Charlie O'Donnell
Encyclopedia
Charles John "Charlie" O'Donnell (August 12, 1932 – November 1, 2010) was an American radio and television announcer
, primarily known for his work on game shows. Among them, he was best known for Wheel of Fortune
, where he worked from 1975 to 1980, and again from 1989 until his death.
. When WIBG became top-40 in 1957, O'Donnell was named news director. In 1958, he became the sidekick of Dick Clark
on WFIL-TV's afternoon dance program, American Bandstand
. This led to several stints as a disc jockey on Los Angeles
radio (most notably on legendary Pasadena station KRLA
, 1964–67), and later as news anchorman on Los Angeles television station KCOP-TV
. KCOP was the home of The Joker's Wild
and Tic-Tac-Dough
during its initial syndicated reigns. He is also featured on the Simon and Garfunkel
song 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night
as the news announcer.
He also made a full-time career as an announcer on many television shows throughout the decades, with such series as The Joker's Wild
, Tic-Tac-Dough
, Bullseye and The $100,000 Pyramid
(again working with Dick Clark). He also served as announcer for the American Music Awards
, the Emmy Awards and the Academy Awards
.
. He filled this role from 1975 to 1980, acted as a substitute for his successor, Jack Clark, and returned to the show permanently several months after Clark's death in 1988. Between Clark's death and O'Donnell's return, disc jockey M.G. Kelly
announced the show for most of its 1988-89 season.
Among the game show companies O'Donnell had worked for as a primary announcer were Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
(1973–1977), Merv Griffin Enterprises
/Sony Pictures Television
(1975–80 and 1989–2010), Barry & Enright Productions
(1981–86), and Barris Industries (1986–89 and earlier on occasion). He has also announced game shows for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions (Card Sharks
, Trivia Trap
, Family Feud
, To Tell the Truth
); Bob Stewart Productions
; Hill-Eubanks Group's All Star Secrets
and The Guinness Game
; and Scotti Bros.-Syd Vinnedge's Wordplay
. He and John Harlan
filled in for Rod Roddy
on different occasions on Press Your Luck
. He also announced on the game show version of Monopoly
.
. He is survived by his wife, Ellen. Shortly before his death, the show began rotating announcing duties among several guest announcers, including Jeopardy!
announcer Johnny Gilbert
. Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak
described O'Donnell as "the perfect voice of the show." O'Donnell's last announced episode aired on October 29, 2010, three days before his death. O'Donnell was succeeded by veteran LA radio announcer Jim Thornton.
On reruns of Wheel episodes that had a guest announcer other than Thornton after O'Donnell's death, the voices were overdubbed by Thornton since he was named permanent announcer. Episodes that originally had O'Donnell's voice retained his voice. But the updated Prize Puzzle plugs were done by Jeopardy! Clue Crew member Sarah Whitcomb.
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...
, primarily known for his work on game shows. Among them, he was best known for 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...
, where he worked from 1975 to 1980, and again from 1989 until his death.
Early career
O'Donnell, a native Philadelphian, began his career as a teenager at WCHA in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In 1956, he worked as program director at WHAT, a 250-watt R&B station in Philadelphia, where he discovered and launched the career of future Philadelphia radio legend Hy LitHy Lit
Hyman Aaron "Hy" Lit was an American DJ based in the Philadelphia area from the 1950s until 2005. In his 50 year career, Hy Lit broadcast from WIBG-AM, WDAS/WDAS-FM, WKBS-TV, WIFI, WSNI/WPGR, KPOL, WKXW, among many others. His last station was WOGL, where he broadcast from 1989 until his...
. When WIBG became top-40 in 1957, O'Donnell was named news director. In 1958, he became the sidekick of 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...
on WFIL-TV's afternoon dance program, American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
. This led to several stints as a disc jockey on 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...
radio (most notably on legendary Pasadena station KRLA
KRLA
KRLA is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Glendale, California, USA, it serves the Southern California area. The station is currently owned by Salem Communications.- KIEV :...
, 1964–67), and later as news anchorman on Los Angeles television station KCOP-TV
KCOP-TV
KCOP-TV, channel 13, is a television station in Los Angeles, California. Owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, KCOP is a sister station to Fox network outlet KTTV , and is affiliated with the MyNetworkTV programming service...
. KCOP was the home of 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 Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the pen-and-paper game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on the board. Three versions were produced: the initial 1956–59 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on...
during its initial syndicated reigns. He is also featured on the Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
song 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night
7 O'Clock News/Silent Night
"7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" is the twelfth and final track on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, a 1966 album by Simon and Garfunkel. The track consists of an overdubbing of two contrasting recordings: a simple arrangement of the Christmas carol "Silent Night", and a simulated "7 O'Clock News"...
as the news announcer.
He also made a full-time career as an announcer on many television shows throughout the decades, with such series as 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....
, Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the pen-and-paper game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on the board. Three versions were produced: the initial 1956–59 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on...
, Bullseye and The $100,000 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...
(again working with Dick Clark). He also served as announcer for the American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
, the Emmy Awards and the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
.
Wheel of Fortune and other game shows
O'Donnell was also known as the announcer of the game show Wheel of FortuneWheel 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...
. He filled this role from 1975 to 1980, acted as a substitute for his successor, Jack Clark, and returned to the show permanently several months after Clark's death in 1988. Between Clark's death and O'Donnell's return, disc jockey M.G. Kelly
M.G. Kelly
Michael Gary Kelly , known professionally as M. G. Kelly and Machine Gun Kelly, is an actor, disc jockey and radio personality...
announced the show for most of its 1988-89 season.
Among the game show companies O'Donnell had worked for as a primary announcer were Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions was a television production company responsible for producing several American game shows in the 1970s and 1980s...
(1973–1977), Merv Griffin Enterprises
Merv Griffin Enterprises
Merv Griffin Enterprises was a television production company founded by Merv Griffin, in business from 1964 to 1994.-History:The company was first established as Merv Griffin Productions in 1964 and Griffin's first production was Jeopardy! In 1965, his talk show The Merv Griffin Show returned to...
/Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
(1975–80 and 1989–2010), Barry & Enright Productions
Barry & Enright Productions
Barry & Enright Productions , was a United States television production company that was formed in 1947 by Jack Barry and Dan Enright.-History:Jack Barry and Dan Enright first met at radio station WOR in New York, where...
(1981–86), and Barris Industries (1986–89 and earlier on occasion). He has also announced game shows for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions (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...
, Trivia Trap
Trivia Trap
Trivia Trap is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. It was created by producer Goodson and originally ran from October 8, 1984 to April 5, 1985 on ABC. The game featured two teams of three contestants each who competed against each other to answer trivia questions in various...
, 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...
, To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
); Bob Stewart Productions
Stewart Tele Enterprises
Stewart Tele Enterprises was an American major game show production company formed by Bob Stewart in 1964 originally based in New York City.-History:...
; Hill-Eubanks Group's All Star Secrets
All Star Secrets
All Star Secrets was an NBC daytime game show that aired from January 8 to August 10, 1979. A Hill-Eubanks Production, the show was hosted by co-creator Bob Eubanks and announced first by Charlie O'Donnell, but due to conflicts with his announcing duties on Wheel Of Fortune, he was later replaced...
and The Guinness Game
The Guinness Game
The Guinness Game was an American game show that aired in weekly syndication from September 17, 1979 to September 1980 for a total of 24 episodes. Bob Hilton was the host, later replaced by Don Galloway...
; and Scotti Bros.-Syd Vinnedge's Wordplay
Wordplay (game show)
Wordplay is an American game show which ran on NBC from December 29, 1986 to September 4, 1987. It was hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by Charlie O'Donnell...
. He and John Harlan
John Harlan (announcer)
John Harlan is an American television announcer who has worked on numerous television projects for over 40 years, particularly game and variety shows....
filled in for Rod Roddy
Rod Roddy
Robert Ray "Rod" Roddy was an American radio and television announcer. He is primarily known for his role as an offstage announcer on game shows. Among the shows that he announced are the CBS game shows Whew!, Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right. On the latter two, Roddy appeared on camera on...
on different occasions on Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck is an American television daytime game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. It premiered on September 19, 1983 on CBS and ended on September 26, 1986. In the show, contestants collected "spins" by answering trivia questions and then used the spins on an 18-space game...
. He also announced on the game show version of Monopoly
Monopoly (game show)
Monopoly is an American television game show based on the board game of the same name. It aired on ABC from June 16 to September 1, 1990. Mike Reilly, a former Jeopardy! contestant, hosted while Charlie O'Donnell announced....
.
Death
On the morning of November 1, 2010, O'Donnell was reported to have died in his sleep overnight from heart failure at his home in Sherman Oaks, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He is survived by his wife, Ellen. Shortly before his death, the show began rotating announcing duties among several guest announcers, including Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
announcer Johnny Gilbert
Johnny Gilbert
John L. "Johnny" Gilbert III is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various eras, dating as far back as the 1950s...
. Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak
Pat Sajak
Pat Sajak is a television personality, former weatherman, actor and talk show host, best known as the host of the American television game show Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
described O'Donnell as "the perfect voice of the show." O'Donnell's last announced episode aired on October 29, 2010, three days before his death. O'Donnell was succeeded by veteran LA radio announcer Jim Thornton.
On reruns of Wheel episodes that had a guest announcer other than Thornton after O'Donnell's death, the voices were overdubbed by Thornton since he was named permanent announcer. Episodes that originally had O'Donnell's voice retained his voice. But the updated Prize Puzzle plugs were done by Jeopardy! Clue Crew member Sarah Whitcomb.