was. But
unlike the one
I’ve seen of
her, where she
kept walking
into the tree;
I didn’t do
that! (laughs)
We were
talking about
how the guys
looked back
then compared
to now…even
myself. Of
course she’d
be prejudiced
and said I
looked as good
now as I did
back then! I
said, ‘Uh, I
don’t know
about that!’
The curly hair
is gone…
Chappell:
Some of
that was 70s
as well I
imagine…
Landrum:
Some of it
was. Actually,
my hair really
was curly, but
I got sick in
’84 and had
three
surgeries in
eight months.
Between all
the anesthesia
and all the
medication, my
hair went to
straw.
Chappell:
Good
grief.
Landrum:
And it
never came
back the way
it was. It’s
wavy, but it’s
not curly
anymore. Back
then, I just
get a perm to
match it all
up.
But it was
fun watching
it, David,
because I
definitely
remembered
that year end
highlight show
in 1978. The
Flair thing
with the
girls…one who
ended up being
Ricky
Steamboat’s
wife in later
years---Bonnie,
the blonde.
Now his
ex-wife, I
understand.
Chappell:
Yes, she
is.
Landrum:
But it was
a real trip
down memory
lane. You
remember on
the show where
Flair says
something to
the effect,
‘Everybody’s
watching your
show because
I’ve made your
show number
one!’ Here’s
the thing, he
was telling
the truth…well
in fact, my
ratings were
higher than
the
Mid-Atlantic
show in most
markets!
Chappell:
Really?
Landrum:
Yeah! In
most markets,
my ratings
were passing
theirs! And
they couldn’t
figure out
why. And I
have my own
thoughts about
that, but we
won’t go
there!
(laughs)
Then Flair
said, ‘That’s
because you
hang around
with
greatness.’ I
looked at him
and said, ‘I
didn’t have
anything to do
with it?’
Chappell:
That was a
great exchange
between you
two. That
brings up a
good point…you
seemed to
really engage
the wrestlers
more than say,
a Bob Caudle.
Bob was great,
but he tended
to just let
the wrestlers
talk. You
would engage
them more, and
it led to some
great back and
forth!
Landrum:
Well, to
me, that’s
what I felt
like needed to
be done.
My job,
yeah, was to
put them over
and make them
look good. But
some guys, if
you didn’t
lead them down
the path, you
were in
trouble.
Chappell:
Who, for
instance?
Landrum:
John
Studd…Tim
Woods, they
come
immediately to
mind.
If you
didn’t get ‘em
started,
they’d stutter
right on
through the
whole
interview. But
if you got ‘em
started and
knew where to
take ‘em, then
we had a good
interview.
(laughs)
And then I did
some things
that didn’t
work real well
sometimes!
Chappell:
But you
were trying!
Landrum:
It was a
thing where I
felt like
there was more
to it than
just sticking
the mic in
their face and
saying, ‘Go!’
You know,
let’s try and
have some
interaction.
And, of
course, being
around [the
wrestlers] all
the time
helped me.
See, at that
point, Bob
Caudle didn’t
travel with
them…he just
did that one
show. He
didn’t go
anywhere with
them. Where I
did the other
live shows in
Richmond and
shows around
the
area…Charlottesville,
and that sort
of thing.
So, I was
actually
around the
guys a whole
lot more than
Bob was. And
we all got to
know each
other, and
became
friends.
Chappell:
And you
continued your
ring
announcing in
Richmond while
also hosting
World Wide
Wrestling.
Landrum:
Sure…sure
did. It was a
lot of fun
hanging out
and traveling
with them. We
had a lot of
good times
together.
I think
all that
really helped,
as far as them
feeling
comfortable
with me…and
vice versa.
Chappell:
You had
some good back
and forth in
your
interviews!
Like the
‘Richard’
thing with
Ricky
Steamboat.
Landrum:
Right, and
no matter
where we were,
TV or not, he
always called
me ‘Richard.’
Because he was
‘Ricky,’ you
know?
Chappell:
Other than
Bob Caudle who
worked with
Channel 5 in
Raleigh, most
of the
Crockett
announcers
that were
there when you
started didn’t
have
professional
broadcasting
backgrounds
like you did.
Many of them
were former
wrestlers, or
family. Did
they help you
when you were
getting
started on the
TV side?
Landrum:
No, they
just tossed me
to the wolves.
Chappell:
Do you
think any of
the existing
announcers
viewed you as
a threat?
Landrum:
(pauses)
Ah, I don’t
know…this may
be out of
school, but I
think maybe
David Crockett
saw me as a
threat. But I
don’t know
why…he was in
the family!
Chappell:
Yeah, if
anybody was
safe, it was
him!
Landrum:
They
weren’t going
to do anything
with him. As
far as the
others go,
when I started
I was just
doing the
commercial
interviews, so
when we were
finished…boom,
I was gone.
And then I’d
be doing the
live shows
some place
else.
I
certainly
don’t think
most of the
other
announcers
viewed me as a
threat…I hope
not.
Chappell:
Compare
yourself
style-wise to
the other
announcers.
Later on, I’ll
ask you who
you thought
was the best!
Landrum:
Your ego
says, ‘Yeah,
boy, I can do
it better than
him!’
But you
gotta
remember, like
Caudle and
I…we were two
different
types of
announcers. I
was obviously
different than
David
Crockett.
Chappell:
I think
it’s fair to
say you had a
different
style than the
guys you’ve
mentioned. So
in some
respects, it’s
like comparing
apples and
oranges.
Landrum:
Well, I
didn’t want to
be a carbon
copy of any of
them. Because,
then [World
Wide
Wrestling]
wouldn’t have
been a
different
show.
I didn’t
want to be
Gordon
Solie…that
wouldn’t have
worked. He’s a
legend down in
Georgia and
Florida. Funny
thing, one
time
[Crockett]
came to me and
asked me if
I’d go to
Georgia and do
a show.
Chappell:
Georgia?
Landrum:
I’m going,
‘Why Georgia?’
I said, ‘What
are we talking
about here?’
They said,
‘We’re
thinking about
making some
changes.’ I’m
thinking,
‘There ain’t
but one
announcer in
Georgia, and
it’s Gordon
Solie!’
Chappell:
(laughs)
Little hard to
move in on his
territory!
Landrum:
Yeah! I
said, ‘Well,
let me think
about it.’ I
wasn’t too
anxious to go
to Georgia. I
wanted to stay
where I was…I
enjoyed
working out of
the Carolinas.
Chappell:
What time
frame would
this have
been, Rich?
Landrum:
Oh, I had
only been
doing the
World Wide
show for about
six or eight
months. That
Georgia thing
came up one
day when we
were in
Raleigh, back
in the office.
Chappell:
Wasn’t
that about the
same time that
Crockett
started going
up to
Canada…Toronto?
Landrum:
Yeah, I
did some stuff
up there with
them a couple
of times. And
it was fun.
Chappell:
Different?
Landrum:
Different
entirely up
there than it
was down in
the South.
Chappell:
But from
everything
I’ve heard
over the
years, it
played pretty
well up there.
Landrum:
It did…it
did. And the
World Wide
show did very
well up there.
Chappell:
And up
there in
Toronto, if
I’m not
mistaken, they
mixed talent
with other
promotions?
Landrum:
They
would…they
would. And
then they
brought a
Canadian
announcer
down…I’d be
doing my show,
and he’s
sitting on the
other side of
the ring. You
couldn’t see
him, and he’d
be doing a
voice over on
all of it…but
I’m hearing
parts of it.
And I’m going,
‘What in the
world is he
talking
about!’
Chappell:
(laughing)
Ya’ll looking
at the same
match?
Landrum:
Yeah…it
doesn’t sound
like what I’m
doing, you
know?
(laughing)
Are we
watching the
same thing?
But yeah,
Crockett was
starting to
spread out a
bit then, in
the late 70s.
We were down
in Augusta,
Georgia a
couple of
times.
Savannah,
certainly. I
think the move
to expand was
there at that
point…I just
don’t think
they were sure
how they were
going to pull
it all
together and
expand it out.
Chappell:
I remember
one time in
1979, the TV
shows were
actually taped
from an arena,
I believe for
the first
time. I think
it was from
Dorton Arena
in Raleigh. If
I’m not
mistaken,
Andre the
Giant was on
the show.
That was
quite
something at
the time, and
in retrospect,
I suspect a
sign that
things were
changing and
expanding.
Landrum:
And then
towards the
end when I was
with them,
they started
taping some
house shows in
Charlotte.
After we moved
the tapings to
Charlotte, to
a little
Podunk
station…WPCQ.
Chappell:
(laughs)
It looked like
they needed a
giant shoe
horn to get
the ring in
that little
studio! They
couldn’t even
get the ring
in there
straight…it
had to be
crooked to fit
in that little
space.
Landrum:
Oh man, I
mean to tell
you, it was
tough in
there! You
could have
just as easily
had it in your
living room!
I mean, it
probably held
50 people at
best. And the
production,
the guys in
the camera
crew, worked
real hard to
make it look
like there
were more than
50 people in
there.
Chappell:
Was it hot
in there? It
sure looked
like the
lights were
right on top
of you in
there.
Landrum:
They were,
they were
right on top
of us. It was
nothing like
WRAL.
WRAL was
as close to a
network
operation as I
had ever seen
at that point
in my life.
They had
fantastic
production
facilities,
fantastic
studio.
Everything
about it, they
had. Of
course, Jesse
Helms owned
it.
Chappell:
That
didn’t hurt!
Landrum:
WRAL was
just fantastic
in every way.
Then we moved
to Charlotte…
Chappell:
During the
summer of
1981.
Landrum:
(laughs) I
remember
rolling up to
this little
UHF station,
and I looked
and said,
‘Holy
Mackerel…what
are we into
now?’
Chappell:
I remember
watching that
first show
from WPCQ, and
I was thinking
the same
thing!
They did
the shows from
WRAL for so
long. Were you
privy to the
reasons for
the move to
this little
‘coat closet’
of a studio in
Charlotte?
Landrum:
Well, the
story I heard
was [WRAL]
wanted to do
some other
things, where
they could
make more
money in a
shorter span
of time. I
don’t know
David…in the
world of
professional
wrestling, you
hear so many
stories, and
you try to
sort through
what’s the
truth and
figure it
out.
So, I
don’t really
know why!
Chappell:
All you
knew for sure
is that you
ended up in
Charlotte!
Landrum:
Yeah, and
I said, ‘You
guys gonna fly
me into
Charlotte,
right?’ And
they said,
‘Well, we’ll
think about
it.’ I said,
‘You better!’
I mean, it
was a three
hour drive
from Charlotte
to Raleigh.
Now, when we
first started
doing it from
Charlotte….we
taped the
commercial
interviews
there, then
got in the car
and drove to
Raleigh to do
the show that
same night!
Chappell:
Oh man!
Landrum:
For a
while, we were
taping the
wrestling
shows in two
different
locations! I’d
fly into
Charlotte and
do the promos
that morning,
and then get
in the car
that afternoon
about
2:00-3:00,
generally Gene
Anderson and
I, and we’d
drive to
Raleigh for
the shows.
I’d drive
half the way
and Gene would
sleep, he’d
drive the
other half and
I’d sleep.
Gene had this
Cadillac with
a diesel
engine. It
might have
gotten great
gas mileage,
but it had NO
power!
Then I’d
fly out of
Raleigh back
to Richmond.
Or ride back
to Richmond
with somebody
else.
Chappell:
(laughs)
No get up and
go in Gene’s
Cadillac?
Landrum:
It didn’t
boogie! Once
you got up
rolling you
were all
right, but if
you wanted to
pass somebody
you weren’t
gonna do it.
But yeah,
for a while in
1981 we were
doing the TV
from two
different
places. We did
that for
probably two
or three
months. It
seemed like
forever!
Chappell:
Was the
switch from
Raleigh to
Charlotte a
surprise?
Landrum:
We knew it
was coming,
because
Crockett kept
saying, ‘We’re
looking for
another
location.’ I
always thought
they would
probably do it
at WBT in
Charlotte…that
would have
been a station
that was
comparable to
WRAL. But I
think probably
WBT wanted too
much money to
do it, and
Crockett just
didn’t want to
put the money
out for it.
Chappell:
Rich, let
me ask you
specifically
about the
World Wide
Wrestling show
as compared to
the
Mid-Atlantic
Championship
Wrestling
show. What was
the major
benefit to
having the
second show?
Landrum:
We were
promoting the
same live
shows, and the
major
advantage to
it was that we
were getting
double
exposure.
That’s what it
really
amounted to.
Back then,
TV was a
liability…
Chappell:
How so?
Landrum:
Because
you had all of
the expense of
taping it.
Back then the
stations
played it in
lieu of
commercial
consideration…
Chappell:
Right, you
heard that
line at the
end of every
show!
Landrum:
The
stations could
sell spots in
the show, as
long as we
maintained two
spots.
But it was
a liability…it
cost a lot of
money to do
that. Even
back then.
Chappell:
But the
weekly TV show
drove the
product back
then, didn’t
it?
Rich
Landrum on the
set of World
Wide Wrestling
(Rich Landrum
Collection)
Landrum:
But see,
that’s what
drove it into
the house
shows. Without
TV, you could
have had the
World’s
Champion come
in and nobody
would have
known what was
going on. So,
you had to
have TV…that’s
what drove the
live show.
Nowadays,
of course,
it’s the total
opposite. TV
is the big
thing.
Chappell:
Without
question.
Landrum:
Coincidentally,
they taped a
[WWE] RAW a
couple of
weeks ago…I
didn’t even
know they were
in Richmond. I
had no clue. A
friend told me
about it, and
I said, ‘When
were they
here, I
haven’t seen a
thing on it?’
He said
that must be a
pretty good
indicator, and
it was.
Checking the
numbers on the
WWE shows,
because I also
own an
advertising
agency,
they’re way
down here. TV
is way down
for them. I
think the
circus
wrestling has
run its cycle.
I hope!
Chappell:
Now, Rich,
when you first
started
announcing for
the World Wide
show, you were
by
yourself…you
didn’t have a
color
commentator.
How was it
doing a show
solo?
Landrum:
(laughs)
You know that
1978
highlights
show video
we’ve been
talking about?
I was by
myself then.
My wife’s
watching the
show with me,
and she’s
saying, ‘You
have a cold,
and you’re
talking awful
fast!’ I went,
‘Yeah, I
remember that
show…I did not
want to be
there that
night.’
Chappell:
You seemed
fine…
Landrum:
I was
ill…I did not
feel good. I
was dragging
by the time we
got to that
show.
Chappell:
You could
have used a
color
commentator
that night!
Landrum:
I could
have used
ANYTHING! So,
one of the
guys said,
‘Take this,
it’ll make you
feel better.’
About 20
minutes later,
I was feeling
great!
Chappell:
This is
the 1978 year
in review show
on video,
right?
Landrum:
Yeah,
David, and if
you listen to
it…I’m talking
REAL fast.
(laughing)
Little did I
know…the guy
had given me
speed!
Chappell:
(laughing)
You felt no
pain!
Landrum:
But I come
out and
finish, and
I’m talking a
mile a minute.
Steamboat
goes, ‘Listen
to how fast
you’re
talking!’ And
he starts
laughing! And
I go, ‘Damn, I
am!’
Chappell:
(laughing)
Landrum:
Lord, I
definitely
remember that
show!
Chappell:
You did
that show
solo, and for
quite awhile
early on you
announced the
show by
yourself. How
was that?
Landrum:
Oh, man, I
was so happy I
ended up with
Johnny Weaver!
You can
carry a show
just so far by
yourself. And
then after a
while, it
really becomes
a burden. You
run out of
things to say.
You can only
say so many
things, so
many times.
Chappell:
Surely.
Johnny Weaver
and Rich
Landrum (Rich
Landrum
Collection)
Landrum:
Having
somebody like
John, who I
dubbed the
Dean of
Professional
Wrestling, was
really great.
Chappell:
Why was
that?
Landrum:
Because of
his knowledge
and his
history in the
business.
There was very
little I could
have thrown at
him that he
wouldn’t have
known the
answer to.
Chappell:
You all
had a great
chemistry on
the air. It
appeared like
you all really
liked each
other.
Landrum:
Oh, we
did. And it
was fun, you
know?
I talked
to John last
summer and
then again
right before
Christmas, and
we had not
seen each
other or
talked in 20
years. And
that was
great!
Chappell:
I bet that
really was!
How did
John become
your regular
color
commentator? I
remember a
World Wide
show in early
1979 where
Weaver comes
out to help
you commentate
a match
between Paul
Jones and
Ricky
Steamboat for
Ricky’s U.S.
Title. Paul
pulls Ricky’s
tights to
apparently win
the belt, but
John shows
(referee) Stu
Schwartz the
instant replay
of the pin and
Jimmy Crockett
gives the belt
back to
Steamboat.
Weaver did
really well
with you on
that match. It
might not have
been
immediately
after that,
but Weaver was
a regular with
you pretty
soon after
that.
Landrum:
No, it
wasn’t
immediate…but
it was shortly
thereafter.
It wasn’t
my idea to
have John do
the color, but
when it came
up, I was
surely in
favor of it.
To tell
you the truth,
my first
thought was
that they were
trying to get
rid of me.
Because I knew
how it worked,
from when they
brought me in.
Chappell:
How did
you handle
that?
Landrum:
I went to
John, and I
said, ‘Okay,
you’ll be the
one that will
tell me the
truth…I hope.’
He said, ‘I’m
just coming on
to help you
with it…I
don’t want to
do the show
forever.’ That
was good
enough for me.
So, when
he came on
board it was
great. We
played off
each other
really well.
We did so much
stuff off
camera, and
during the off
period when
you couldn’t
see us or hear
us. We just
had a lot of
fun with it.
PART
FIVE
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