The Chicago roots of Tom Dreesen

TVC 747.1: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the life and career of Tom Dreesen, the pioneering comedian, actor, and motivational speaker who was also the opening act for Frank Sinatra for many years. Tom Dreesen passed away on June 17, 2026 at the age of eighty-six. Topics this segment include the night when Dreesen visited Story Salon in 2009 (shortly after the publication of his first book, Tim & Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White), and how he incorporated the stories of every performer who preceded him that night before taking the stage himself at the end of the show; how Dreesen's formative years in Harvey, Illinois left an imprint on him; his partnership with Tim Reid as the first interracial stand-up comedy duo; and how Frank Sinatra once affectionately referred to Dreesen as "a saloon comic."