Don Pardo retires

[alfonzos]

Thank you, Don Pardo!

[Neumms]

Gosh, he looks terrific. Or is that McVay Media News/Talk Specialist Holland Cooke?

[Mr. Game Show]

[quote name=\'alfonzos\' post=\'216021\' date=\'May 18 2009, 06:22 PM\']Thank you, Don Pardo![/quote]

I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Pardo on many occasions, mainly at tapings of Jackpot. He was always a pleasure to speak with, and his incredible voice will be missed. Who knows, perhaps he will change his mind, and come back to SNL for another season.

If not, I would like to wish Mr. Pardo all the very best in his Retirement.

[Mr. Game Show]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'216023\' date=\'May 18 2009, 06:33 PM\']Gosh, he looks terrific. Or is that McVay Media News/Talk Specialist Holland Cooke?[/quote]

Mr. Pardo is pictured on the left.

[GameShowGuru]

Well, while I wish Don all the best in his retirement, it would've been really cool if he held off until after June 15 (hint hint).  This would've made his retirement all the more interesting.

[irwinsjournal.com]

It's funny... I was on Hulu last night watching the SNL skit "Jeopardy 1999!" with of course Don Pardo doing the announcing, and thought, "how old is this skit?"  Answer: From SNL's second season if I am reading the Hulu notes correctly, which would be 1976.  (Open to corrections on this.)

And to think that this was well into Mr. Pardo's career.  

In this time of disposable personalities and celebrity determined by how many times you can get on the front page of the scandal sheets, true class acts like Don Pardo seem to be more and more rare.  

Best wishes, sir, and thank you.

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'irwinsjournal.com\' post=\'216266\' date=\'May 21 2009, 11:08 AM\']It's funny... I was on Hulu last night watching the SNL skit "Jeopardy 1999!" with of course Don Pardo doing the announcing, and thought, "how old is this skit?"  Answer: From SNL's second season if I am reading the Hulu notes correctly, which would be 1976.  (Open to corrections on this.)[/quote]
No correction necessary.  Episode date was 10/23/1976.  The giveaway is Chevy Chase's presence on the show; he was only on SNL for the first year and the first few episodes of the second (and, of course, the first joke made about him leaving to pursue Hollywood stardom... it's funny because it's true).

I often wondered if they made a new board for that sketch, or if they dug the original out of storage.  Probably the former.

[Nerdocrumbesian]

[quote name=\'irwinsjournal.com\' post=\'216266\' date=\'May 21 2009, 09:08 AM\']It's funny... I was on Hulu last night watching the SNL skit "Jeopardy 1999!" with of course Don Pardo doing the announcing, and thought, "how old is this skit?"  Answer: From SNL's second season if I am reading the Hulu notes correctly, which would be 1976.  (Open to corrections on this.)

And to think that this was well into Mr. Pardo's career.[/quote]

The irony now with that sketch is that one of the "jokes" is that Don Pardo is still announcing in 1999. He made it a full decade past that! What a trooper! And as you say below... a true class act:

In this time of disposable personalities and celebrity determined by how many times you can get on the front page of the scandal sheets, true class acts like Don Pardo seem to be more and more rare.  

Best wishes, sir, and thank you.

Indeed. Mr. Pardo, we are fortunate. People like me... whose PARENTS weren't even born when you started working for NBC... are grateful to have had  you as a vocal presence on our TVs and radios for our entire lives.