Before Oprah: Ruth Lyons, the Woman Who Created Talk TV by Michael BanksMy review
Until I was fifteen years old on weekdays at noon, tv sets were turned to watch the 50-50 Club and if you did not want to sit quietly and watch, you were sent outside. Ruth Lyons was a major influence on every woman I knew during my childhood. Ruth's endorsements meant we slept on Serta Mattresses, shopped at Shillito's when we were in Cincinnati, washed our clothes in Fels Naptha, ate Roman Meal bread with Nu-Maid margarine. Women could converse about topics from her shows, knowing any other woman in this tri-state area had seen the show. Sympathy was extended to those who had to miss a show.
Two of my brothers and my own daughter received gifts from the Ruth Lyons Christmas Club during their hospitalization. This occurred over a time span of 30 years and 25 years after her show stopped broadcasting.
People who remember her show and her influence on Cincinnati, northern Kentucky, Dayton, Columbus, and Indianapolis will probably enjoy this book more than others who did not know of her.
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