From the Annals of Country Folklore  –  In 1951, the “John Henry Faulk” show was first broadcast on  WCBS.  Faulk was from Austin and considered to be a master story-teller.  The show featured Faulk’s humor as well as music and some listener participation.  The show lasted for six years when it was discontinued largely because of the Cold War and McCarthyite blacklisting of the 1950s.  Because of his political views, Faulk was branded a Communist by AWARE, Inc.  a company that allegedly investigated the political attitudes of entertainers.  The ridiculous charge resulted in a spineless CBS removing Faulk from the airwaves.  Faulk sued AWARE in 1957 and ultimately recovered $3.5 million which was the largest libel judgment in history to that date.  Faulk’s book, Fear on Trial, described his battle against AWARE.  Austin TV and Radio personality Cactus Pryor was a major Faulk supporter during his blacklist troubles.  Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson resisted pressure to remove Pryor from his position because of his support for Faulk.   Faulk later appeared on Hee Haw.  He died in Austin in 1990.

Photo from http://www.tejasstorytelling.com