Gadabout Gaddis

Roscoe Vernon Gaddis (January 28, 1896 – October 21, 1986), known professionally as Gadabout Gaddis, was a 20th-century American fisherman and television pioneer.[1] Gaddis was born in Mattoon, Illinois and was nicknamed Gadabout by a boss who said he could never find him.[2]

Gaddis, an avid fisherman since his youth in Illinois,[3] was also a pilot and adventurer. He began his career in the early days of television by showing his home movies of his fishing expeditions.[4] In 1939 he briefly hosted a program about fishing on General Electric's experimental TV station W2XAD in Schenectady, New York.[2] When W2XAD became WRGB in the mid-1940s, Gaddis returned to the station to host Outdoors with Liberty Mutual, which was only the second sponsored television show (Lowell Thomas's being the first).[2] The show was eventually carried on 73 stations. Going Places with Gadabout Gaddis in the 1950s was less successful,[5] but beginning in the early 1960s Gaddis starred in The Flying Fisherman, also sponsored by Liberty Mutual.

  1. ^ John Petrocelli. "Gadabout Gaddis - The Flying Fisherman". Salty Dog Seakayaking Webzine. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Hobson, Dick. (1966, April 2-8). One day, Gadabout Gaddis posted a sign GONE FISHING and that was 56 years ago. TV Guide, pp 24-26.
  3. ^ "'Gadabout' Gaddis, TV's 'Flying Fisherman,' Dead at 90". Associated Press. October 21, 1986. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  4. ^ Benson, James E. (2008). Along Old Canada Road. Arcadia Publishing. p. 8. ISBN 978-0738556659. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Robert Matarazzo (2009). "Baby Boomer Hero: The Flying Fisherman". Tackle. Retrieved April 5, 2013.