Encyclopedia Of Detroit

Marilyn Turner is a former Detroit area weathercaster and talk show host who along with her husband John Kelly are best known for their long-running program Kelly & Company. Turner grew up in Ontario and started her career as a commercial spokeswoman. She became weathercaster - “Miss Fairweather” - on WJBK-TV (Channel 2) in 1957. Turner deliverered weather reports on the weekends and cultivated her modeling career during the week. In 1973 she moved to WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) and forecasted the weather five nights a week. Former WJBK-TV newscaster John Kelly had moved to WXYZ-TV one year earlier. Turner and Kelly had both divorced, began a relationship together, and were married in December 1974.

The two hosted Kelly & Company from the mid-1970s until the show ended in 1995. The program was a personable, guest-oriented talk show taped in front of a live studio audience. As Detroit’s premier local talk show, it became a key component of WXYZ-TV’s image in the community. The duo also hosted the afternoon program Good Afternoon Detroit for four years. Kelly & Company was Detroit’s last locally-produced non-news program when it went off the air.