How powerful was Arthur Godfrey back in the day?

I'm sure most people here already know this, but one notable highlight of Godfrey's post-La Rosa career was booking a then-unknown Patsy Cline for her television debut.

 

Woody Woodbury:

"As Woody weighed his options, his agent at the time suggested Fort Lauderdale, predicting, correctly, that the entertainment scene down there was ready to blow up. Woody's first Fort Lauderdale engagement was the one that would propel him to local stardom: the Chart Room at the Bahama Hotel. He started there in November 1956. Some of the biggest names in show business dropped in to see Woody's act, making the Chart Room one of the hottest night spots in South Florida..."

"Back in Fort Lauderdale, Woody returned to his roots as a nightclub performer, playing the piano and telling jokes. He began what would eventually become a ten-year engagement at the LuluBelle Room of the Beach Club Hotel. The quieter summertime off-weeks allowed Woody to do shows all over the United States and even Europe. After his stint at the Beach Club ended, Woody continued to play dates in Fort Lauderdale, and all over the country."

Woody was a staple at the hotel lounges in Fort Lauderdale as a stand up comic entertainer, most of my lifetime.

 

I remember my Grandfather saying that Arthur Godfrey was an "as whole". I guess he didn't like him..

 

He certainly rubbed many the wrong way from what I have been reading.

 

Powerful enough to be on a Moby Grape album.