Network promo announcers, past and present - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Dynomite · 05-11-2007, 11:10 AM

I don't believe we've ever had this discussion before, but here it is. This isn't so much about movie trailer announcers, but it's pretty close to that. I'm talking about TV network promo announcers. If you've paid attention to the network promos, the voices stick in your head. Some of them are known, but all the same, I'm going to start listing them and you can post your favorite, past or present.

1. Don LaFontaine (NBC, Fox & CBS)
2. Joe Cipriano (Fox, CBS)
3. George DelHoyo (Fox, CW)
4. Dave Fennoy (CBS)
5. Mark Elliot (CBS, ABC)
6. Beau Weaver (ABC)
7. Bill Ratner (ABC)
8. Larry Kenney (NBC)
9. Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox)
10. Jim Cummings (NBC, Fox)
11. Peter Cullen (ABC, NBC)
12. Brad Crandall (NBC, CBS)
13. Ernie Anderson (ABC)
14. Danny Dark (NBC, CBS)
15. Bill Wendell (NBC)
16. John Leader (NBC)
17. Gary Owens (NBC, ABC & Fox)
18. Casey Kasem (NBC)
19. Jerry Bishop (ABC, NBC)
20. Les Marshak (NBC)

I know this is a long list, but if you can recognize any of the voices from the broadcast network promos, you would know exactly what I'm talking about. If you know what this topic is about, start chiming in.

KurtfromPitts · 05-11-2007, 01:47 PM

Mel Brandt, Fred Collins, Vic Robey[NBC]. Also, John Leader also did CBS as well as some early Fox promos as well. And, didn't Casey Kasem voice some ABC Saturday morning ads in the early 70s?

Dynomite · 05-11-2007, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtfromPitts

Mel Brandt, Fred Collins, Vic Robey[NBC]. Also, John Leader also did CBS as well as some early Fox promos as well. And, didn't Casey Kasem voice some ABC Saturday morning ads in the early 70s?

It never hurts to do a little on-line research as far as Casey Kasem's other network promos is concerned, but you're right on target with the topic. Feel free to expand the list of network promo announcers as each of us individually gets some more information.

treky · 05-12-2007, 01:43 AM

Ernie Anderson did promos on ABC in the 70s. I can still remember his promos for THE LOVE BOAT where he'd always end them with "....on The Looove Boat".

comedyfreak · 05-12-2007, 09:37 AM

My ultimate favorite promo announcer is the great Dick Tuffeld. He was the voice of the Robot on Lost In Space, and since the end of the show he's voiced hundreds of shows and cartoons. He has the perfect voice imo.

Dynomite · 06-29-2007, 09:05 PM

I should've added former CBS staff announcer Chuck Riley to the list. I've just learned he passed away on May 10 at age 66 from kidney failure. At the time of his death, he was still announcing, namely for KABC 7 Eyewitness News broadcasts. It wouldn't be until the early 1980s, when he was finally heard announcing promos on CBS-TV. Before then, he was still both a radio disk jockey and announcer, especially at WIBC radio in Indianapolis. Chuck Riley was unquestionably one of the greats of network promo announcers. It's real sad that he's no longer with us, but at least he's reunited with other greats like Brad Crandall, Ernie Anderson, Danny Dark and Bill Wendell, but others he was, more or less, heard on the same network(s) with, are still with us, namely Don LaFontaine, Mark Elliot, Neilson Ross and Joe Cipriano, among others. Here's a link for more on Chuck Riley:

http://www.voicehunter.com/chuck.htm

Sakaki Onsei · 11-26-2007, 04:13 AM

Wasn't Larry Kenney also the voice of Lion-O from Thundercats?

If anyone has clips of these guys:

Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox)
Jim Cummings (NBC, Fox)
Bill Wendell (NBC)
Jerry Bishop (ABC, NBC)
Les Marshak (NBC)

That would be quite helpful.

snl 70s show fan · 11-26-2007, 04:50 AM

how about don pardo who has been with nbc since 1944 and longtime cbs staff announcers bern bennett and roy rowan

tv star collector · 11-26-2007, 08:57 AM

Did George Fenneman ever do any network promos? I know he is best known
for his on-camera work as Groucho Marx's straight man on the quiz show YOU
BET YOUR LIFE, but he was also the announcer on Jack Webb's DRAGNET (and
even did a little acting in one of the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB serials). But did he
ever voice commercials? It seems that he would have been an excellent one.

treky · 11-26-2007, 03:50 PM

he was also Grouchos (whose real name was Julias, B.T.W.) announcer for "YOU BET YOUR LIFE" on the radio too.

W.B. · 12-09-2007, 06:04 PM

Here are a few others I can think of:
ABC: Ed Jordan, Scott Vincent, Fred Foy, Bill Owen, Bob Lloyd, Tedd Lawrence, Bill Rice, Barbara Korsen
CBS: Wally King, Norm Stevens, Allan Berns, Gaylord Avery, Bill Gilliand, Bob Hite, Dave Campbell, Hal Simms, Don Robertson
NBC: New York - (besides the names already mentioned) Jerry Damon, Howard Reig, Bill Hanrahan, Arthur Gary, Wayne Howell, Fred Facey; Hollywood - Don Stanley, Donald Rickles (not to be confused with the insult comic of the same name), Victor Bozeman, Peggy Taylor

W.B. · 04-22-2008, 09:16 PM

Another NBC New York announcer who was heard all up to the '70's, maybe the start of the '80's (as mentioned above), was Vic Roby. His voice, I've noticed, bore some similarities to Mr. Damon's, in terms of vocal quality and timbre - but there's a world of difference in their delivery. Then there was another voice, dating to the late '30's: Jack Costello.

repeatshistory · 04-23-2008, 01:13 AM

For a period of time in the early-mid 90s, former Chicago radio disc jockey Jonathan Brandmeier was the voice of ABC. A very strange thing for those of us who listened to his radio show.

KurtfromPitts · 04-25-2008, 01:45 PM

There was a CBS west coast announcer who intoned "From Television City in Hollywood" at the very start of "All In The Family" when it was based at TV City. I know it wasn't Bern Bennett or Roy Rowan I can tell you.

Jude The Obscure · 04-25-2008, 03:22 PM

You can add Jerry Houser (best known from the film "Summer of '42" and of course, Wally, Marcia's husband in the various Brady reunions)--CBS.

05-11-2007, 11:10 AM	#1
Dynomite Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 10, 2006 Location: near Dayton, Ohio Posts: 579	Network promo announcers, past and present I don't believe we've ever had this discussion before, but here it is. This isn't so much about movie trailer announcers, but it's pretty close to that. I'm talking about TV network promo announcers. If you've paid attention to the network promos, the voices stick in your head. Some of them are known, but all the same, I'm going to start listing them and you can post your favorite, past or present. 1. Don LaFontaine (NBC, Fox & CBS) 2. Joe Cipriano (Fox, CBS) 3. George DelHoyo (Fox, CW) 4. Dave Fennoy (CBS) 5. Mark Elliot (CBS, ABC) 6. Beau Weaver (ABC) 7. Bill Ratner (ABC) 8. Larry Kenney (NBC) 9. Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox) 10. Jim Cummings (NBC, Fox) 11. Peter Cullen (ABC, NBC) 12. Brad Crandall (NBC, CBS) 13. Ernie Anderson (ABC) 14. Danny Dark (NBC, CBS) 15. Bill Wendell (NBC) 16. John Leader (NBC) 17. Gary Owens (NBC, ABC & Fox) 18. Casey Kasem (NBC) 19. Jerry Bishop (ABC, NBC) 20. Les Marshak (NBC) I know this is a long list, but if you can recognize any of the voices from the broadcast network promos, you would know exactly what I'm talking about. If you know what this topic is about, start chiming in.

05-11-2007, 01:47 PM	#2
KurtfromPitts Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 10, 2006 Location: Carnegie PA Posts: 1,536	Network promo announcers, past and present Mel Brandt, Fred Collins, Vic Robey[NBC]. Also, John Leader also did CBS as well as some early Fox promos as well. And, didn't Casey Kasem voice some ABC Saturday morning ads in the early 70s?

05-12-2007, 01:43 AM	#4
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	Ernie Anderson did promos on ABC in the 70s. I can still remember his promos for THE LOVE BOAT where he'd always end them with "....on The Looove Boat".
	__________________ the Clampetts are in a fancy Beverly Hills jewelry store. Granny points to a tray of rubies. Granny: "How much fer one o' them red diamonds?" clerk: "Madam, those are rubies." Granny: "OK ask her kin we buy one offa her." clerk: " The ruby I am talking about is not a lady." Granny: "Lissen, how she got them diamonds is her business. I'm just sayin' ask her kin we buy one from her."

05-12-2007, 09:37 AM	#5
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,061	My ultimate favorite promo announcer is the great Dick Tuffeld. He was the voice of the Robot on Lost In Space, and since the end of the show he's voiced hundreds of shows and cartoons. He has the perfect voice imo.
	__________________ www.facebook.com/comedyfreak

06-29-2007, 09:05 PM	#6
Dynomite Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 10, 2006 Location: near Dayton, Ohio Posts: 579	Chuck Riley I should've added former CBS staff announcer Chuck Riley to the list. I've just learned he passed away on May 10 at age 66 from kidney failure. At the time of his death, he was still announcing, namely for KABC 7 Eyewitness News broadcasts. It wouldn't be until the early 1980s, when he was finally heard announcing promos on CBS-TV. Before then, he was still both a radio disk jockey and announcer, especially at WIBC radio in Indianapolis. Chuck Riley was unquestionably one of the greats of network promo announcers. It's real sad that he's no longer with us, but at least he's reunited with other greats like Brad Crandall, Ernie Anderson, Danny Dark and Bill Wendell, but others he was, more or less, heard on the same network(s) with, are still with us, namely Don LaFontaine, Mark Elliot, Neilson Ross and Joe Cipriano, among others. Here's a link for more on Chuck Riley: http://www.voicehunter.com/chuck.htm

11-26-2007, 04:13 AM	#7
Sakaki Onsei Member First Time Poster Join Date: Nov 26, 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 1	Wasn't Larry Kenney also the voice of Lion-O from Thundercats? If anyone has clips of these guys: Brian Cummings (ABC, Fox) Jim Cummings (NBC, Fox) Bill Wendell (NBC) Jerry Bishop (ABC, NBC) Les Marshak (NBC) That would be quite helpful.

11-26-2007, 04:50 AM	#8
snl 70s show fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 14, 2005 Location: in the forman basment Posts: 2,454	how about don pardo who has been with nbc since 1944 and longtime cbs staff announcers bern bennett and roy rowan

11-26-2007, 08:57 AM	#9
tv star collector I Love Susie Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 4,487	Did George Fenneman ever do any network promos? I know he is best known for his on-camera work as Groucho Marx's straight man on the quiz show YOU BET YOUR LIFE, but he was also the announcer on Jack Webb's DRAGNET (and even did a little acting in one of the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB serials). But did he ever voice commercials? It seems that he would have been an excellent one.

11-26-2007, 03:50 PM	#10
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	he was also Grouchos (whose real name was Julias, B.T.W.) announcer for "YOU BET YOUR LIFE" on the radio too.

12-09-2007, 06:04 PM	#11
W.B. Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 23, 2005 Location: New York, New York, USA Posts: 389	Here are a few others I can think of: ABC: Ed Jordan, Scott Vincent, Fred Foy, Bill Owen, Bob Lloyd, Tedd Lawrence, Bill Rice, Barbara Korsen CBS: Wally King, Norm Stevens, Allan Berns, Gaylord Avery, Bill Gilliand, Bob Hite, Dave Campbell, Hal Simms, Don Robertson NBC: New York - (besides the names already mentioned) Jerry Damon, Howard Reig, Bill Hanrahan, Arthur Gary, Wayne Howell, Fred Facey; Hollywood - Don Stanley, Donald Rickles (not to be confused with the insult comic of the same name), Victor Bozeman, Peggy Taylor

04-22-2008, 09:16 PM	#12
W.B. Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 23, 2005 Location: New York, New York, USA Posts: 389	Another NBC New York announcer who was heard all up to the '70's, maybe the start of the '80's (as mentioned above), was Vic Roby. His voice, I've noticed, bore some similarities to Mr. Damon's, in terms of vocal quality and timbre - but there's a world of difference in their delivery. Then there was another voice, dating to the late '30's: Jack Costello.

04-23-2008, 01:13 AM	#13
repeatshistory Doing my part to make your day Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 31, 2008 Location: Williams Bay, WI Posts: 381	For a period of time in the early-mid 90s, former Chicago radio disc jockey Jonathan Brandmeier was the voice of ABC. A very strange thing for those of us who listened to his radio show.

04-25-2008, 01:45 PM	#14
KurtfromPitts Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 10, 2006 Location: Carnegie PA Posts: 1,536	Network announcers There was a CBS west coast announcer who intoned "From Television City in Hollywood" at the very start of "All In The Family" when it was based at TV City. I know it wasn't Bern Bennett or Roy Rowan I can tell you.

04-25-2008, 03:22 PM	#15
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,520	You can add Jerry Houser (best known from the film "Summer of '42" and of course, Wally, Marcia's husband in the various Brady reunions)--CBS.