"In Town Tonight" - Chicago's Channel 2 variety program | TV Guide Chicago, 24-30 December 1955

Big Dagmar visits show. Man with pooch is Caesar Petrillo, who conducts orchestra and doubles as funnyman. Jim Conway, In Town's current emcee, (r.) often puts in 18-hour day.

Nineteen months ago, Ch. 2 launched a late evening variety program which can best be described in retrospect as yawny. It lulled Chicagoans instead of sparking the dark hours as it was meant to do. The program was called In Town Tonight. Celebrities, who were sought as guests, learned to shun the show.

In Town Tonight is still on the air, but it's no longer a pariah. The program has developed into a showcase for visiting talent. Stars who reach Chicago bent on business or pleasure have been known to make a beeline for the Garrick Theater (lair of the show's hardy and somewhat revamped crew) in hopes of appearing on the 15-minuter. The show is seen Monday through Friday over Ch. 2 at 10:15 P.M.

What happened to change the attitude of both stars and viewers toward the program? "We got sensible," answers Les Weinrott, executive producer at the station. A new emcee, Jim Conway, was placed in charge. Visiting stars were allowed to perform instead of being restricted to interviews.

Weinrott, who is fond of calling In Town Tonight "a network show done locally," is proud of one other feature. The program is the only Chicago TV show with a full-time make-up artist.