Don Morrow
Encyclopedia
Don Morrow is an American
actor
and announcer
. He started his broadcast career while a student at Syracuse University
on the GI Bill shortly after World War II
. His first job was with Syracuse's first TV station WHEN (now WTVH
) as newscaster and announcer. He heard of greener fields in Texas and in the late summer 1949 signed Dallas's 2nd TV station on the air as KBTV (now WFAA). While at the station, he also graduated from Southern Methodist University
. By the Spring of 1951, Morrow was working a freelance syndicated show with baseball Hall of Fame's Dizzy Dean
who got Morrow to quit WFAA and come to New York where Dizzy broadcast play-by-play for the Yankees
. When owner Del Webb had other plans, Diz got Morrow a job on The Liberty Broadcasting System
, a Dallas based outfit with 536 radio stations across the country.
A Dallas roommate sold a show to ABC
and Morrow was on network television as announcer on-camera for Personality Puzzle. Next came CBS
Radio's "Fun For All" and a string of others through the decade. In 1954, he was seen on the detective series Martin Kane, Private Eye
as the owner of the tobacco shop where Kane bought the sponsor's cigarettes. In 1954, he became Walter Cronkite
's announcer on CBS's "The Sunday News Special". He appeared several times on the Ed Sullivan Show in comedy skits, was an on-camera announcer on The Jackie Gleason Show
, was making commercials voice over and on-camera for Zest, Crest, Nabisco and others. By the end of the fifties, he had also been spokesman for four major tobacco companies and then was signed as the Camel
spokesperson.
During the rest of the decade Morrow worked on such shows as Masquerade Party
, GE College Bowl, Rin Tin Tin
and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
. In 1957, he became announcer for Lowell Thomas on CBS which continued into the next decade. During the 1950s, he was the announcer for Gunsmoke
, Ozzie and Harriet, The Guy Lombardo Show and many others.
His first regular network hosting job was with ABC's Camouflage (Morrow had subbed for Allen Ludden
on GE College Bowl on several occasions) which led to NBC's Let's Play Post Office (1965–66) produced by Merv Griffin
. Morrow also served as a fill-in announcer on Wheel of Fortune. He also hosted Science All-Stars on ABC (1964–65) which brought him together with the National Science Show winners and the leading scientists and astronauts of the era. In addition he hosted two unsold game-show pilots, Challenge (1968) and Wheeler Dealers (1973).
In the early 1970s, Morrow sold his West Hampton restaurant, moved his family to the south of Spain, and commuted to New York
and Los Angeles
for the next several years. In 1973, he came back on one trip, to do, among other things, an uncredited cameo role in Charles Bronson
's first Death Wish
. At the same time, he ran into a friend at J. Walter Thompson
Advertising who put him on the Ford Motor account for the next 18 years. Business accelerated to the extent that Morrow moved back from Spain, continuing to visit the farm there over the following 30 years.
In the late 1970s, Morrow landed the job as "The Shell Answer Man
", the spokesman for a series of free booklets on automobile and household tips from Shell
gas stations.
Morrow continued commercial voice-overs, and also worked again on TV game shows, including Sale of the Century
from 1988 to 1989, Now You See It
in 1989, The Challengers
in 1990 and the entertainment-oriented program Personalities during Charlie Rose's eight-week tenure on the show in the fall of 1990.
In the 1990s, Morrow landed a job with James Cameron
voicing commercials for the film Titanic
(1997).
Morrow's historical narrations on A&E
's Biography
, the History channel and other channels are heard worldwide, along with The E! True Hollywood Story and Emmy Award documentaries from NBC and PBS
.
Morrow has dozens of voiceover commercials, documentaries and various other voiceover projects running worldwide. From his studio in Danbury, CT he teaches voiceover one-on-one and gives voiceover Seminars.
Don also does the announcing work for the games Heroes of Newerth
and Puzzle Kingdoms
. He has also co-authored "The Forsaken Heroes of the Pacific War," about a 106-year-old friend who is the oldest living veteran of World War II.
carried a short picture feature of Morrow and his star boarder at his Danbury, CT farm:
a male fawn his mother had brought home the preceding fall when the deer was about six weeks old (Morrow was living on the farm pending his second marriage). The deer had been struck and stunned by a neighbor mowing a field and Morrow decided to let the deer be part of the family. His daughter Donna named him Snowflake, changing it to Romper when his white flecks disappeared. Although Snowflake/Romper was housebroken, he slept outside except on especially cold nights, when he would nudge Donna's dog off her bed. Snowflake/Romper liked dog biscuits as a treat, although his standard fare was a corn/oats/wheat mixture.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
. He started his broadcast career while a student at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
on the GI Bill shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His first job was with Syracuse's first TV station WHEN (now WTVH
WTVH
WTVH is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 47 from a transmitter in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Time Warner and Verizon FiOS channel 5. There is a high definition feed...
) as newscaster and announcer. He heard of greener fields in Texas and in the late summer 1949 signed Dallas's 2nd TV station on the air as KBTV (now WFAA). While at the station, he also graduated from Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. By the Spring of 1951, Morrow was working a freelance syndicated show with baseball Hall of Fame's Dizzy Dean
Dizzy Dean
Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....
who got Morrow to quit WFAA and come to New York where Dizzy broadcast play-by-play for the 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...
. When owner Del Webb had other plans, Diz got Morrow a job on The Liberty Broadcasting System
Liberty Broadcasting System
The Liberty Broadcasting System was a U.S. radio network of the late 1940s and early 1950s founded by Gordon McLendon, which mainly broadcast live recreations of Major League Baseball games, by following the action via Western Union ticker reports. The sound effects were very realistic, and many...
, a Dallas based outfit with 536 radio stations across the country.
A Dallas roommate sold a show to ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and Morrow was on network television as announcer on-camera for Personality Puzzle. Next came 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...
Radio's "Fun For All" and a string of others through the decade. In 1954, he was seen on the detective series Martin Kane, Private Eye
Martin Kane, Private Eye
Martin Kane, Private Eye was an early radio series and television crime series sponsored by United States Tobacco Company.- Radio:Martin Kane, Private Eye began as a 1949-52 radio series starring William Gargan in the title rôle as New York City private detective Martin Kane...
as the owner of the tobacco shop where Kane bought the sponsor's cigarettes. In 1954, he became Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
's announcer on CBS's "The Sunday News Special". He appeared several times on the Ed Sullivan Show in comedy skits, was an on-camera announcer on The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
, was making commercials voice over and on-camera for Zest, Crest, Nabisco and others. By the end of the fifties, he had also been spokesman for four major tobacco companies and then was signed as the Camel
Camel (cigarette)
Camel is a brand of cigarettes that was introduced by American company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in the summer of 1913. Most current Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish tobacco and Virginia tobacco. Early in 2008 the blend was changed as was the package design.-History:In 1913, R.J...
spokesperson.
During the rest of the decade Morrow worked on such shows as Masquerade Party
Masquerade Party
A syndicated revival was produced by Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall in 1974, hosted by Richard Dawson and announced by Jay Stewart. The basic premise was the same as the original show. Bill Bixby, Lee Meriweather, and Nipsey Russell were regular panelists. Col. Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried...
, GE College Bowl, Rin Tin Tin
Rin Tin Tin
Rin Tin Tin was the name given to a dog adopted from a WWI battlefield that went on to star in twenty-three Hollywood films. The name was subsequently given to several related German Shepherd dogs featured in fictional stories on film, radio and television.-Origins:The first of the line Rin Tin...
and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American sitcom, airing on ABC from October 3, 1952 to September 3, 1966, starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and TV for a couple of years...
. In 1957, he became announcer for Lowell Thomas on CBS which continued into the next decade. During the 1950s, he was the announcer for Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Ozzie and Harriet, The Guy Lombardo Show and many others.
His first regular network hosting job was with ABC's Camouflage (Morrow had subbed for Allen Ludden
Allen Ludden
Allen Ludden was an American television personality, emcee and game show host, perhaps most well known for hosting various incarnations of the game show Password between 1961 and 1980.-Early years:...
on GE College Bowl on several occasions) which led to NBC's Let's Play Post Office (1965–66) produced by Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
. Morrow also served as a fill-in announcer on Wheel of Fortune. He also hosted Science All-Stars on ABC (1964–65) which brought him together with the National Science Show winners and the leading scientists and astronauts of the era. In addition he hosted two unsold game-show pilots, Challenge (1968) and Wheeler Dealers (1973).
In the early 1970s, Morrow sold his West Hampton restaurant, moved his family to the south of Spain, and commuted to 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...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for the next several years. In 1973, he came back on one trip, to do, among other things, an uncredited cameo role in Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
's first Death Wish
Death Wish (film)
Death Wish is a 1974 crime thriller film loosely based on the novel Death Wish by Brian Garfield. The film was directed by Michael Winner and stars Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife is murdered and his daughter is sexually assaulted by muggers.The film was...
. At the same time, he ran into a friend at J. Walter Thompson
JWT
JWT is one of the largest advertising agencies in the United States and the fourth-largest in the world. It is one of the key companies of Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP Group and is headquartered in New York. The global agency is led by Worldwide Chairman and Global CEO Bob Jeffrey who took over the...
Advertising who put him on the Ford Motor account for the next 18 years. Business accelerated to the extent that Morrow moved back from Spain, continuing to visit the farm there over the following 30 years.
In the late 1970s, Morrow landed the job as "The Shell Answer Man
Shell Answer Man
The Shell Answer Man was a series of television advertisements from the 1960s through the 1990s sponsored by Shell Oil in which answers were provided to common questions from the public about driving, with advice on vehicle maintenance, repair and safety, as well as guidance to users of home...
", the spokesman for a series of free booklets on automobile and household tips from Shell
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
gas stations.
Morrow continued commercial voice-overs, and also worked again on TV game shows, including Sale of the Century
Sale of the Century (US game show)
Sale of the Century is an American television game show which debuted in the United States on September 29, 1969, on NBC daytime. It was one of three NBC game shows to premiere on that date, the other two being the short-lived Letters to Laugh-In and Name Droppers. The series aired until July 13,...
from 1988 to 1989, Now You See It
Now You See It
Now You See It is an American television game show created by Frank Wayne for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two Now You See It series were produced, and both aired on CBS. The first series ran from April 1, 1974 until June 13, 1975, and was hosted by Jack Narz...
in 1989, The Challengers
The Challengers (game show)
The Challengers was an American syndicated game show from Ron Greenberg Productions, Dick Clark Productions, and Buena Vista Television. The show was hosted by Dick Clark. The show premiered on September 3, 1990 and ended on August 30, 1991...
in 1990 and the entertainment-oriented program Personalities during Charlie Rose's eight-week tenure on the show in the fall of 1990.
In the 1990s, Morrow landed a job with James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
voicing commercials for the film Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
(1997).
Morrow's historical narrations on A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
's Biography
Biography (TV series)
Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987...
, the History channel and other channels are heard worldwide, along with The E! True Hollywood Story and Emmy Award documentaries from NBC and PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
.
Morrow has dozens of voiceover commercials, documentaries and various other voiceover projects running worldwide. From his studio in Danbury, CT he teaches voiceover one-on-one and gives voiceover Seminars.
Don also does the announcing work for the games Heroes of Newerth
Heroes of Newerth
Heroes of Newerth is a free-to-play science fantasy, action real-time strategy game developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The game was heavily inspired by the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne custom map, Defense of the Ancients and is S2 Games' first game title in the...
and Puzzle Kingdoms
Puzzle Kingdoms
Puzzle Kingdoms is a puzzle video game developed by Infinite Interactive for the PC, Nintendo DS and Wii. The PC version is currently only available to download online through services such as IGN's Direct2Drive and Steam....
. He has also co-authored "The Forsaken Heroes of the Pacific War," about a 106-year-old friend who is the oldest living veteran of World War II.
The deer who lived in Morrow's house
The May 20, 1961 issue of TV GuideTV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
carried a short picture feature of Morrow and his star boarder at his Danbury, CT farm:
a male fawn his mother had brought home the preceding fall when the deer was about six weeks old (Morrow was living on the farm pending his second marriage). The deer had been struck and stunned by a neighbor mowing a field and Morrow decided to let the deer be part of the family. His daughter Donna named him Snowflake, changing it to Romper when his white flecks disappeared. Although Snowflake/Romper was housebroken, he slept outside except on especially cold nights, when he would nudge Donna's dog off her bed. Snowflake/Romper liked dog biscuits as a treat, although his standard fare was a corn/oats/wheat mixture.
Sources
- "Where the Deer and the Quizmaster Play," TV Guide, May 20, 1961
- Heroes of Newerth