Game Show & Talk Show Announcers

[Don Howard]

Who in the game show announcing community has also announced on a talk show? Two that come to my mind are Charlie Tuna on The Mike Douglas Show and Ed McMahon on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. I know there are others [possibly very many], but who are they?

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Sep 26 2004, 08:25 PM\'] Who in the game show announcing community has also announced on a talk show? Two that come to my mind are Charlie Tuna on The Mike Douglas Show and Ed McMahon on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. I know there are others [possibly very many], but who are they? [/quote]
 Letterman's announcers  Alan Kalter and Bill Wendell announced on a few NY based game shows.

[Jimmy Owen]

Fred Foy, usually Dick Cavett's announcer on ABC also announced "20KP."  As far as sidekicks, Gene Rayburn and Hugh Downs also announced for "Tonight" prior to Carson's tenure.  Regis was Joey Bishop's foil and Nipsey did the same for Les Crane.  Peggy Cass was Jack Parr's sidekick on his ABC late night show.  Of more recent vintage, Burton Richardson made famous the cry "Arseniooooooooooooooooooooo Hallllllllll," and Craig Shoemaker of "My Generation" announced for Magic Johnson's talk show.  I'm sure there are others.   I know Randy West knows of at least one other (and possibly two).

[davemackey]

Jay Stewart was Mike Douglas' announcer when Mike moved his show from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, prior to Charlie Tuna getting the gig.

Ironically, Jay Stewart briefly acted as announcer on "American Bandstand" when that show moved from Philly to LA in the late 60's (Charlie O'Donnell stayed back East for a few more years), until Dick Clark decided the show was better served without an announcer.

Johnny Jacobs had to have some talk shows on his resume... he damn near did everything else as an announcer, including "I Love Lucy".

[MyCapableAssistant]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Sep 26 2004, 07:25 PM\'] Who in the game show announcing community has also announced on a talk show? [/quote]
This question is *CONFUSING* the daylights out of me.

What constitutes a "talk" show??

Aren't Carson and Letterman considered
"variety" shows? When the Emmy's are
handed out, when either of these shows win (or
for Carson, have WON), they were given the
award for: #1 *variety* show.

Now, if variety shows are what you're asking,
shouldn't Arlene Francis' radio show and Jackie Gleason's
TV show be considered, both of which Johnny Olson announced?

** If "variety" shows aren't, how does Carson
and Letterman fit here? **

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Sep 26 2004, 08:55 PM\'] I know Randy West knows of at least one other (and possibly two). [/quote]
 Randy did warm-ups for Chuck Woolery's short-lived 1991 talk show.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'MyCapableAssistant\' date=\'Sep 26 2004, 10:04 PM\'] This question is *CONFUSING* the daylights out of me.

What constitutes a "talk" show??

Aren't Carson and Letterman considered
"variety" shows? [/quote]
To eliminate the confusion, we'll just broaden this bad boy up to include variety shows, too. And this means we can add John Harlan for The Flip Wilson Show.

[Jimmy Owen]

Johnny Olson-Jackie Gleason.  Lyle Wagonner/Ernie Anderson-Carol Burnett.  Bill Goodwin-Burns & Allen, Jim Lange-Ernie Ford, more?

[chris319]

The late Gene Wood did some announcing for The Mike Douglas Show when it moved to Hollywood and was taped at NBC IIRC.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Sep 26 2004, 11:48 PM\'] Johnny Olson-Jackie Gleason.  Lyle Wagonner/Ernie Anderson-Carol Burnett.  Bill Goodwin-Burns & Allen, Jim Lange-Ernie Ford, more? [/quote]
 Jay Stewart for Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters Hour (stumbled upon that one day while channel surfing a few years ago--doubt that'll ever see the light of day again).

Didn't Gary Kroeger act as sidekick/announcer for some show as well (dang if I haven't memorized the EOTVGS yet)?

Doug -- and the countdown to 700 continues

[mystery7]

Gary Kroeger announced for Whammy.

[uncamark]

Johnny Gilbert also did warmup for Dinah Shore from "Dinah's Place" to her CBS O&O/syndicated talker and announced in its last years.

John Harlan also replaced Frank Barton as Bob Hope's announcer after Barton's retirement from NBC.

Johnny Jacobs did Steve Allen's Westinghouse syndicated show in the early 60s--most notably when, as a test by Allen to see if the audience was paying attention, read an opening one night consisting almost entirely of gobbledygook and nonsense syllables, ending with "And here's the gleek of our drelb--STEVE ALLEN!"  No one noticed.

And Gary Kroeger was a cast member of "SNL" from 1982 to 1985, bridging the Eddie Murphy/Joe Piscopo era and the year of Billy Crystal/Martin Short.  He was hired along with a group of fellow company members from Chicago's Practical Theatre Company (the most noteworthy being Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and, like most "SNL" cast members in those years, didn't do all that much.

[Winkfan]

Ironically, Jay Stewart briefly acted as announcer on "American Bandstand" when that show moved from Philly to LA in the late 60's (Charlie O'Donnell stayed back East for a few more years), until Dick Clark decided the show was better served without an announcer.

Now just a rock pickin' minute! It seems that Charlie O'Donnell also came to Los Angeles along with Bandstand; which is probably how he got to be one of the 'Eleven-Ten Men' at KRLA in Pasedena just when that station was about to present the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl.

Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Meredith MacRae of the Big Board!'

[ChuckNet]

Johnny Jacobs did Steve Allen's Westinghouse syndicated show in the early 60s--most notably when, as a test by Allen to see if the audience was paying attention, read an opening one night consisting almost entirely of gobbledygook and nonsense syllables, ending with "And here's the gleek of our drelb--STEVE ALLEN!" No one noticed.

Vintage Jacobs. :-) He was also a regular on Betty White's mid-50s variety show, as well.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")