96 years ago today.....

[Winkfan]

Clayton J. Heermance, Jr. was born on this day in 1908; but we all know and love (or hate, depending on who you talk to) him as Bud Collyer.

To Tell the Truth, (pun intended) Happy birthday to 'America's #1 Clockwatcher!' (SWAK!)

Although some of you would like to give him 96 swats on the rear for hosting Number Please!

Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Fannie Flagg of the Big Board!'

[Neumms]

Is there an anti-Bud contingent out there? I'd have to say sign me up. He always seemed like a pious stick-in-the-mud on TTTT.

[Jimmy Owen]

The music played throughout Number Please was very annoying.  I wonder why they did that.  Bud did inspire me to wear bow ties in my boyhood.  Well, he and longtime Michigan governor G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Jun 18 2004, 03:18 PM\'] Is there an anti-Bud contingent out there? I'd have to say sign me up. He always seemed like a pious stick-in-the-mud on TTTT. [/quote]
 Which is funny because he was precisely the opposite when he did Beat The Clock.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'Winkfan\' date=\'Jun 18 2004, 05:12 PM\'] Although some of you would like to give him 96 swats on the rear for hosting Number Please!

 [/quote]
 Actually, I'd like to do it because he's so darned cute.

[The Ol' Guy]

Maybe all that music on NP was to just try and make it seem different than the norm. It wasn't a very exciting game on its own, so it probably was an "added value". Bud didn't do badly, despite the game...but a show like that begs to be more personality driven - a looser host, with an occasional quip to lighten the dull load. Bud seemed pretty stiff on this one.  
Soapy Williams? Gee, Brother O, you're either quite the history buff, fellow Michigander, or just a bit older than I am...

[Jimmy Owen]

My dad had one of William's campaign items which was a green bow tie with white polka dots and gave it to me and I started wearing it.  I couldn't have been more than two or three at the time.  Then I would sit down and watch Bud's TTTT.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Jun 18 2004, 10:01 PM\']Maybe all that music on NP was to just try and make it seem different than the norm. It wasn't a very exciting game on its own, so it probably was an "added value". [/quote]
Bingo.  Probably early on in the development, Goodson didn't want a long series of "bing...bing...bing..." when revealing the letters, so somebody said "Why don't we have live music?"  And since it also seemed that Goodson wanted to avoid studio organists whenever possible, somebody then said "you know, Don Elliott co-wrote the opening for 'Line'--why don't we get him?"  Forgetting, of course, that his main ax was the vibraphone, not exactly a compelling solo instrument.

Elliott's credits as a composer and arranger are a lot more solid than "Number Please," thank goodness--he has many credits in films and television--Here's a musical bio.