The 1950’s and 60’s were a special time for children in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each day there was a kiddy television show called Lunch With Casey. It featured Roger Awsumb as railroad engineer Casey Jones and aired on WTCN channel 11. Roger Awsumb was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on July 10, 1928 to Ardin and […]
Every so often you run into something really cool. Here is an old TV commercial featuring Roger Awsumb as Casey Jones and Daryl Laub as T.N.Tatters. This dates to 1983. Daryl Laub played Skipper Daryl and J.P. Patches on WTCN from 1954-55 where he worked with Roger Awsumb. He then moved to KSTP and the […]
Here’s a photo of Casey that I found years ago. Not sure where it came from, where it was taken, or even when it happened. It appears to be Casey making an appearance at a Halloween event of some kind. My guess is this is sometime in the early or mid-90s. Anyone have any info […]
Johnny Kumpula shared these pictures of a can of Billy Boy Syrup with a Casey Jones promotion attached. As best I can tell, this dates to the late 50’s. Information about Billy Boy Syrup is hard to come by. I found a couple newspaper ads dating from 1959. It was produced by William Barnes, Inc. […]
Came across this photo of Casey and Roundhouse from an appearance in 1968. They were at the Kolacky Kiddies Day Parade in Montgomery, MN. Kolacky Days is an annual celebration held there focusing on the local Czech heritage. You can read more on their website.
Here’s a rare clipping from 1958. Roger Awsumb and his wife Paula and daughter Nancy boarding a train for a vacation in Seattle. This was published in The North Coaster, a newsletter for the Northern Pacific Railway, dated May-June 1958.
It’s been a Casey Jones holiday favorite since it was first performed on Lunch With Casey. The story goes that Casey lip synced to Jimmy Jenson’s recording of Walking in My Winter Underwear, while dancing in old style long underwear. After the broadcast, the show received a complaint from a viewer who was upset and […]
Jimmy Jenson, known as the “Swingin’ Swede,” passed away on August 7, 2015 at the age of 84. Jimmy is best known to fans of Lunch with Casey for his rendition of “Walking in My Winter Underwear.” Roger Awsumb, as Casey Jones, would lip sync to the song in a popular clip from the […]
This advertisement appeared a couple times in TV Guide in 1961-62. At some point in 1961, the Casey Jones program moved from the 5PM slot back to it’s traditional 12 noon time slot. This is when the show name officially became “Lunch With Casey.” Casey’s show started in 1954 at noon and held that slot […]
