My Ladmo Bag

if you grew up in the Phoenix Valley in the 60s, 70s, or 80s, you’ll understand what it means to receive a Ladmo Bag. If you didn’t, you probably can’t understand how a paper bag with 10 treats and a picture of Wallace, Ladmo, and Gerald could mean so much to me. But it meant more to me than I ever realized.

From 2004 through 2008 I was fortunate to produce a show for Brian Nissen entitled Citrus Valley Playhouse. It was radio, performed live on stage at various art houses in Arizona, then later played on KJZZ Public Radio. In 2008, one of the shows was a one-night-only tribute to the Wallace and Ladmo show. Wallace (Bill Thompson) and Gerald (Pat McMahan) attended the tribute. Sadly Ladmo (Ladimir Kwiatkowski) past away in 1994. Ladmo’s wife Patsy came and gave a wonderful acceptance speech for Ladmo. Bill’s wife Katie also came.

It was a great show. But for me, the highlight was meeting Wallace for lunch several times to get ready for the show. If you had told the young me that he would grow up and hang out with Wallace I wouldn’t have believed you. And to have Wallace know my name, joke with me, and treat me like a friend, was more than the young me could have imagined. Added to my joy was hanging out with Pat on a number of occasions. Pat is a man whose comedic talents seem to know no bounds. And here he was joking around with me. Heaven.

We made a video that we showed during the show that explains the desire we all had to get a Ladmo Bag. You can watch it here:

[Insert video here]

After showing the video, Wallace gave out forty Ladmo bags to the crowd of around 1,500 at the Mesa Arts Center. Of course, I was not one of them because I was helping Wallace hand them out.

The next year, my 40-year high school reunion came around and Brian and I were asked to provide the entertainment in the Westwood High School’s auditorium (Shepard Auditorium). We called Wallace and he agreed to come. After all, this was his crowd. The night went great. We showed the video and surprised the audience with Wallace’s appearance. But when Wallace came out to meet the crowd, he came out with a special Ladmo Bag and handed it to me. Here is a picture of my Wallace presenting me with a Ladmo Bag. I was surprised by the flood of emotions that a simple brown bag filled with 10 treats picked up (by Brian I’m sure) at a convenience store meant to me. Of course, it’s not the bag. It’s what it represents - the fulfillment of a little boy’s dreams.

Thanks, Wallace. I will never forget you. (Wallace passed away July 23, 2014).