P.'s bits was to call the city dump operator Gertrude on a big yellow banana phone, although Gertrude herself was never seen or heard. One day, as J. P. asked for a ham sandwich from Gertrude for a picnic, Newman yelled out, in a falsetto voice, "Okay Julius, I'll send it right down." Wedes was as surprised as everyone else, and from that day forward Newman became Gertrude, with his falsetto voice, frumpy dress and a wig made from a dyed red mop. J. P. got his "ham" as Bob Newman was willing to do anything for a laugh and proved to be the perfect foil for Wedes' improvisational comedy. He provided over 17 characters for the show and remained a faithful friend to Chris Wedes up until his death in 2012. Newman died on December 13, 2020. ICU2TV J. P. announced the birthdays of selected Patches Pals by "viewing" them on his "ICU2TV" set (a cardboard prop that created the appearance that J. P. was looking at you from inside your television). He predicted where a gift might be hidden in the child's house with amazing accuracy (with the never-mentioned assistance of a postcard from a parent). The sound effect used was the same, distinctive ringtone of Lloyd Cramden's "presidential hotline" telephone in Our Man Flint. Famous guests on TV show Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows Al Capp Jacques Cousteau Beverly Garland (of My Three Sons) The Harlem Globetrotters Jack LaLanne Clayton Moore Jesse Owens Slim Pickens Dixy Lee Ray Debbie Reynolds Merrilee Rush Colonel Harland Sanders Danny Thomas Tiny Tim Burt Ward Origin Broadcaster Daryl Laub created the J. P. Patches character in 1953 for WTCN-TV in Minneapolis. When he left WTCN in 1955 for KSTP-TV, Chris Wedes (pronounced WEE-dus) took over the character from that point on. Wedes appeared on several WTCN programs. Besides J.P., his most notable character was Joe the Cook, a sidekick to host Roger Awsumb as Case Jones on WTCN's Lunch with Casey. Wedes brought J. P. with him when he moved to Seattle in 1958 to become KIRO-TV's first floor director. In addition to the long-running TV show, J. P. Patches made frequent fundraising appearances for local charities. He was a common sight at Children's Hospital, visiting sick kids and promoting the work of the hospital. Late for the Interurban statue On August 17, 2008, a bronze statue of J. P. and