Bill Goodwin
Encyclopedia
Bill Goodwin was for many years the announcer and regular character of the Burns and Allen
radio program, and subsequently The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show on television from 1950-51. Upon his departure, he was replaced by Harry von Zell
.
or Maxwell House Coffee
, among others, on radio; Carnation
Evaporated Milk
on television). He was very effective on radio in doing 'integrated commercials,' in which the advertisement was deftly woven into the show's storyline. Goodwin was best known for his amiable and fun-loving personality, for his persona on air as a 'ladies' man,' and for joking around about Burns's appearance and age. Ironically, he died over 37 years before Burns.
Goodwin occasionally hosted other TV and Theatre shows, including Penny to a Million
and Dollar a Minute. His last job as announcer was for NBC Radio's
The Bob Hope Show
(1953–1955). He also acted in several movies, including The Stork Club (1945), The Jolson Story
(1946), Jolson Sings Again
(1949) and The Big Beat (1958) with fellow Burns and Allen regular Hans Conried
.
He played the role of Sherman Billingsley
in The Stork Club
(1945) and that of the hotel detective in Hitchcock's Spellbound
(also 1945) and appeared with Doris Day
in Tea for Two
(1950). His last major role was as the narrator for the animated television cartoon Gerald McBoing-Boing
.
His son is jazz drummer Bill Goodwin
Goodwin died on May 9, 1958, following a heart attack
occurring in Palm Springs, California
, at age 47. He is buried in the Desert Memorial Park
in Cathedral City, California
.
Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.-Vaudeville:...
radio program, and subsequently The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show on television from 1950-51. Upon his departure, he was replaced by Harry von Zell
Harry von Zell
Harry von Zell , born in Indianapolis, made his mark as an announcer of radio programs and an actor in films and television shows....
.
Career
Goodwin was known for frequently promoting the item sold by the sponsor of the show (Swan SoapSwan Soap
Swan was a brand of soap marketed by the Lever Brothers Company in the 1940s and 1950s. Like its competitor Ivory, it was a floating soap. Swan was advertised as a soap that could be used in the kitchen as a hand soap or in the bathroom to bathe the baby...
or Maxwell House Coffee
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. Introduced in 1892, it is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. For many years until the late 1980s it was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S. and is currently second behind...
, among others, on radio; Carnation
Carnation (trademark)
Carnation is a brand of food products. The brand was especially known for its evaporated milk product created in 1899, then called Carnation Sterilized Cream and later called Carnation Evaporated Milk...
Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk
Evaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk, is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar. Sweetened condensed milk requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits ...
on television). He was very effective on radio in doing 'integrated commercials,' in which the advertisement was deftly woven into the show's storyline. Goodwin was best known for his amiable and fun-loving personality, for his persona on air as a 'ladies' man,' and for joking around about Burns's appearance and age. Ironically, he died over 37 years before Burns.
Goodwin occasionally hosted other TV and Theatre shows, including Penny to a Million
Penny to a Million
Penny to a Million was a primetime American television game show that aired on ABC from May 4 to October 19, 1955 on Wednesday nights...
and Dollar a Minute. His last job as announcer was for NBC Radio's
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
The Bob Hope Show
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
(1953–1955). He also acted in several movies, including The Stork Club (1945), The Jolson Story
The Jolson Story
The Jolson Story is a 1946 musical biography which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as "Julie Benson" , William Demarest as his manager, Ludwig Donath and Tamara Shayne as his parents, and Scotty Beckett as the young Jolson.The...
(1946), Jolson Sings Again
Jolson Sings Again
Jolson Sings Again is the 1949 film sequel to The Jolson Story, both of which cover the life of singer Al Jolson.-Synopsis:In this follow-up to The Jolson Story, we pick up the singer's career just as he has returned to the stage after a premature retirement. But his wife has left him and the...
(1949) and The Big Beat (1958) with fellow Burns and Allen regular Hans Conried
Hans Conried
Hans Georg Conried, Jr. was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.-Early years:He was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Hans Georg Conried, Sr. and Edith Beyr Gildersleeve. His mother was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna,...
.
He played the role of Sherman Billingsley
Sherman Billingsley
Sherman Billingsley was an American nightclub owner and former bootlegger who was the founder and owner of New York's Stork Club....
in The Stork Club
The Stork Club (1945 film)
- Plot summary :Judy Peabody saves an old man from drowning. He turns out to be Jerry Bates, "J.B." to his lawyer Curtis, "Pop" to Judy, who mistakenly believes the wealthy old-timer to be poor....
(1945) and that of the hotel detective in Hitchcock's Spellbound
Spellbound (1945 film)
Spellbound is a psychological mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1945. It tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum who turns out not to be what he claims. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov and Leo G. Carroll. It is an adaptation by Angus...
(also 1945) and appeared with Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
in Tea for Two
Tea for Two (film)
Tea for Two is a 1950 American musical film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Harry Clork and William Jacobs was inspired by the 1925 stage musical No, No Nanette, although the plot was changed considerably from the original book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, and the score by Harbach,...
(1950). His last major role was as the narrator for the animated television cartoon Gerald McBoing-Boing
Gerald McBoing-Boing
Gerald McBoing-Boing is an animated short film produced by United Productions of America and given wide release by Columbia Pictures on November 2, 1950...
.
His son is jazz drummer Bill Goodwin
Bill Goodwin (jazz drummer)
F. Bill Goodwin is an American jazz drummer. Bill has been a professional drummer since 1959, and has performed with many jazz instrumentalists such as: Bill Evans, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Jim Hall, George Shearing and Bobby Hutcherson, and singers such as June Christy, Joe Williams, Tony...
Goodwin died on May 9, 1958, following a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
occurring in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, at age 47. He is buried in the Desert Memorial Park
Desert Memorial Park
Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs. It is maintained by the Palm Springs Cemetery District...
in Cathedral City, California
Cathedral City, California
Cathedral City is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 51,200 at the 2010 census. Sandwiched between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, it is one of the cities in the Coachella Valley of southern California...
.
Partial filmography
- Wake Island (1942)
- Bathing BeautyBathing BeautyBathing Beauty is a 1944 musical starring Red Skelton, Basil Rathbone and Esther Williams and directed by George Sidney.Although this was not William's screen debut, it was her first Technicolor musical. The film was initially to be titled "Mr. Co-Ed" with Red Skelton having top billing...
(1944) - Incendiary BlondeIncendiary BlondeIncendiary Blonde is a 1945 American musical drama film of 1920s nightclub star Texas Guinan. Filmed in Technicolor by director George Marshall, it starred actress Betty Hutton in the title role. The music was written by Robert Emmett Dolan...
(1945) - SpellboundSpellbound (1945 film)Spellbound is a psychological mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1945. It tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum who turns out not to be what he claims. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov and Leo G. Carroll. It is an adaptation by Angus...
(1945) - The Stork ClubThe Stork Club (1945 film)- Plot summary :Judy Peabody saves an old man from drowning. He turns out to be Jerry Bates, "J.B." to his lawyer Curtis, "Pop" to Judy, who mistakenly believes the wealthy old-timer to be poor....
(1945) - To Each His OwnTo Each His Own (film)To Each His Own is a 1946 American drama film. It was directed by Mitchell Leisen, and stars Olivia de Havilland, Mary Anderson, Roland Culver, and John Lund in his first on-screen appearance, where he played dual roles as father and son. The screenplay was written by Charles Brackett and Jacques...
(1946) - House of HorrorsHouse of HorrorsHouse of Horrors was a low-budget horror film released by Universal Pictures, starring Rondo Hatton as a madman, named "The Creeper." It was also known as Murder Mansion and in the United Kingdom as Joan Medford is Missing.-Plot:...
(1946) - The Jolson StoryThe Jolson StoryThe Jolson Story is a 1946 musical biography which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as "Julie Benson" , William Demarest as his manager, Ludwig Donath and Tamara Shayne as his parents, and Scotty Beckett as the young Jolson.The...
(1946) - So This Is New York (1948)
- It's a Great FeelingIt's a Great FeelingIt's a Great Feeling is a Warner Bros. feature film starring Doris Day, Jack Carson, and Dennis Morgan in a spoof of what goes on behind-the-scenes in Hollywood movie-making. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Melville Shavelson was based upon a story by I.A.L. Diamond. The film was directed by...
(1949) - Jolson Sings AgainJolson Sings AgainJolson Sings Again is the 1949 film sequel to The Jolson Story, both of which cover the life of singer Al Jolson.-Synopsis:In this follow-up to The Jolson Story, we pick up the singer's career just as he has returned to the stage after a premature retirement. But his wife has left him and the...
(1949) - Tea for TwoTea for Two (film)Tea for Two is a 1950 American musical film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Harry Clork and William Jacobs was inspired by the 1925 stage musical No, No Nanette, although the plot was changed considerably from the original book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, and the score by Harbach,...
(1950) - The First TimeThe First Time (1952 film)The First Time is a 1952 film directed by Frank Tashlin. It stars Robert Cummings and Barbara Hale.-Cast:*Robert Cummings as Joe Bennett*Barbara Hale as Betsy Bennett*Bill Goodwin as Mel Gilbert*Jeff Donnell as Donna Gilbert...
(1952) - The Atomic KidThe Atomic KidThe Atomic Kid is a 1954 Black-and-white science fiction comedy film starring Mickey Rooney and directed by Leslie H. Martinson. While a Uranium prospector is in the desert he is accidentally exposed to radiation from an atomic bomb test...
(1954) - The Opposite SexThe Opposite SexThe Opposite Sex is a 1956 musical film.It is a remake of the 1939 classic comedy The Women. Both films are based on Claire Boothe Luce's original play...
(1956) - Bundle of JoyBundle of JoyBundle of Joy is a musical remake of the comedy film Bachelor Mother . It stars Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and Adolphe Menjou. An unmarried salesgirl at a department store finds and takes care of an abandoned baby...
(1956)