Two years into the show, McNeill brought in live audiences. At the same time he threw away the stiff and stuffy scripts and from then on everything on the program was adlib.
People appearing on the show over the years included Jim and Marian Jordan, later known as "Fibber McGee and Molly, "Fran Allison, who later starred in the "Kukla, Fran, and Ollie" puppet show, appeared regularly as the gossipy character, "Aunt Fanny." In 1949, singer Johnny Desmond debuted on "The Breakfast Club."
In McNeills absence, guest emcee’s included Jack Paar and Don Amichi.
Sam Cowling was the longtime show clown. Ladies in the audience lined up to take turns in the “dance with Sam” segment.
Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Gary Cooper, Ginger Rogers, and James Stewart were featured guests.
One of the shows most popular features was "calls to breakfast" every 15 minutes—wake-up calls when the audience marched around the table.
McNeill didn’t resent that his humor was called "corny." He had a special ability to talk to anyone, from foreign heads of state to humble day laborers.
The show's success stemmed from McNeil's ability to project a folksy personality. The broadcast began with a singing welcome: “Good morning Breakfast Clubbers, good morning to ya, we woke up bright and early just to howdy-do ya.”
A picture of my cave
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