Bob Braun
Encyclopedia
Bob Braun was a local television and radio personality in Cincinnati, Ohio
. He was born in Ludlow, Kentucky
.
He was best known for The Bob Braun Show, which he hosted from 1967 to 1984. The show was the top-rated live entertainment/information program in the Midwest. Originating at WLWT
, the daily 90-minute show was syndicated throughout the heartland of America
, and featured a live band, singers, and special guests including Bob Hope
(a frequent guest), Lucille Ball
, Johnny Carson
, Paul Lynde
, Red Skelton
, Phyllis Diller
, Tom Dressen, and Dick Clark
. Politicians including Gerald Ford
, Ronald Reagan
, Jimmy Carter
, George H. W. Bush
, John Glenn
, and Ted Kennedy
were also guests.
The Bob Braun Show replaced the local television show, The 50-50 Club. Its host, Ruth Lyons
, retired in 1967 due to declining health. Braun had appeared regularly on the show since 1957, and was frequently a fill-in host. On his own show, Braun heavily promoted and supported Lyons' charity, "The Ruth Lyons Christmas Fund," each Christmas
season. (The charity, now known as "The Ruth Lyons Children's Fund," remains in operation to this day.) Toward the end of its run, the show was renamed Braun and Company.
Regular cast members on The Bob Braun Show included Rob Reider, Mary Ellen Tanner, Nancy James, baritone Mark Preston (member of The Lettermen
), and announcer/weatherman Bill Myers. Between 1970 and 1975, an entertainment critic for a Columbus, Ohio
newspaper, Ron Pataky, visited Cincinnati every Friday to discuss on the show which movies were opening that weekend. The longtime director of The Bob Braun Show was Dick Murgatroyd, who years later became the county-judge executive of Kenton County, Kentucky
.
Braun began his career at the age of thirteen with WSAI
Radio, hosting a Saturday morning Knothole Baseball sports show. He joined WCPO-TV
in 1949. In 1957, after winning the $1,000 top prize on television's Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
talent show, Braun was immediately hired by WLWT
and WLW-AM. After cutting a handful of unsuccessful pop vocal recordings for labels such as Fraternity and Torch, Braun signed to Decca Records
and charted his only Top 40 hit, "Till Death Do Us Part," in 1962. Braun later recorded for United Artists
, but most of his subsequent recording efforts were released on small independent or vanity label
s. In the mid-70s he briefly hosted a local game show called On The Money. Braun was one of Cincinnati's biggest TV stars until 1984, when he moved to California for ten years to do commercials, talk shows and small movie roles. During that time, he was most often seen as the spokesperson for Craftmatic Adjustable Beds and announcer for no-money-down real estate promoter Tony Hoffman, and also had a part in the Bruce Willis
movie Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
In 1993, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Radio Hall of Fame. In March 1994, Braun left Hollywood and returned to WSAI Radio as one of "The Sunrise Boys," working as the morning host alongside his nephew, "Bucks" Braun (himself a successful radio personality in nearby Dayton, Ohio
) and newsman Don Herman. In June 1997, Mayor Roxanne Qualls
and the entire City Council honored him with "Bob Braun Day in Cincinnati".
Braun retired on November 24, 1999, after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
. His show business career spanned a half century. He was replaced on WSAI by Nick Clooney
.
Braun died of Parkinson's and cancer
in 2001, and was buried in Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery
. He was survived by his wife, Wray Jean, and three children: Rob, Doug, and Melissa. Rob now works at WKRC-TV
as its primary news anchorman.
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...
. He was born in Ludlow, Kentucky
Ludlow, Kentucky
Ludlow is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,409 at the 2000 census. Ludlow is a suburb of Covington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, located on the Ohio River...
.
He was best known for The Bob Braun Show, which he hosted from 1967 to 1984. The show was the top-rated live entertainment/information program in the Midwest. Originating at WLWT
WLWT
WLWT, virtual channel 5 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, the station is owned by Hearst Television...
, the daily 90-minute show was syndicated throughout the heartland of America
Heartland (United States)
Heartland is an American term referring to states of the Union that – as in the words of one commentator – "don't touch an ocean," whether the Atlantic or Pacific...
, and featured a live band, singers, and special guests including Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
(a frequent guest), Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
, Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
, Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
, Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller is an American actress and comedian. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder...
, Tom Dressen, and Dick Clark
Dick Clark (entertainer)
Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is an American businessman; game-show host; and radio and television personality. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of Dick Clark Productions, which he has sold part of in recent years...
. Politicians including Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, and Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
were also guests.
The Bob Braun Show replaced the local television show, The 50-50 Club. Its host, Ruth Lyons
Ruth Lyons (broadcaster)
Ruth Lyons, was a pioneer radio and television broadcaster in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is said Ruth Lyons accidentally invented the daytime TV talk show...
, retired in 1967 due to declining health. Braun had appeared regularly on the show since 1957, and was frequently a fill-in host. On his own show, Braun heavily promoted and supported Lyons' charity, "The Ruth Lyons Christmas Fund," each Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season. (The charity, now known as "The Ruth Lyons Children's Fund," remains in operation to this day.) Toward the end of its run, the show was renamed Braun and Company.
Regular cast members on The Bob Braun Show included Rob Reider, Mary Ellen Tanner, Nancy James, baritone Mark Preston (member of The Lettermen
The Lettermen
The Lettermen are an American male pop music vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959...
), and announcer/weatherman Bill Myers. Between 1970 and 1975, an entertainment critic for a Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
newspaper, Ron Pataky, visited Cincinnati every Friday to discuss on the show which movies were opening that weekend. The longtime director of The Bob Braun Show was Dick Murgatroyd, who years later became the county-judge executive of Kenton County, Kentucky
Kenton County, Kentucky
Kenton County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States. It was formed in 1840. In 2010, the population was 159,720. It is the third most populous county in Kentucky behind Jefferson County and Fayette County. Its county seats are Covington and Independence...
.
Braun began his career at the age of thirteen with WSAI
WSAI
WSAI is an AM radio station broadcasting out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Its studios are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to I-71 in the Kenwood section of Sycamore Township and its transmitter is located in Mount Healthy.WSAI is known as "Fox Sports 1360," including The Dan Patrick Show and The...
Radio, hosting a Saturday morning Knothole Baseball sports show. He joined WCPO-TV
WCPO-TV
WCPO-TV, virtual channel 9 , is an ABC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio. WCPO's studio is located in the Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati, just outside of Eden Park. Its transmitter is located along Symmes Street, just south of East McMillan Street in Cincinnati.The station...
in 1949. In 1957, after winning the $1,000 top prize on television's Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts is an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958...
talent show, Braun was immediately hired by WLWT
WLWT
WLWT, virtual channel 5 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, the station is owned by Hearst Television...
and WLW-AM. After cutting a handful of unsuccessful pop vocal recordings for labels such as Fraternity and Torch, Braun signed to Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and charted his only Top 40 hit, "Till Death Do Us Part," in 1962. Braun later recorded for United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, but most of his subsequent recording efforts were released on small independent or vanity label
Vanity label
A vanity label is an informal name given sometimes to a record label founded as a wholly or partially owned subsidiary of another, larger and better established record label, where the subsidiary label is controlled by a successful recording artist, designed to allow this artist...
s. In the mid-70s he briefly hosted a local game show called On The Money. Braun was one of Cincinnati's biggest TV stars until 1984, when he moved to California for ten years to do commercials, talk shows and small movie roles. During that time, he was most often seen as the spokesperson for Craftmatic Adjustable Beds and announcer for no-money-down real estate promoter Tony Hoffman, and also had a part in the Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
movie Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
In 1993, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Radio Hall of Fame. In March 1994, Braun left Hollywood and returned to WSAI Radio as one of "The Sunrise Boys," working as the morning host alongside his nephew, "Bucks" Braun (himself a successful radio personality in nearby Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
) and newsman Don Herman. In June 1997, Mayor Roxanne Qualls
Roxanne Qualls
Roxanne Qualls is a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, having served from December 1993 to November 1999. She also served a two-year term on the Cincinnati City Council prior to her service as mayor, having been elected in 1991. On August 8, 2007, the Charter Committee announced her...
and the entire City Council honored him with "Bob Braun Day in Cincinnati".
Braun retired on November 24, 1999, after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. His show business career spanned a half century. He was replaced on WSAI by Nick Clooney
Nick Clooney
Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Clooney is an American journalist, anchorman, and television host. He is the brother of the late singer Rosemary Clooney, and father of actor and film director George Clooney.-Early life:...
.
Braun died of Parkinson's and cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2001, and was buried in Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is a nonprofit garden cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the second largest cemetery in the United States and is recognized as a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
. He was survived by his wife, Wray Jean, and three children: Rob, Doug, and Melissa. Rob now works at WKRC-TV
WKRC-TV
WKRC-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Tri-State area of Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana that is licensed to Cincinnati. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter at its studios on Highland Avenue in the Mount...
as its primary news anchorman.