Bill Slater (broadcaster)
Encyclopedia
Bill Slater was an educator, sports announcer
, and radio
/television personality from the 1920s
through the 1950s
. He was perhaps best known for hosting the radio shows Twenty Questions and Luncheon at Sardi's. He is also the great uncle of actor Christian Slater
.
, CBS
, Mutual Broadcasting System
Slater announced the first television broadcast of a World Series
in 1947
between the New York Yankees
and Brooklyn Dodgers
, which the Yankees won. His co-broadcasters for that event were Bob Stanton
and Bob Edge.
He also co-announced the 1945 World Series
on Mutual
with Al Helfer
as well as the 1945
and 1946
All-Star Game
s for Major League Baseball on Mutual
radio.
He was the chief radio announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
500 Race in 1947 when the race was covered by the Mutual Broadcasting System
.
Slater was the primary voice of Paramount News
reels
for many years beginning in 1936.
He covered the 1936 Summer Olympics
for NBC, announced for the New York Yankees
and New York Giants
baseball teams, the 1937 Sugar Bowl
, West Point
, Yale
, Penn
and other college football
games, and later, tennis
from Wimbledon
and Forest Hills
.
Slater was announcing a National Football League
game between the Brooklyn Dodgers
and the New York Giants
when the first bulletin aired of the Japan
ese bombing of Pearl Harbor
from Columbia University
and was a 1924 graduate of West Point
.
He taught English
and math
at his hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia
. He then joined the Greenbrier Military School
in Lewisburg, West Virginia
as commandant. Next he was on the faculty of the New York Military Academy
where he also coached
football
. He was then the head of the math dept and football coach at Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. Finally he was the headmaster of Adelphi Academy
in Brooklyn
, New York
from 1933-1942.
asked Slater to call an Army-Navy football game.
in public relations for the U.S. Army
beginning in 1942.
. His first wife was Rebecca and his second wife, Marian, sometimes accompanied him on the Luncheon at Sardi's radio show. He was 6’3” and died in Larchmont, New York
after a long battle with Parkinson's disease
.
His younger brother, Tom Slater, five years his junior, was also a sports broadcaster and followed him as the host of Luncheon at Sardi's. Tom Slater’s son, actor Michael Hawkins
(Thomas Knight Slater) is Christian Slater
’s father.
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...
, and radio
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
/television personality from the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
through the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
. He was perhaps best known for hosting the radio shows Twenty Questions and Luncheon at Sardi's. He is also the great uncle of actor Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
.
Sports broadcaster
NBCNBC
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...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
Slater announced the first television broadcast of a World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in 1947
1947 World Series
The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning the Series in seven games for their first title since , and the eleventh championship in team history...
between the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, which the Yankees won. His co-broadcasters for that event were Bob Stanton
Bob Haymes
Robert Haymes , also known under the stage names Robert Stanton and Bob Stanton, was an American singer, songwriter, actor and radio and television host. He is best remembered today for co-writing the song "That's All", considered part of the Great American Songbook...
and Bob Edge.
He also co-announced the 1945 World Series
1945 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 2:Thursday, October 4, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 3:Friday, October 5, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan...
on Mutual
Major League Baseball on Mutual
Major League Baseball on Mutual was the de facto title of the Mutual Broadcasting System's national radio coverage of Major League Baseball games. Mutual's coverage came about during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. During this period, television sports broadcasting was in its...
with Al Helfer
Al Helfer
George Alvin Helfer was an American radio sportscaster.Nicknamed "Mr. Radio Baseball", Helfer worked six World Series, ten All-Star Games, and regular season broadcasts for several teams and the Mutual network...
as well as the 1945
1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was to have been the 13th annual playing of the midseason exhibition baseball game between the all-stars of the American League and National League, the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball...
and 1946
1946 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1946 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 14th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 9, 1946, at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts the home of the...
All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
s for Major League Baseball on Mutual
Major League Baseball on Mutual
Major League Baseball on Mutual was the de facto title of the Mutual Broadcasting System's national radio coverage of Major League Baseball games. Mutual's coverage came about during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. During this period, television sports broadcasting was in its...
radio.
He was the chief radio announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network , is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar, and the Brickyard 400 to radio stations covering most of North America....
500 Race in 1947 when the race was covered by the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
.
Slater was the primary voice of Paramount News
Paramount News
Paramount News is the name on the newsreels produced by Paramount Pictures .-History:The Paramount Newsreel began operation in 1927 and distributed roughly two movie theater issues per week until their closing in 1957. Movie theaters across the country would run these issues, usually on 35mm...
reels
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
for many years beginning in 1936.
He covered the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
for NBC, announced for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
baseball teams, the 1937 Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
, West Point
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
, Yale
Yale Bulldogs football
The Yale Bulldogs football program represents Yale University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision . Yale's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun competing in the sport in 1872...
, Penn
Penn Quakers football
The Penn Quakers football team is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision member of the National...
and other college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
games, and later, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
from Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
and Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
.
Slater was announcing a National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
game between the Brooklyn Dodgers
1941 Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) season
The 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers season was their 12th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 8-3, winning only seven games. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:...
and the New York Giants
1941 New York Giants season
The 1941 New York Giants season was the seventeenth season for the club in the National Football League.-Season recap:The Giants managed to put together a quite respectable team that year. Ed Danowski was lured out of retirement, Tuffy Leemans' back healed, and Mel Hein was talked out of a...
when the first bulletin aired of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese bombing of Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
Television
Slater hosted/emceed many early television shows:- Birthday Party (1947), aka King Cole's Birthday PartyKing Cole's Birthday PartyKing Cole's Birthday Party is an early American children's television series which aired on the DuMont Television Network. The program was broadcast from 1947 to 1949. Little is known about the series. Each 30-minute episode featured the real birthday of a child...
- Charade QuizCharade QuizCharade Quiz is an American game show hosted by Bill Slater which aired on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network from November 27, 1947 to June 23, 1949.-Overview:...
(1947) - Messing Prize Party (1948)
- Twenty Questions (1949) DuMont and NBC versions
- Fishing and Hunting ClubFishing and Hunting ClubFishing and Hunting Club was a short lived DuMont Television Network program aired from October 7, 1949 to March 31, 1950. At one point its name changed to Sports for All. The 30 minute program was hosted by Bill Slater. In the program, panelists answered questions about fishing and hunting...
(1949) - Broadway to Hollywood Headline CluesBroadway to HollywoodBroadway to Hollywood was an early American television program broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network. While the daytime version was mainly a talk show with news, celebrity gossip, and home-viewer quizzes, the quiz portion became a full-fledged nighttime version within two weeks of...
(1949) - With This RingWith This RingWith This Ring was a prime time panel show aired by the DuMont Television Network from January 21, 1951 to March 11, 1951. The show featured engaged couples discussing marriage and marital problems...
(1951)
Education and educator
Slater earned a master’s degree in political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and was a 1924 graduate of West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
.
He taught English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
and math
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at his hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
. He then joined the Greenbrier Military School
Greenbrier Military School
The Greenbrier Military School was a boys-only, private, military, boarding high school located in Lewisburg, West Virginia. It was founded in 1812.It closed in 1972...
in Lewisburg, West Virginia
Lewisburg, West Virginia
Lewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,830 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County.-Geography:Lewisburg is located at ....
as commandant. Next he was on the faculty of the New York Military Academy
New York Military Academy
New York Military Academy, or NYMA, is an American private boarding school located in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. It was founded in 1889 by Charles Jefferson Wright, a Civil War veteran and former school teacher from New Hampshire who believed that a military structure provided the best...
where he also coached
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
football
American 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...
. He was then the head of the math dept and football coach at Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. Finally he was the headmaster of Adelphi Academy
Adelphi University
Adelphi University is a private, nonsectarian university located in Garden City, in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is the oldest institution of higher education on Long Island. For the sixth year, Adelphi University has been named a “Best Buy” in higher education by the Fiske Guide to...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from 1933-1942.
From educator to broadcaster
While teaching at the Blake School for Boys in Minneapolis, it was suggested by a student, whose father was a radio executive, that Slater had the voice and knowledge to be a sports announcer. His first network break came while at Adelphi Academy when Ted HusingTed Husing
Edward Britt Husing was an American sportscaster and was among the first to lay the groundwork for the structure and pace of modern sports reporting on television and radio.-Early life and career:...
asked Slater to call an Army-Navy football game.
Military
He served as a lieutenant colonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
in public relations for the U.S. 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...
beginning in 1942.
Personal life
Born William E. Slater, Dec. 3, 1902 in Parkersburg, West VirginiaParkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
. His first wife was Rebecca and his second wife, Marian, sometimes accompanied him on the Luncheon at Sardi's radio show. He was 6’3” and died in Larchmont, New York
Larchmont, New York
Larchmont is a village in Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,864 at the 2010 census. It is located within the town of Mamaroneck, on the shore of Long Island Sound, northeast of Midtown Manhattan...
after a long battle with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
His younger brother, Tom Slater, five years his junior, was also a sports broadcaster and followed him as the host of Luncheon at Sardi's. Tom Slater’s son, actor Michael Hawkins
Michael Hawkins (US actor)
Michael Hawkins is an American actor.Hawkins was born as Thomas Knight Slater in Harlem, New York City. He would also use the stage name Michael Gainsborough. During the 1940s lived in the Strathmore section of Manhasset, New York on Long Island. His family left Manhasset in 1950...
(Thomas Knight Slater) is Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
’s father.