A fan of the long time Cincinnati morning television host had sent Dixon a rubber chicken as a souvenir. Dixon took to calling the chicken Pauline, using it/her as a prop when he did
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A fan of the long time Cincinnati morning television host had sent Dixon a rubber chicken as a souvenir. Dixon took to calling the chicken Pauline, using it/her as a prop when he did commercials for the Kroger supermarket chain, saying "Kroger has a special on chicken", and then invariably tossing it/her over his shoulder.
Another fan sent him an additional rubber chicken which Dixon took to calling Harry, who became a "companion" for Pauline. Over time people began to ask if Dixon was going to marry the feathered couple. Dixon was initially against the idea, but as more and more people, including WLWT boss John Murphy, continued to ask when he would perform the "Chicken Wedding", Dixon finally capitulated, and in so doing made television history.
On Tuesday, March 11, 1969, Dixon staged the first ever wedding for two rubber chickens complete with all the trimmings. The wedding itself was broadcast live on the show, and featured then-WLWT news anchor Tom Atkins narrating and midday television personality Bob Braun as Best Man, with co-hosts Bonnie Lou and Colleen Sharp as matrons of honor. Marian Spelman made a guest appearance singing a humorous version of "A Bird in a Gilded Cage."
People actually stayed home from work and school to watch the Chicken Wedding live. It went on to become the highest-rated episode in the show's history, and to this day WLWT gets more requests and questions about this particular episode than any other show in the station's history.
