There was a time in boomer history when AM disc jockeys and car hops were linked like burgers and fries. Boston had Arnie and Adventure ...

In the late 1950s, AM top-40 radio ruled. Every city had at least one station that "played the hits," and Boston was no exception. Top 40 was also known for its disc jockeys, many of whom became local celebrities, beloved by their fans.

In Boston, Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg was a favorite, and even for that era of fast-talking, crazy D.J.'s, Arnie was unique. For one thing, in a world where the typical announcer had a big, deep voice and a non-ethnic sounding name like Johnny Dark or Tom Allen, there was Arnie with a high-pitched, squeaky voice and a Jewish last name.

Arnie often joked about his voice. He called himself "Old Leather Lungs" or "Old Aching Adenoids." His show was the "Night Train," and he used lots of sound effects -- especially bells, whistles, and horns. That's where his nickname of "Woo Woo" came from.

Top-40 D.J.s often did promotional events, usually tied in with a sponsor. Arnie's show on WMEX Radio had plenty of sponsors, but perhaps the most memorable was Adventure Car Hop. It was a drive-in restaurant in Saugus, located on U.S. Route 1, the Newburyport Turnpike. Whenever Arnie did the commercial, he would first play a catchy jingle, often punctuated by his whistles and horns:

"Adventure Car Hop is the place to go
For food that's always right.
Adventure food is always just so.
(You'll relish every bite!)
Out on Route One in Saugus,
Come dressed just as you are.
Adventure, where the service is tops,
And you never get out of your car."

A promotional feature of the commercial was a hamburger called the "Ginsburger." If you ordered it, the waitress brought it to your car on a 45 rpm hit record, which you could keep. And as if that wasn't enough, all you had to do was say "Woo-Woo Ginsburg," and you would get a second Ginsburger, absolutely free.

As memorialized in George Lucas' American Graffiti, the late 50s/early 60s was a time when the drive-in experience was especially popular with teens, many of whom enjoyed hanging out with their friends and showing off their cars. And similarly linked to a D.J., Adventure Car Hop in the Boston area became one of these favorite places to be seen.

And let's not forget the waitresses who didn't have easy jobs. Dressed like cowgirls, the "car hops" had to be both accurate and fast, as they hurried back and forth taking orders and bringing food while serving the many hundreds of cars that pulled in and out of the parking lot on any given night.

By 1964, Adventure Car Hop was gone, as trends changed and the drive-in craze was no more. For a while, the route 1 location was home to Caruso's Diplomat, a banquet hall for hire. But in late 2006, the property was sold to a developer who planned to build retail shops. Still, for those of us who grew up here, when we drive by the old location, we can still remember the Ginsburger and the old Adventure Car Hop jingle.

And what of Arnie? An honored D.J. in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he has outlived the car hop era and WMEX Radio and continued on as a major radio personality at a number of stations until he retired to the coast of Maine in 1996. But if you have a copy of the Cruisin' 1961 CD, you can hear him re-enact a typical top-40 radio show, complete with that Adventure Car Hop jingle.

Wouldn't it be grand to have just one more "Ginsburger' on a 45 RPM platter?