Why did the KQV deejays call the corner of 7th Avenue and Smithfield Street the Corner of Walk and Don't Walk. It would seem quite simple. There were signs at the corner telling pedestrians when to cross the street and when not to cross the street. Roy Elwell introduced the phrase to KQV listeners during his stint at KQV in approximately 1958. "I introduced the whimsical location of the corner of Walk and Don't Walk into radio patter after hearing a joke. It was about a guy who was out on the town and realized he was too drunk to drive home. He called his wife and asked her to pick him up. "Where are you?" she said. The guy said, "I don't know." The wife told him to "Look at the street signs." There was a brief pause and the guy came back on the line, and with slurred speech he said, "I'm at the corner of Walk and Don't Walk." Now, as they say, you know the rest of the story.
|
