Dennis James
(August 24, 1917 – June 3, 1997) was an American television personality. He worked as an actor, wrestling announcer, sports show host, game show host, and newsreel announcer. He is credited as the host of television's first game show—the DuMont Network's Cash and Carry
in 1946—the first person to ever host a telethon, and even the first person to do a TV commercial. [1]
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DENNIS JAMES TICKETS
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Early career
Born in
Jersey City, New Jersey,
Demi James Sposa
began his career in radio with WNEW (now
WBBR) but switched to television in 1938, working for the soon-to-become-
DuMont Network TV station WABD, which is now
WNYW. WABD helped to found the
DuMont Television Network in 1945, and so James became the host of a few of DuMont's game shows and served as commentator for their wrestling and boxing shows; he essentially worked as a utility announcer.
James also hosted the daytime variety show
Okay, Mother
. James often addressed the TV audience as "Mother," a practice he had begun when discussing the finer points of wrestling during his sports broadcasts. He feared that men in the audience would be insulted by the implication that they didn't already know the rules (even if they really didn't), but would accept the idea that James was merely explaining things for the benefit of women watching. During the late 1940s James was also an announcer for
Paramount News, announcing various newsreels ranging from hard news to sports.
Game show career
James gained his greatest fame as the host of numerous game shows from 1946-1977, including the NBC daytime revival of
Name That Tune
(1974-1975) and his last game show, the weekly syndicated nighttime version of
The (New) Price is Right
(1972–1977). James and producer
Mark Goodson co-hosted a promotional film, selling stations on the 1972 revival of
Price
, which was originally hosted by James' fellow TV pioneer
Bill Cullen. He also appeared with
Bill Leyden in the 1962-1964 NBC quiz program
Your First Impression
.
James' game show hosting duties spanned the better part of four decades, presiding over shows like
The Name's the Same
,
High Finance
,
Chance of a Lifetime
(actually a talent contest; he was also
Ted Mack's announcer on the latter's
Original Amateur Hour
at roughly the same time),
Haggis Baggis
,
People Will Talk
,
PDQ
, and
Your All-American College Show
(another talent contest). James was also the official commercial presenter of the one-episode flop
You're in the Picture
, also appearing on the subsequent "apology" episode.
James was a regular substitute host for
Monty Hall on
Let's Make a Deal
during the early 1970s, and it was during this time that he caught the attention of
Mark Goodson, who at the time was putting together
The New Price is Right
for syndication; the new format would incorporate the
original format of the 1950s and 1960s with elements from
Let's Make A Deal
. James was Goodson's first choice to host both that version and a daytime version commissioned by CBS, but the network insisted on
Truth or Consequences
host
Bob Barker for daytime. Goodson struck a compromise with CBS that saw Barker host in daytime (a position Barker held until 2007) while the nighttime version would be hosted by James for the
"access period". James hosted the nighttime
Price is Right
from 1972–1977, and also filled in for Barker during four daytime episodes that were taped on
December 2,
1974 (aired December 24–27), becoming the only substitute host in the show's history.
Due to his work mostly being within the earlier years of television, most of James' shows (both as host and celebrity guest) have been
destroyed with the exceptions of
The Name's the Same
and his tenure on
Price
, plus a few scattered episodes of the other programs mentioned above.
Game Show Network has reran his episodes of
The Name's the Same
, but nothing else.
Unfortunately, except for his Christmas Day substitute and two
[2] clips
[3] used during
Game Show Moments Gone Bananas
(a series of VH1 specials that later aired on GSN), his version of
The Price is Right
, although intact, has become just as forgotten and obscure as his other programs (the 1977-1980 seasons hosted by Bob Barker have also not been rerun).
Other work
Outside of sports and game shows, James was also a popular commercial spokesman for products including
Old Gold cigarettes,
Kellogg's cereals and, through his own production company, many local and regional companies and businesses. For nearly 30 years James was the spokesman for Physicians Mutual Insurance Company until his death in 1997. His expression
"Okay? Okay."
became a trademark in many of James' commercials.
He returned to his wrestling roots in the 1978
Henry Winkler film
The One and Only
as the announcer for Winkler's title match, and was also the wrestling commentator in
Rocky III
for Rocky Balboa's match against Thunderlips (played by Hulk Hogan). His final acting appearance was in
The Method
in 1997.
James hosted the first "telethon" using the then-new television medium to raise money for charity. James was the emcee of the
United Cerebral Palsy Associations' telethons. UCP was founded in 1949 by Leonard and Isabel Goldenson and Jack and Ethel Hausman. (Leonard was the
American Broadcasting Company's guiding spirit from the 1950s to the 1980s). James hosted the charity's primary telethon (in
New York City on WOR-TV (now
WWOR-TV) for 47 years, aided by Jane Pickens,
Paul Anka,
Florence Henderson, and other performers. He also hosted telethons in major cities all over the United States on a monthly basis from 1950 until 1979. When the telethon went national in 1979 with
John Ritter as M.C. in Los Angeles, UCP enlisted James as a national presenter, in addition to James' duties as the anchor of the New York City version, which was also seen on cable all over the US via WOR-TV.
James bought a home in Palm Springs, California in 1980. He was then called on to host dozens of charity events a year in the Palm Springs area, including events for Childhelp International, The Frank Sinatra Golf Classic, and the Bob Hope Desert Classic. In 1992 his Star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Many luminaries came out, including Bob Hope, to help honor James. In 1996, he received a Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
Death
James died on
June 3,
1997 from
lung cancer at his home in Rancho Mirage, CA.
The
Cathedral City, California United Cerebral Palsy center is named after him, as he helped raise $700 million for the charity over the years. His wife, Micki, and his sons, Randy (a Talent Manager) and Brad (who heads his own telecommunications firm), regularly attend events on behalf of the center. He has another son, Dennis James Jr., who practices international law in Washington D.C.
References
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E5DD163CF935A35755C0A961958260, retrieved on Feb.
- Clip montage showing a James-era "Clock Game" moment (begins at 1:00)
- Clip montage showing a James-era contestant making him trip (begins at 1:45)