[citation needed] He gained national attention for his broadcasts on Pasadena, California, station KXLA in 1947.
An article in the LA Times reflecting on early TV described the show as "predecessor of NBC's Saturday Night Live.
In the early 1960s, while doing Instant Weather on KTTV/Channel 11, Hawthorne joined KFWB as assistant PD and morning DJ, and eventually became VP, National Program Manager for Crowell-Collier Broadcasting.
In 1965, "ol Weather Eyes" moved to Honolulu to "retire" and ended up creating the Checkers and Pogo kids show for TV which ran for 11 years.
[citation needed] On November 6, 2007, he died of congestive heart disease at age 88 in Santa Barbara, California.