Arne Harris

The name Arne Harris is one that draws instant recognition from hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans who've grown up watching his television handiwork. Thanks to decades of praise from the likes of Jack Brickhouse and Harry Caray on Cub telecasts, Harris has become famous in his own right as the impresario in the longest running television program in this or any other city: WGN's Chicago Cubs telecasts.

Insiders, as well as the public, recognize the universal appeal of his work. It can be argued that Arne Harris, more than any other television director, has helped to define how we watch baseball. He has turned sports coverage into entertainment, and in the process, can claim some of the credit for our love and devotion to a team that hasn't always earned it.

But while the guys in front of the camera get the notoriety, until now, Arne Harris The Man is a virtual unknown. This episode of Chicago Stories follows Arne Harris' career from the WGN mailroom, to announcing for the Harlem Globetrotters, to directing memorable WGN news and children's programs, and finally to the tiny truck outside Wrigley Field where he's worked his magic directing Cubs broadcasts since 1964. We will hear his story in his own words and from colleagues whose careers have benefited from the association, including retired long-time WGN Sports figures Jack Rosenberg and Sheldon Cooper, sportscaster Steve Stone, and Chicago Cubs legend Ron Santo.