Bill Owen (writer and announcer)
Encyclopedia
Bill Owen, widely known as the "King of Trivia", is a writer and radio/television announcer whose career spans six decades. He served as host and announcer for the children's program "Discovery
" in the 1960's.
on February 1, 1931. His father Owen T. Owen (born in Milbank, South Dakota
on September 15, 1890) was an outstanding track star at the University of North Dakota
where he graduated from law school. He held many public offices including state tax commissioner and chairman of the state's Workman’s Compensation bureau.
Bill’s mother Else Rohde Owen (born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
on September 12, 1893) was the daughter of the founder of Congress Candy Company, a major manufacturer and distributor of candy. She was prominent in social activities and education. Bill’s two brothers, Owen T. Owen Jr. (“Tudor”) and Jack served in the United States Navy
and United States Army
respectively so when Bill joined the United States Air Force
he completed the circle of all three branches of the military.
, baseball
, basketball
, and track
as a young man and became an avid fisherman, water and snow skier, and licensed pilot and one day achieved his dream of parachuting from an airplane. He has said his toughest accomplishment was learning to ride a unicycle
.
He was editor of his high school newspaper (the Bismarck, North Dakota
"Hi-Herald") and after three years of pre-med studies at the University of Southern California
, he switched his major to telecommunications. He started his announcing career at USC
working on campus stations KTRU and KUSC-FM.
in Germany
where he did play-by-play announcing of football, basketball, and baseball. He later returned to North Dakota and worked for KFYR
radio and TV in Bismarck as an announcer, sports director, and cowboy entertainer “Marshal Bill.”
Initially, Bill was reluctant to play the part of Marshal Bill; he wanted to focus on doing sports. One other announcer, Gus Becker, heard about the show and was eager to do it if Bill refused. Bill recommended Gus, but the management told Bill he was the right person for it. One year Bill was asked to lead the annual rodeo
parade, which is by far the biggest event in Bismarck-Mandan
, to the extent that one year they had a Hollywood movie cowboy lead it. Bill practiced riding for several weeks so he would look his best, waving to the crowd and throwing candy kisses
to the youngsters along the parade route.
While in service he met Rosemary Bobo of Gray Court, South Carolina
, a high school home economics teacher, and they were married on October 1, 1955. Their three children are Carolyn, a well-known singer-musician-songwriter/artist/horse-trainer, Richard, a banking executive, and Lisa, a horse-trainer and the owner of a horse stable and riding academy.
Bill joined WLW
radio and TV in Cincinnati, Ohio
in 1957 as a staff announcer. In 1958-1960 he hosted a classical and semi-classical music radio program called “Music for You” which surprisingly beat rock stations in the ratings. Bill had an eclectic taste in music, later emceeing
rock, pop, and big band formats.
Three years later Bill was chosen by ABC for its staff. He stayed for thirty years during which time he did news and sports on both radio and television. Among his many sports assignments was filling in for Howard Cosell
on Howard’s sports shows and post-New York Mets
broadcasts. Bill was also selected to become a disc jockey
on WABC
radio ("MusicRadio 77") as one of the station’s original “Swinging Seven” which also included Scott Muni
, Herb Oscar Anderson
, Chuck Dunaway
, Jack Carney
, Farrell Smith, and Charlie Greer
(who was known for always spraying the microphone for germs when his shift began).
The publicity for the "Swinging Seven" was enormous: full page photos of the DJs
in the major newspapers, billboards with their photos scattered around town, and constant playing on air of their promos
. They also made public appearances attired in trademark bright red blazers
.
In 1966 he was elevated from being the show announcer of the award-winning young people’s series “Discovery
” to succeeding Frank Buxton
as host. He and actress Virginia Gibson
(“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
”) continued as hosts for five more years, traveling throughout the world.
During his years at ABC, Bill co-wrote with announcer Allan Jefferys a novel about a disc jockey titled “DJ” published by Popular Library
. Later he collaborated with Frank Buxton on a volume initially self-published as "Radio's Golden Age: the Programs and the Personalities", by Easton Valley Press. This was later greatly expanded, re-titled, and published as “The Big Broadcast 1920-1950” (Viking Press
, Avon
paperback). It was later re-issued in 1997 as a second edition by Scarecrow Press. This was the first encyclopedia of old-time radio programs.
While working as a free-lancer, Bill did many on-camera and voice-over commercials for national television, and portrayed Ellery Queen in the nationally syndicated series “Ellery Queen’s Minute Mysteries”. It ran for many years on radio stations, allowing time for local commercials.
Bill also wrote the popular syndicated panel “Return With Us To...” with drawing by comic strip artist Don Sherwood. This nostalgic remembrance of the past enjoyed a long run in Grit, a national weekly newspaper.
From 1982-1990, Bill was announcer for ABC-TV’s “World News this Morning” where he contributed brief trivia items along with puzzles and quotations. That segment became the most popular part of the program and developed a cult following. In addition he appeared on the program and on “Good Morning America
” as a sports anchor
. His sports knowledge also led to assignments on “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” and live coverage of the Olympics. In 1962 he covered the America’s Cup yacht races from Newport, Rhode Island for ABC Radio from the Goodyear blimp
.
After leaving ABC in 1990, Bill was the principal voice of superstation
WWOR-TV
for three and a half years and then brought back WNEW
’s legendary “Make Believe Ballroom” for two radio stations in New Jersey
where he interviewed such stars as Tony Martin
, Cyd Charisse
, Kitty Kallen
, Margaret Whiting
, Al Martino
, Les Paul
, Patti Page
, Julius La Rosa
, Jo Stafford
, Les Brown
, Frankie Laine
, Don Cornell
, and Patty Andrews. Bill also acted in the role of "TV Announcer #2" in the film production of The Handmaid's Tale
, released in 1990.
“The Over 60 Trivia Book” ,
“All Those Things My Teacher Never Told Me” , and
“Runners-up, Bridesmaids, & Second Bananas” , the first two books illustrated by his daughter Carolyn.
He continues to do radio and TV commercials, the best-known being a series for the National Motor Museum Mint featuring replicas of popular cars and trucks from the past. He also appears before senior clubs with a nostalgia
program about old-time radio and other memories of the 1930s and 40s.
Bill and his wife Rosemary are avid contract bridge
players and ballroom dancers
. They have performed often in public specializing in the Peabody
, Paso Doble
, and Viennese Waltz
. Bill also loves crossword puzzles and seeks out the most challenging ones he can find.
Bill Owen at the IMDb.com Internet Movie Database
Discovery (1960s TV series)
Discovery was a television program geared towards children and teenagers, produced by ABC News. The program began in the fall of 1962 as a weekday series, and was later moved to Sunday mornings. The program was hosted by actor/announcer Frank Buxton and actress/vocalist Virginia Gibson...
" in the 1960's.
Family
Bill Owen was born in Grand Forks, North DakotaGrand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
on February 1, 1931. His father Owen T. Owen (born in Milbank, South Dakota
Milbank, South Dakota
Milbank is a city in Grant County, South Dakota, along the South Fork of the Whetstone River. The population was 3,353 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grant County. In 1925 The American Legion Department of South Dakota established a new program for high school aged youth that grew...
on September 15, 1890) was an outstanding track star at the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
where he graduated from law school. He held many public offices including state tax commissioner and chairman of the state's Workman’s Compensation bureau.
Bill’s mother Else Rohde Owen (born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
on September 12, 1893) was the daughter of the founder of Congress Candy Company, a major manufacturer and distributor of candy. She was prominent in social activities and education. Bill’s two brothers, Owen T. Owen Jr. (“Tudor”) and Jack served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
respectively so when Bill joined the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
he completed the circle of all three branches of the military.
Early life
Bill participated in footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
as a young man and became an avid fisherman, water and snow skier, and licensed pilot and one day achieved his dream of parachuting from an airplane. He has said his toughest accomplishment was learning to ride a unicycle
Unicycle
A unicycle is a human-powered, single-track vehicle with one wheel. Unicycles resemble bicycles, but are less complex.-History:One theory of the advent of the unicycle stems from the popularity of the penny-farthing during the late 19th century...
.
He was editor of his high school newspaper (the Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
"Hi-Herald") and after three years of pre-med studies at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, he switched his major to telecommunications. He started his announcing career at USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
working on campus stations KTRU and KUSC-FM.
Announcing career
After graduating cum laude, Bill entered service and was assigned to the American Forces NetworkAmerican Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where he did play-by-play announcing of football, basketball, and baseball. He later returned to North Dakota and worked for KFYR
KFYR (AM)
KFYR is a radio station located in Bismarck, North Dakota, owned by Clear Channel Communications. It transmits on a 5,000 Watt signal that can be heard in seven U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. KFYR also broadcasts on translator K259AF in Bismarck...
radio and TV in Bismarck as an announcer, sports director, and cowboy entertainer “Marshal Bill.”
Initially, Bill was reluctant to play the part of Marshal Bill; he wanted to focus on doing sports. One other announcer, Gus Becker, heard about the show and was eager to do it if Bill refused. Bill recommended Gus, but the management told Bill he was the right person for it. One year Bill was asked to lead the annual rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
parade, which is by far the biggest event in Bismarck-Mandan
Bismarck-Mandan
Bismarck-Mandan refers to the metropolitan area composed of Burleigh and Morton counties in the U.S. state of North Dakota. It's sometimes called the Bis-Man Metro Area or The Sisters Cities of North Dakota...
, to the extent that one year they had a Hollywood movie cowboy lead it. Bill practiced riding for several weeks so he would look his best, waving to the crowd and throwing candy kisses
Candy Kisses
Candy Kisses can refer to the following songs:*"Candy Kisses" , a 1949 American folk song*"Candy Kisses" , a 2007 American R&B songCandy kiss or candy kisses can refer to:...
to the youngsters along the parade route.
While in service he met Rosemary Bobo of Gray Court, South Carolina
Gray Court, South Carolina
Gray Court is a town in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,021 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, a high school home economics teacher, and they were married on October 1, 1955. Their three children are Carolyn, a well-known singer-musician-songwriter/artist/horse-trainer, Richard, a banking executive, and Lisa, a horse-trainer and the owner of a horse stable and riding academy.
Bill joined WLW
WLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
radio and TV in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in 1957 as a staff announcer. In 1958-1960 he hosted a classical and semi-classical music radio program called “Music for You” which surprisingly beat rock stations in the ratings. Bill had an eclectic taste in music, later emceeing
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
rock, pop, and big band formats.
Three years later Bill was chosen by ABC for its staff. He stayed for thirty years during which time he did news and sports on both radio and television. Among his many sports assignments was filling in for Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell
Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...
on Howard’s sports shows and post-New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
broadcasts. Bill was also selected to become a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
radio ("MusicRadio 77") as one of the station’s original “Swinging Seven” which also included Scott Muni
Scott Muni
Scott Muni was an American disc jockey, who worked at the heyday of the AM Top 40 format and then was a pioneer of FM progressive rock radio.-Biography:...
, Herb Oscar Anderson
Herb Oscar Anderson
Herb Oscar Anderson was the morning drive-time personality on WABC Radio in New York City December 1960 to September 1968.He is the father of actor John James.-Timeline:1950s—WDGY, Minneapolis1958–WMCA, New York1959—WMGM, New York...
, Chuck Dunaway
Chuck Dunaway
Chuck Dunaway is a retired radio personality and owner best known for his work at a variety of popular radio stations in Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma and New York City...
, Jack Carney
Jack Carney
Jack Carney was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong and Carlton in the VFL during the 1930s....
, Farrell Smith, and Charlie Greer
Charlie Greer
Charlie Greer was an American radio personality at WAKR in Akron, Ohio. At New York City's WABC Greer did middays and overnight. Given WABC's 50 thousand watt clear channel signal, Greer became a popular all-night disc jockey heard on more than 38 states punching his way through famous tongue...
(who was known for always spraying the microphone for germs when his shift began).
The publicity for the "Swinging Seven" was enormous: full page photos of the DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
in the major newspapers, billboards with their photos scattered around town, and constant playing on air of their promos
Promo (media)
A promo, shorthand for promotion, are a form of commercial advertising used in broadcast media, either television or radio; promos are generally used to promote a program airing on a television station, radio station, television network or radio network.-Background:Promos typically run a standard...
. They also made public appearances attired in trademark bright red blazers
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
.
In 1966 he was elevated from being the show announcer of the award-winning young people’s series “Discovery
Discovery (1960s TV series)
Discovery was a television program geared towards children and teenagers, produced by ABC News. The program began in the fall of 1962 as a weekday series, and was later moved to Sunday mornings. The program was hosted by actor/announcer Frank Buxton and actress/vocalist Virginia Gibson...
” to succeeding Frank Buxton
Frank Buxton
Frank Buxton is an American actor, television writer and director. His first credit was host and producer of the ABC television documentary series, Discovery, which he hosted from 1962 to 1966....
as host. He and actress Virginia Gibson
Virginia Gibson
Virginia Gibson is an American dancer, singer and actress of film, television and musical theatre.-Career:...
(“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a 1954 musical film directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Saul Chaplin and Gene de Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer....
”) continued as hosts for five more years, traveling throughout the world.
During his years at ABC, Bill co-wrote with announcer Allan Jefferys a novel about a disc jockey titled “DJ” published by Popular Library
Popular Library
Popular Library was a New York paperback book company established in 1942 by Leo Margulies and Ned Pines, who at the time was a major pulp magazine, newspapers and magazine publishers...
. Later he collaborated with Frank Buxton on a volume initially self-published as "Radio's Golden Age: the Programs and the Personalities", by Easton Valley Press. This was later greatly expanded, re-titled, and published as “The Big Broadcast 1920-1950” (Viking Press
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
, Avon
Avon (publishers)
Avon Publications was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. As of 2010, it is an imprint of HarperCollins, publishing primarily romance novels.-History:...
paperback). It was later re-issued in 1997 as a second edition by Scarecrow Press. This was the first encyclopedia of old-time radio programs.
While working as a free-lancer, Bill did many on-camera and voice-over commercials for national television, and portrayed Ellery Queen in the nationally syndicated series “Ellery Queen’s Minute Mysteries”. It ran for many years on radio stations, allowing time for local commercials.
Bill also wrote the popular syndicated panel “Return With Us To...” with drawing by comic strip artist Don Sherwood. This nostalgic remembrance of the past enjoyed a long run in Grit, a national weekly newspaper.
From 1982-1990, Bill was announcer for ABC-TV’s “World News this Morning” where he contributed brief trivia items along with puzzles and quotations. That segment became the most popular part of the program and developed a cult following. In addition he appeared on the program and on “Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
” as a sports anchor
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
. His sports knowledge also led to assignments on “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” and live coverage of the Olympics. In 1962 he covered the America’s Cup yacht races from Newport, Rhode Island for ABC Radio from the Goodyear blimp
Goodyear Blimp
The Goodyear Blimp is the collective name for a fleet of blimps operated by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for advertising purposes and for use as a television camera platform for aerial views of sporting events...
.
After leaving ABC in 1990, Bill was the principal voice of superstation
Superstation
Superstation in United States television can have several meanings. In its most precise meaning, a superstation is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as "A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the FCC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite...
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
for three and a half years and then brought back WNEW
WBBR
WBBR is a radio station broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. It airs Bloomberg Radio, a service of Bloomberg L.P. WBBR's format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market updates and interviews with corporate executives,...
’s legendary “Make Believe Ballroom” for two radio stations in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
where he interviewed such stars as Tony Martin
Tony Martin
Anthony or Tony Martin may refer to:Education*Tony Martin , professor at Wellesley College known for racial controversies in the early 1990s.*Donald A...
, Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s...
, Kitty Kallen
Kitty Kallen
Kitty Kallen is an American popular singer who sang with a number of big bands in the 1940s, coming back in the 1950s to score her biggest hit, "Little Things Mean a Lot" in 1954.-Career:...
, Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting was a singer of American popular music and country music who first made her reputation during the 1940s and 1950s.-Youth:...
, Al Martino
Al Martino
Al Martino was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The...
, Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
, Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
, Julius La Rosa
Julius La Rosa
Julius La Rosa is an American traditional popular music singer who has worked in both radio and television since the 1950s.-Early years and big break:...
, Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
, Les Brown
Les Brown (bandleader)
Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
, Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
, Don Cornell
Don Cornell
Don Cornell was an American singer prominent mainly in the 1940s and 1950s noted for his smooth but robust baritone voice....
, and Patty Andrews. Bill also acted in the role of "TV Announcer #2" in the film production of The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale (film)
The Handmaid's Tale is a 1990 film adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff the film stars Natasha Richardson , Faye Dunaway , Robert Duvall , Aidan Quinn , and Elizabeth McGovern . The screenplay was written by Harold Pinter...
, released in 1990.
Retirement: "The King Of Trivia"
In retirement, Bill wrote“The Over 60 Trivia Book” ,
“All Those Things My Teacher Never Told Me” , and
“Runners-up, Bridesmaids, & Second Bananas” , the first two books illustrated by his daughter Carolyn.
He continues to do radio and TV commercials, the best-known being a series for the National Motor Museum Mint featuring replicas of popular cars and trucks from the past. He also appears before senior clubs with a nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
program about old-time radio and other memories of the 1930s and 40s.
Bill and his wife Rosemary are avid contract bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
players and ballroom dancers
Ballroom dance
Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television....
. They have performed often in public specializing in the Peabody
Peabody (dance)
Peabody was a foxtrot type ballroom dance in the United States of the beginning of the 20th century. It was essentially a fast One-Step danced under lively ragtime music....
, Paso Doble
Pasodoble
Pasodoble is a typical dance from Spain march-like musical style as well as the corresponding dance style danced by a couple. It is the type of music typically played in bullfights during the bullfighters' entrance to the ring or during the passes just before the kill...
, and Viennese Waltz
Viennese Waltz
Viennese Waltz is the genre of a ballroom dance. At least three different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in ballroom dancing, danced to the music of Viennese Waltz.What is now called...
. Bill also loves crossword puzzles and seeks out the most challenging ones he can find.
See Also
- Discovery (1960s TV series)Discovery (1960s TV series)Discovery was a television program geared towards children and teenagers, produced by ABC News. The program began in the fall of 1962 as a weekday series, and was later moved to Sunday mornings. The program was hosted by actor/announcer Frank Buxton and actress/vocalist Virginia Gibson...
External links
MusicRadio 77 WABC - Home PageBill Owen at the IMDb.com Internet Movie Database