Arthur Godfrey

===La Rosa incident===
{{original research|section|date=September 2022}}
{{npov|section|date=September 2022}}
{{more citations needed section|date=July 2018}}

Like many men of his generation, Julius La Rosa, as well as other male Godfrey cast members, thought dance lessons to be somewhat [[effeminate]] and bristled when Godfrey ordered them for his entire performing crew. CBS historian Robert Metz suggested that Godfrey had instituted the practice because his own physical limitations made him sensitive to the need for [[Motor coordination|physical coordination]] on camera. "Godfrey", Metz wrote, "was concerned about his cast in his paternalistic way".

Godfrey and La Rosa had a dispute in the fall of 1953, when La Rosa, the most popular of the "Little Godfreys", missed a dance lesson due to a "family emergency". He claimed he had advised Godfrey, but was nonetheless barred, via a notice placed on a cast bulletin board, from appearing on the show for a day in retaliation. La Rosa went to Godfrey's hotel and attempted to discuss the incident, but after being rebuffed by Godfrey's assistants, he waited in the lobby. When Godfrey came into the lobby, he reportedly walked past La Rosa as if he wasn't there and refused to talk with him. At that point, La Rosa, whose success on records had brought interest from top show business managers and agents, retained manager Tommy Rockwell to renegotiate his contract with Godfrey or, failing that, to receive an outright release; however, such talks had yet to occur.
[[File:Julius La Rosa 1955.JPG|left|thumb|upright=1.0|Julius La Rosa]]

La Rosa was also signed to [[Cadence Records]], founded by Godfrey's musical director [[Archie Bleyer]], who produced "[[Eh, Cumpari!]]", the best-selling record of La Rosa's musical career. La Rosa later admitted the record's success had made him a little cocky. Godfrey discovered that La Rosa had hired Rockwell in the wake of the dance lesson reprimand, when he received a letter from Rockwell, dictating that all future dealings with La Rosa would be handled through [[General Artists Corporation]], Rockwell's agency. At that point, Godfrey immediately consulted with CBS President Dr. [[Frank Stanton (executive)|Frank Stanton]], who noted that Godfrey had hired La Rosa on the air and suggested firing him the same way. Whether Stanton intended this to occur after Godfrey spoke with La Rosa and his manager about the singer's future on the program, or whether Stanton suggested Godfrey actually fire La Rosa on air without warning, is unknown. Soon after the firings, Stanton conceded "maybe this was a mistake".

On October 19, 1953, near the end of his morning radio show&nbsp;– deliberately waiting until ''after'' the television portion had ended&nbsp;– after lavishing praise on La Rosa in introducing the singer's performance of "[[Manhattan (song)|Manhattan]]", Godfrey thanked him and then announced that this was La Rosa's "[[swan song]]" with the show, adding, "He goes now, out on his own&nbsp;– as his own star&nbsp;– soon to be seen on his own programs, and I know you'll wish him godspeed as much as I do". Godfrey then signed off for the day, saying, "This is the CBS Radio Network". La Rosa, who did not know what the phrase "swan song" meant, was incredulous when told he had just been fired, since he had not been informed beforehand of his termination, and contract renegotiations had not yet taken place. In perhaps a further illumination of the ego that Godfrey had previously kept hidden, radio historian [[Gerald Nachman (journalist)|Gerald Nachman]], in ''Raised on Radio'', claims that what truly angered Godfrey about his now-former protegé was that La Rosa's [[fan mail]] had come to exceed Godfrey's.<ref name=PoTPBS>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/|title=Pioneers of Television|website=Pbs.org|access-date=June 21, 2023}}</ref> It is probable that a combination of these factors led to Godfrey's decision to discharge La Rosa. Godfrey very likely did not expect the public backlash that followed, a result of the incident running directly counter to Godfrey's solicitous, paternal image.

The La Rosa incident was the beginning of an era of controversy that enveloped Godfrey, gradually destroyed his folksy image, and diminished his popularity. La Rosa's was not, however, the only firing that day. Godfrey also fired Archie Bleyer. In 1952, Bleyer had formed his own record label, [[Cadence Records]], which had a contract with La Rosa; Bleyer also married Janet Ertel of The Chordettes. The focus of Godfrey's anger was the fact that Bleyer, while on hiatus from the show, had produced a spoken-word record by Godfrey's Chicago counterpart [[Don McNeill (performer)|Don McNeill]] to be issued by Cadence. McNeill hosted ''[[Don McNeill's Breakfast Club|The Breakfast Club]]'', which had been Godfrey's direct competition on the [[NBC]] [[Blue Network]] (later [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]) since Godfrey's days at WJSV. Despite the far more modest following of the McNeill show, Godfrey was unduly offended, even paranoid, at what he felt was disloyalty on Bleyer's part. According to Godfrey, a meeting between Bleyer and Godfrey immediately following La Rosa's dismissal, revealing Bleyer was unconcerned about the matter. He claimed Bleyer simply shrugged off the dismissal and focused on developing Cadence, which found significant success with hit records by the [[Everly Brothers]] and [[Andy Williams]]. Bleyer himself never commented publicly on the rift with Godfrey.

La Rosa, on the other hand, was beloved enough by Godfrey's fans that they saved their harshest criticism for Godfrey himself. After the firing, a conference was held by La Rosa and his agent. On October 21, with public animosity towards Godfrey steadily rising, Godfrey further complicated the matter at a press conference of his own where he announced the firing of La Rosa and Bleyer, citing their "outside activities". While praising La Rosa, Godfrey added he felt that La Rosa had lost his "humility". The charge, given Godfrey's sudden baring of his own ego beneath the façade of warmth, brought anger, mockery, and a significant backlash from both the press and public.<ref name=PoTPBS/> Almost instantly, Godfrey and the phrase "no humility" became the butt of many comedians' jokes. 

In November 1953 singer-songwriter [[Ruth Wallis]], renowned for her ''[[double-entendre]]'' "party records", wrote and recorded a topical novelty song, "Dear Mr. Godfrey", with the pointed lyric "hire me and fire me and make a star of me." The record, self-published by Wallis, was an immediate sensation, selling more than 100,000 copies during its first 10 days of release, and launching Wallis on a whirlwind nightclub tour later that same month.<ref>''Variety'', "'Godfrey' Disk Sales Hum; Ruth Wallis Cafe Dates", Nov. 18, 1953, p. 51.</ref>

Godfrey later claimed he had given La Rosa a release from his contract that the singer had personally requested. Godfrey, however, provided no evidence to support that contention.