Jim Perry (television)
Encyclopedia
Jim Perry is a former Canadian
-American
television
game show
host, singer, announcer
, and performer in the 1970s and 1980s. He has had success on both Canadian and American television, and is best known for his roles as a host on the American game shows Card Sharks
and $ale of the Century
, as well as the Canadian game shows Definition
and Headline Hunters
. Perry is also known as the host of the Miss Canada
pageant in the 1970s and 1980s.
. His mother, Genevieve Perry, was a record holding swimmer, as well as a known marathon dancer
. His father, Edward Dooley, was a musician.
Perry started out as a singer in Special Services
after college (University of Pennsylvania
), working on Armed Forces Radio during the Korean War
. After the service, he worked for a short time at General Electric
and then replaced Eddie Fisher
as the staff vocalist at Grossingers in the Catskill Mountains
and later did comedy working with Sid Caesar
as his straight man
for several years (which included a three-year stint with Caesar in Las Vegas). These were under his birth name of Jim Dooley. Due to a name conflict with AFTRA, Jim took his mother's maiden name of Perry when he began his television work.
Perry was an outstanding basketball
player in high school thanks in part to his height (at 6'4"). He was often nicknamed Big Jim because of his height. He was an avid runner, who when he became a nationally recognized emcee, was often seen jogging onto the set as he was being introduced on a few of his game shows.
His first appearance as a TV host came in Canada with the popular game show Fractured Phrases (1965). Afterwards he presided over several other game shows, including Eye Bet
and The Money Makers (aka Bingo at Home). The latter also aired on syndicated television in some United States markets in 1969. Although Perry is American by birth, he and his family emigrated to Canada in the early 1970s and moved back to the U.S. in the late 1970s when he was hired to host Card Sharks
. He still holds citizenship in both countries.
Perry also served as an announcer for That Show starring Joan Rivers
, a short-lived two month series that aired in 1969 on syndicated television. He also appeared in a few television commercials, including one for Morton Salt
. From 1969 to 1972 he was a weekend overnight DJ at WABC
radio in New York
.
In 1973, Perry became the announcer of the CTV
game show Definition
, a Hangman
-based, pre-Wheel of Fortune series which would become the longest-running game show in Canadian television history. After a few weeks of announcing the show, Perry moved from the announcer position to the host position (replacing original host Bob McLean), and remained there until the show ended its run in 1990. Perry also hosted another long-running game show, Headline Hunters
, which lasted from 1972 until 1981, with a year of repeats the following year.
Dave Devall
, a well-known Toronto weather personality, became Perry's announcer on most of his Canadian game shows. In the United States, his partners included Gene Wood
and Jay Stewart
. He also did work alongside famed announcers Jack Clark (on the Twisters pilot), Don Morrow
(from 1987-1989 on Sale of the Century), Bob Hilton
(on Card Sharks), Johnny Olson
(also on Card Sharks, including the two pilots) and Charlie O'Donnell
(Card Sharks).
In addition, Jim presided as emcee of the annual Miss Canada
Pageant, a job he held from 1967 until 1990, about the same length of time his U.S. counterpart Bob Barker
presided over the Miss USA
Pageant on CBS
. Like Bert Parks
in the United States, Perry, a talented singer, would sing the pageant's closing song, The Fairest Girl in Canada soon after the new Miss Canada was crowned. This practice, however, ended in the 1980s. Again, Dave Devall worked alongside Perry as the pageant's off-screen announcer.
While hosting the 1975 Miss Canada pageant, during a commercial break, a female protester hit Perry with a packet of flour
while on camera, claiming that the pageant was sexist. Perry, though shaken from the incident, regained his composure and continued on with the broadcast as if nothing had happened.
Perry's first major American network hosting tenure came in 1967, with a short-lived charades
-type game called It's Your Move
. The series was produced in Canada for syndication in the United States. Another game show also produced in Canada for syndicated TV in the U.S., Money Makers (a game based on Bingo), aired in 1969, originally titled Bingo at Home, in which contestants and home viewers had a chance to win money (albeit less than $100 at a time).
and Mark Goodson
-Bill Todman
Productions cast him for their new show Card Sharks
. Perry hosted the entire NBC version and the two pilots that preceded the series, airing from April 24, 1978, until October 23, 1981. This series helped Perry begin a long association with NBC, lasting more than a decade.
Perry was twice considered as host for the daytime and the nighttime revival of Card Sharks in 1986, but due to his commitments with NBC and CTV, the daytime version was given to Bob Eubanks
, and the nighttime version was hosted by Bill Rafferty
.
Perry also hosted two game show pilots that never made it to television: Casino in 1981 (from Heatter-Quigley Productions
), a game show combining elements of High Rollers
, Gambit
, and The Joker's Wild
, and Twisters in 1982, which was similar in format to Jackpot
and was produced by Bob Stewart
Productions.
In 1982, NBC
named Perry host of $ale of the Century, a revived version of the 1969-1973 series, airing from January 3, 1983, until March 24, 1989. For more than six seasons, he presided over the fast-paced Q&A game. Starting in January 1985, he added a third hosting gig to his resume, taking the reins of a nightly syndicated $ale of the Century that ran until September 1986.
His style and sensational salesmanship helped to make the show a big hit for the network in the last golden era of game shows, and made Perry one of the top game show personalities of the 1980s in the United States. Not forgetting the time he spent with Sid Caesar
, Perry would often tell jokes related to some of the questions asked on $ale.
During his tenure at NBC, Perry appeared in the made-for-TV movie The Great American Traffic Jam (1980) along with fellow game show hosts Wink Martindale
, Jack Clark, and Art James
.
As Perry's career in his native country became prominent, he began appearing as a celebrity player on a few game shows, most notably Password Plus
, Family Feud
, and Wheel of Fortune
.
During a 1983 appearance on Family Feud with a number of fellow emcees, Perry was involved in a memorable exchange during the Fast Money round. When asked by host Richard Dawson to name a brand of mouthwash
, he first said Lavoris (which was already said by teammate/fellow host and Pennsylvanian Bill Cullen
), then as time ran out, he said the green stuff. Dawson gave Perry a chance to come up with the name, but he could not remember it, so Dawson finally helped him by saying "You should look through the label with a micro...". Perry then shouted "SCOPE!!!", finally coming up with the answer. As it turned out, Perry won the round by coming up with two number-one answers and did not need the last question, in which Scope
was also the number-one answer.
in the United States and Definition
and Headline Hunters
in Canada, Perry in 1978 became one of two emcees to simultaneously host a television game show in the United States and in Canada along with Alex Trebek
, who for a brief time that year hosted High Rollers
, which taped in Los Angeles at NBC, and The $128,000 Question
, which Trebek took over following its move to Don Mills, Ontario in fall 1977. Geoff Edwards
and Howie Mandel
have since accomplished this, with Edwards helming Chain Reaction and Jackpot! for a brief period in 1989 and 1990 and Mandel hosting both the United States and Canadian English versions of Deal or No Deal simultaneously.
In 1977, Perry, who sported gray hair throughout the decade, decided to change his hair color to his natural brown, a decision that eventually changed the course of his career. He has since allowed his hair to go white following his retirement.
Upon the success of Card Sharks, Jim moved his family, who had lived in Toronto, to Southern California, where they remained until his retirement.
In total, Jim Perry hosted approximately ten different game shows (including unsold pilots) in a career that spanned about 25 years. He was also involved in charitable causes, both in Southern California and Canada, and was a regular host of the annual Telemiracle
telethon in Saskatchewan
for many years in support of the Kinsmen Clubs
in that province. His daughter Erin also appeared on several of these telethons, and on one occasion they performed a song together.
The game show host Muppet Guy Smiley
is said to be modeled after Jim Perry.
and North Carolina
. In recent years he authored two self-awareness
books, and appeared in a few infomercials (mostly produced by his daughter Erin and Pat Finn
). His last television appearance was on CNBC
in the late 1990s to discuss one of his books. Jim and June had previously lived in Ashland, Oregon
, after leaving Southern California in the 1990s.
. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 29, 2009. Jim and June currently split their time between their Florida and North Carolina residences.
His son, Sean Perry (born 1964), is a television producer and was a partner in Endeavor, a Beverly Hills-based talent agency, and is currently part of the reality group at the newly merged WME agency (merger of Endeavor and William Morris). Sean was in charge of production for the most recent version of Hollywood Squares
and has worked on other television programs over the past decade, including ABC
's Extreme Makeover
. Sean, who appeared alongside his father on both Card Sharks and Sale of the Century, began his career with Reg Grundy Productions
as a production staff member. Sean still lives with his wife and children in Southern California.
Jim's daughter, Erin Perry, worked with Bob Stewart Productions as an associate producer to The $25,000 Pyramid
, and also served with Pat Finn
's production company, In-Finn-ity Productions, as its vice-president. She is now living in Europe as a popular singer and songwriter, working as a back-up singer for several European artists including Paul Young
, and since 2005 having the lead role in the European musical hit Kosmic Blues, a tribute to Janis Joplin
. She also fronts her own bands, The Erin Perry Band and "Radpack".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
host, singer, 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...
, and performer in the 1970s and 1980s. He has had success on both Canadian and American television, and is best known for his roles as a host on the American game shows Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
and $ale 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,...
, as well as the Canadian game shows Definition
Definition (TV series)
Definition was a Canadian television game show, which aired on CTV from 1974 to 1989, and filmed at its flagship studio of CFTO-TV in the former Scarborough, Ontario . For most of its run, it was hosted by Jim Perry....
and Headline Hunters
Headline Hunters
Headline Hunters was a Canadian game show that appeared on CTV from 1972 to 1983. It was originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir...
. Perry is also known as the host of the Miss Canada
Miss Canada
Miss Canada was a scholarship competition for young women in Canada. It was founded in Hamilton in 1946. The first broadcast of the Miss Canada pageant aired in 1963 on CTV. The late Peter Jennings was host of the pageant in 1964....
pageant in the 1970s and 1980s.
Early career
Jim Perry was born James Edward Dooley in Camden, New JerseyCamden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. His mother, Genevieve Perry, was a record holding swimmer, as well as a known marathon dancer
Dance marathon
A dance marathon is an event in which people stay on their feet for a given length of time. It started as a popular fad in the 1920s and 1930s, when organized dance endurance contests attracted people to compete to achieve fame or win monetary prizes...
. His father, Edward Dooley, was a musician.
Perry started out as a singer in Special Services
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
after college (University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
), working on Armed Forces Radio during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. After the service, he worked for a short time at General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
and then replaced Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (singer)
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
as the staff vocalist at Grossingers in the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
and later did comedy working with Sid Caesar
Sid Caesar
Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
as his straight man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
for several years (which included a three-year stint with Caesar in Las Vegas). These were under his birth name of Jim Dooley. Due to a name conflict with AFTRA, Jim took his mother's maiden name of Perry when he began his television work.
Perry was an outstanding 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...
player in high school thanks in part to his height (at 6'4"). He was often nicknamed Big Jim because of his height. He was an avid runner, who when he became a nationally recognized emcee, was often seen jogging onto the set as he was being introduced on a few of his game shows.
His first appearance as a TV host came in Canada with the popular game show Fractured Phrases (1965). Afterwards he presided over several other game shows, including Eye Bet
Eye Bet
Eye Bet was a Canadian television game show hosted by Jim Perry, which debuted on CTV in 1971. His announcer, as with most Jim Perry game shows in Canada, was smooth voiced CFTO weatherman Dave Devall...
and The Money Makers (aka Bingo at Home). The latter also aired on syndicated television in some United States markets in 1969. Although Perry is American by birth, he and his family emigrated to Canada in the early 1970s and moved back to the U.S. in the late 1970s when he was hired to host Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
. He still holds citizenship in both countries.
Perry also served as an announcer for That Show starring Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
, a short-lived two month series that aired in 1969 on syndicated television. He also appeared in a few television commercials, including one for Morton Salt
Morton Salt
Morton Salt is a United States company producing salt for food, water conditioning, industrial, agricultural, and road/highway use. Based in Chicago, the business is North America's leading producer and marketer of salt. It is a subsidiary of the German company K+S.-History:The company began in...
. From 1969 to 1972 he was a weekend overnight DJ at 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 in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 1973, Perry became the announcer of the CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
game show Definition
Definition (TV series)
Definition was a Canadian television game show, which aired on CTV from 1974 to 1989, and filmed at its flagship studio of CFTO-TV in the former Scarborough, Ontario . For most of its run, it was hosted by Jim Perry....
, a Hangman
Hangman (game)
Hangman is a paper and pencil guessing game for two or more players. One player thinks of a word and the other tries to guess it by suggesting letters.-Overview:...
-based, pre-Wheel of Fortune series which would become the longest-running game show in Canadian television history. After a few weeks of announcing the show, Perry moved from the announcer position to the host position (replacing original host Bob McLean), and remained there until the show ended its run in 1990. Perry also hosted another long-running game show, Headline Hunters
Headline Hunters
Headline Hunters was a Canadian game show that appeared on CTV from 1972 to 1983. It was originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir...
, which lasted from 1972 until 1981, with a year of repeats the following year.
Dave Devall
Dave Devall
David "Dave" Devall is a retired Canadian weather reporter for the television station CFTO-TV in Toronto. He served in this capacity for more than 48 years beginning in 1961, and was recognized as having had the "longest career as a weather forecaster" by Guinness World Records and the World...
, a well-known Toronto weather personality, became Perry's announcer on most of his Canadian game shows. In the United States, his partners included Gene Wood
Gene Wood
Eugene Edward "Gene" Wood was an American television personality, known primarily for his work as an announcer on various game shows. From the 1960s to the 1990s, he announced many game shows, primarily Mark Goodson–Bill Todman productions such as Family Feud, Card Sharks, Password, and Beat the...
and Jay Stewart
Jay Stewart
Jay Fix , known professionally as Jay Stewart, was an American television and radio announcer known primarily for his work on game shows. One of his longest-lasting roles was as the announcer on the game show Let's Make a Deal, which he announced throughout the 1960s and 1970s...
. He also did work alongside famed announcers Jack Clark (on the Twisters pilot), Don Morrow
Don Morrow
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 as newscaster and announcer...
(from 1987-1989 on Sale of the Century), Bob Hilton
Bob Hilton
Robert "Bob" Wesley Hilton is an American television game show personality. He hosted The Guinness Game, a revival of Truth or Consequences and the 1990 revival of Let's Make a Deal, and announced on several other shows....
(on Card Sharks), Johnny Olson
Johnny Olson
John Leonard "Johnny" Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. His work spanned 32 game shows produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s...
(also on Card Sharks, including the two pilots) and Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell
Charles John "Charlie" O'Donnell was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows...
(Card Sharks).
In addition, Jim presided as emcee of the annual Miss Canada
Miss Canada
Miss Canada was a scholarship competition for young women in Canada. It was founded in Hamilton in 1946. The first broadcast of the Miss Canada pageant aired in 1963 on CTV. The late Peter Jennings was host of the pageant in 1964....
Pageant, a job he held from 1967 until 1990, about the same length of time his U.S. counterpart Bob Barker
Bob Barker
Robert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
presided over the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
Pageant on 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...
. Like Bert Parks
Bert Parks
Bert Parks, born Bertram Jacobson , was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979....
in the United States, Perry, a talented singer, would sing the pageant's closing song, The Fairest Girl in Canada soon after the new Miss Canada was crowned. This practice, however, ended in the 1980s. Again, Dave Devall worked alongside Perry as the pageant's off-screen announcer.
While hosting the 1975 Miss Canada pageant, during a commercial break, a female protester hit Perry with a packet of flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
while on camera, claiming that the pageant was sexist. Perry, though shaken from the incident, regained his composure and continued on with the broadcast as if nothing had happened.
Perry's first major American network hosting tenure came in 1967, with a short-lived charades
Charades
Charades or charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to...
-type game called It's Your Move
It's Your Move (game show)
It's Your Move was a Canadian charade-style game show originally produced in the mid-1960s. Created by Art Baer and Ben Joelson , the show's original host was Paul Hanover....
. The series was produced in Canada for syndication in the United States. Another game show also produced in Canada for syndicated TV in the U.S., Money Makers (a game based on Bingo), aired in 1969, originally titled Bingo at Home, in which contestants and home viewers had a chance to win money (albeit less than $100 at a time).
Stardom as an emcee
His biggest break in his native United States came in 1978 when 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...
and Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
-Bill Todman
Bill Todman
William S. "Bill" Todman was an American television producer born in New York City. He produced many of television's longest running shows with business partner Mark Goodson.-Early life:...
Productions cast him for their new show Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
. Perry hosted the entire NBC version and the two pilots that preceded the series, airing from April 24, 1978, until October 23, 1981. This series helped Perry begin a long association with NBC, lasting more than a decade.
Perry was twice considered as host for the daytime and the nighttime revival of Card Sharks in 1986, but due to his commitments with NBC and CTV, the daytime version was given to Bob Eubanks
Bob Eubanks
Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an American television/radio personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee"...
, and the nighttime version was hosted by Bill Rafferty
Bill Rafferty
William "Bill" Rafferty is a comedian and impressionist who hosted the game shows Every Second Counts , Card Sharks , and Blockbusters .Rafferty was born in Queens, New York...
.
Perry also hosted two game show pilots that never made it to television: Casino in 1981 (from Heatter-Quigley Productions
Heatter-Quigley Productions
Heatter-Quigley Productions was an American television production company that was launched in 1960 by two former television writers, Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley....
), a game show combining elements of High Rollers
High Rollers
High Rollers is an American television game show based on the dice game Shut the Box. The show aired on NBC from July 1, 1974 to June 11, 1976 and again from April 24, 1978 to June 20, 1980. Two different syndicated versions were also produced, a weekly series in the 1975–1976 season which ran...
, Gambit
Gambit (game show)
Gambit is a television game show, created by Wayne Cruseturner and produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions, that originally ran on CBS from September 4, 1972 to December 10, 1976. A slightly retooled version, Las Vegas Gambit, aired on NBC from October 27, 1980 to November 27, 1981, originating...
, and The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild is an American television game show that aired at different times during the 1970s through the 1990s. Contestants answered questions based on categories that were determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine....
, and Twisters in 1982, which was similar in format to Jackpot
Jackpot (game show)
Jackpot! is a television game show seen in three different runs between 1974 and 1990. Geoff Edwards hosted the original version of this Bob Stewart production from January 7, 1974 until September 26, 1975 on NBC. A second version, produced in Canada, aired from September 30, 1985 to December 30,...
and was produced by Bob Stewart
Bob Stewart (television)
Bob Stewart is a former American television game show producer. He was active in the TV industry from 1956 until his retirement in 1992....
Productions.
In 1982, NBC
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...
named Perry host of $ale of the Century, a revived version of the 1969-1973 series, airing from January 3, 1983, until March 24, 1989. For more than six seasons, he presided over the fast-paced Q&A game. Starting in January 1985, he added a third hosting gig to his resume, taking the reins of a nightly syndicated $ale of the Century that ran until September 1986.
His style and sensational salesmanship helped to make the show a big hit for the network in the last golden era of game shows, and made Perry one of the top game show personalities of the 1980s in the United States. Not forgetting the time he spent with Sid Caesar
Sid Caesar
Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
, Perry would often tell jokes related to some of the questions asked on $ale.
During his tenure at NBC, Perry appeared in the made-for-TV movie The Great American Traffic Jam (1980) along with fellow game show hosts Wink Martindale
Wink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
, Jack Clark, and Art James
Art James
Art James was an American game show host, best known for shows such as The Who, What, or Where Game and Pay Cards!. He was also the announcer on the game show Concentration....
.
As Perry's career in his native country became prominent, he began appearing as a celebrity player on a few game shows, most notably Password Plus
Password Plus and Super Password
Password Plus and Super Password are American game shows that are revivals of the game show Password. Both Password Plus and Super Password had the same format other than some subtle changes....
, Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, and Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
.
During a 1983 appearance on Family Feud with a number of fellow emcees, Perry was involved in a memorable exchange during the Fast Money round. When asked by host Richard Dawson to name a brand of mouthwash
Mouthwash
Mouthwash or mouth rinse is a product used to enhance oral hygiene. Some manufacturers of mouthwash claim that antiseptic and anti-plaque mouth rinse kill the bacterial plaque causing cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath. Anti-cavity mouth rinse uses fluoride to protect against tooth decay...
, he first said Lavoris (which was already said by teammate/fellow host and Pennsylvanian Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
), then as time ran out, he said the green stuff. Dawson gave Perry a chance to come up with the name, but he could not remember it, so Dawson finally helped him by saying "You should look through the label with a micro...". Perry then shouted "SCOPE!!!", finally coming up with the answer. As it turned out, Perry won the round by coming up with two number-one answers and did not need the last question, in which Scope
Scope (mouthwash)
Scope is a brand of mouthwash made by Procter & Gamble. It was introduced in 1966. Originally available only in mint flavor, Scope is still currently available in original mint , but also in a peppermint & new Scope White...
was also the number-one answer.
Success in two countries
As the result of his successful work in both the United States and Canada, Jim spent over a decade commuting between Southern California and Toronto, Ontario (except for the period between the end of taping for Card Sharks in 1981 and the beginning of taping for Sale of the Century in late 1982, where he was based in Canada; Perry did do some pilot work in the interim in Los Angeles but nothing sold). By hosting Card SharksCard Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
in the United States and Definition
Definition (TV series)
Definition was a Canadian television game show, which aired on CTV from 1974 to 1989, and filmed at its flagship studio of CFTO-TV in the former Scarborough, Ontario . For most of its run, it was hosted by Jim Perry....
and Headline Hunters
Headline Hunters
Headline Hunters was a Canadian game show that appeared on CTV from 1972 to 1983. It was originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir...
in Canada, Perry in 1978 became one of two emcees to simultaneously host a television game show in the United States and in Canada along with Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...
, who for a brief time that year hosted High Rollers
High Rollers
High Rollers is an American television game show based on the dice game Shut the Box. The show aired on NBC from July 1, 1974 to June 11, 1976 and again from April 24, 1978 to June 20, 1980. Two different syndicated versions were also produced, a weekly series in the 1975–1976 season which ran...
, which taped in Los Angeles at NBC, and The $128,000 Question
The $128,000 Question
The $128,000 Question was an American game show which aired from 1976-1978 in weekly syndication. This revival of The $64,000 Question was produced by Cinelar and distributed by Viacom Enterprises....
, which Trebek took over following its move to Don Mills, Ontario in fall 1977. Geoff Edwards
Geoff Edwards
Geoffrey Bruce Owen "Geoff" Edwards is an American television actor, game show host and radio personality. Over the past decade and a half, he has been a writer and broadcaster on travel. He was born in Westfield, New Jersey....
and Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel
Howard Michael "Howie" Mandel is a Canadian stand-up comedian, television host, and actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Mandel was best known for his role on...
have since accomplished this, with Edwards helming Chain Reaction and Jackpot! for a brief period in 1989 and 1990 and Mandel hosting both the United States and Canadian English versions of Deal or No Deal simultaneously.
In 1977, Perry, who sported gray hair throughout the decade, decided to change his hair color to his natural brown, a decision that eventually changed the course of his career. He has since allowed his hair to go white following his retirement.
Upon the success of Card Sharks, Jim moved his family, who had lived in Toronto, to Southern California, where they remained until his retirement.
In total, Jim Perry hosted approximately ten different game shows (including unsold pilots) in a career that spanned about 25 years. He was also involved in charitable causes, both in Southern California and Canada, and was a regular host of the annual Telemiracle
Telemiracle
Telemiracle is a telethon organized by the Kinsmen and Kinettes in Saskatchewan, Canada for the benefit of the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation. Initially broadcast on both CTV and CBC affiliates in Saskatchewan, it is now broadcast, commercial-free, exclusively on the province's CTV affiliates...
telethon in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
for many years in support of the Kinsmen Clubs
Kin Canada
Kin Canada is a secular Canadian non-profit service organization that promotes service, fellowship, positive values, and national pride....
in that province. His daughter Erin also appeared on several of these telethons, and on one occasion they performed a song together.
The game show host Muppet Guy Smiley
Guy Smiley
Guy Smiley is a character on Sesame Street who was dubbed "America's favorite game show host." His skits are among those on the show that parody commercial media. Guy has also hosted parodies of This Is Your Life called "Here Is Your Life." Guests who were profiled included a loaf of bread, a tooth...
is said to be modeled after Jim Perry.
Retirement
Jim left American television and Southern California after NBC canceled Sale of the Century in 1989, and Canadian television in 1990. Jim is retired from television and lives with his wife, June, splitting their time between FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. In recent years he authored two self-awareness
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals...
books, and appeared in a few infomercials (mostly produced by his daughter Erin and Pat Finn
Pat Finn
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Finn is the former host of several game shows. He is the owner of the production company Rubicon Entertainment.Finn first hosted the 1990 remake of the classic Jack Barry show The Joker's Wild...
). His last television appearance was on CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
in the late 1990s to discuss one of his books. Jim and June had previously lived in Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
, after leaving Southern California in the 1990s.
Family
Jim met his wife June during his time at Grossingers. She later became a top model with the Eileen Ford agency and later, and during their time in Canada, ran her own gallery business as well. She currently operates her own pottery and gallery, Shambhala Pottery in Bakersville, North CarolinaBakersville, North Carolina
Bakersville is a town in Mitchell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 357 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mitchell County.-Geography:Bakersville is located at ....
. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 29, 2009. Jim and June currently split their time between their Florida and North Carolina residences.
His son, Sean Perry (born 1964), is a television producer and was a partner in Endeavor, a Beverly Hills-based talent agency, and is currently part of the reality group at the newly merged WME agency (merger of Endeavor and William Morris). Sean was in charge of production for the most recent version of Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
and has worked on other television programs over the past decade, including 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...
's Extreme Makeover
Extreme Makeover
Extreme Makeover is a television program from ABC in which individuals volunteered to receive an extensive makeover in Hollywood. The show was created by television producer Howard Schultz. It first aired as a television special. It began airing in 2002 on Thursday nights at 8pm. A total of 55...
. Sean, who appeared alongside his father on both Card Sharks and Sale of the Century, began his career with Reg Grundy Productions
Reg Grundy Productions
Reg Grundy Productions was the American wing of the worldwide television production company Grundy Worldwide, which was founded by Australian television producer Reg Grundy. Reg Grundy Productions was responsible for the production of two highly-successful daytime game shows on NBC during the...
as a production staff member. Sean still lives with his wife and children in Southern California.
Jim's daughter, Erin Perry, worked with Bob Stewart Productions as an associate producer to The $25,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, and also served with Pat Finn
Pat Finn
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Finn is the former host of several game shows. He is the owner of the production company Rubicon Entertainment.Finn first hosted the 1990 remake of the classic Jack Barry show The Joker's Wild...
's production company, In-Finn-ity Productions, as its vice-president. She is now living in Europe as a popular singer and songwriter, working as a back-up singer for several European artists including Paul Young
Paul Young
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
, and since 2005 having the lead role in the European musical hit Kosmic Blues, a tribute to Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
. She also fronts her own bands, The Erin Perry Band and "Radpack".