Dennis James
Encyclopedia
Dennis James was an American television personality, actor
, and announcer
. He is credited as the host of television's first network game show, the DuMont Network
's Cash and Carry
in 1946. James was the first person ever to host a telethon and to appear in a television commercial.
, New Jersey
, he began his career in radio with WNEW (now WBBR
) and moved to television in 1938, working for the soon-to-become-DuMont Television Network
station WABD, which is now WNYW. (WABD helped to found the DuMont network in 1946.) James became the host of a few game shows, such as the ABC version of Chance of a Lifetime
(1952–1953) and served as commentator for DuMont's wrestling and boxing shows. He essentially worked as a utility announcer for DuMont.
James also hosted the DuMont daytime variety show Okay, Mother
(1948–1951). James often addressed the TV audience as "Mother", a practice he had begun when discussing the finer points of wrestling during his sports broadcasts. He feared that men in the audience would be insulted by the implication that they didn't already know the rules (even if they didn't), but would accept that James was merely explaining things for the benefit of women viewers. During the late 1940s James was also an announcer for Paramount News
, announcing newsreels ranging from hard news to sports.
In the 1953-1954 season, James was the announcer of the quiz program Judge for Yourself
, which aired on NBC
, with Fred Allen
as the emcee.
James gained his greatest fame as the host of numerous game shows. Prior to 1956, he and Bert Parks
hosted the ABC
musical game show Stop the Music
.
In 1956, James emceed the short-lived High Finance
on CBS
in which contestants answer current events questions to build up a jackpot for prizes. James was responsible for the NBC daytime revival of Name That Tune
(1974–1975) and his last game show, the weekly syndicated nighttime version of The (New) Price is Right
(1972–1977). James and producer Mark Goodson
co-hosted a promotional film, selling stations on the 1972 revival of Price, which was originally hosted by James' fellow TV pioneer Bill Cullen
. He also appeared with Bill Leyden
in the 1962–1964 NBC quiz program Your First Impression
.
James' game show hosting duties spanned the better part of four decades, presiding over shows such as The Name's the Same
, High Finance
(which he co-created), Haggis Baggis
, People Will Talk
, PDQ, and the talent shows Chance of a Lifetime and Your All-American College Show. James was also the official commercial presenter of the one-episode flop You're in the Picture
, and appeared on the subsequent "apology" episode as well. He was also Ted Mack's announcer on The Original Amateur Hour.
James was a regular substitute host for Monty Hall
on Let's Make a Deal
during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and it was during this time that he caught the attention of Mark Goodson
, who at the time was putting together The New Price is Right for syndication; the new format would incorporate the original format from 1956–1965 with elements from Deal. James was Goodson's first choice to host both that version and a daytime version commissioned by CBS, but the network insisted on Truth or Consequences
host Bob Barker
for the daytime show. Barker took the daytime show, which he hosted until 2007, while James hosted the nighttime version which aired in the "access period"
. James hosted the nighttime Price from 1972–1977, and also filled in for Barker during four daytime episodes that were taped on December 2, 1974 and aired from December 24 to 27 of that year, becoming the only substitute host in the CBS version's history; subsequently, tapings have been postponed if the host is unable to appear.
with the exceptions of The Name's the Same and his tenure on Price, plus a few scattered episodes of the other programs mentioned above. A single kinescoped episode (circa 1950) of his live DuMont daytime program "Okay Mother" survives in its entirety and is available on video as well as in the Paley Archives.
James' episodes of Price, however, frequently featured fur coats as prizes. Due to the wishes of Bob Barker, who prohibited any episodes featuring furs from airing on Game Show Network
and was executive producer of the show at the time the network aired reruns (giving him great authority over most aspects of the show), all but approximately 50 episodes of James' tenure were included in this prohibition. No episodes from the 1970s nighttime version were ever aired by GSN from 1996–2000, the time it held rights to the show.
GSN has previously aired episodes of The Name's the Same with James hosting. The Christmas Day 1974 episode of the daytime Price aired in tribute after James' death.
He returned to his wrestling roots in the 1978 Henry Winkler
film The One and Only
as the announcer for Winkler's title match, and was also the wrestling commentator in Rocky III
for Rocky Balboa's match against Thunderlips (played by Hulk Hogan). His final acting appearance was in The Method in 1997.
James hosted the first telethon using the then-new television medium to raise money for charity. James was the emcee of the United Cerebral Palsy
Associations' telethons. UCP was founded in 1949 by Leonard and Isabel Goldenson and Jack and Ethel Hausman. (Leonard was the American Broadcasting Company
's guiding spirit from the 1950s to the 1980s). James hosted the charity's primary telethon (in New York City
on WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV
) for 47 years, aided by Jane Pickens, Paul Anka
, Florence Henderson
, and other performers. He also hosted telethons in major cities all over the United States on a monthly basis from 1950 until 1979. When the telethon went national in 1979 with John Ritter
as M.C. in Los Angeles, UCP enlisted James as a national presenter, in addition to James' duties as the anchor of the New York City version, which was also seen on cable all over the US via WOR-TV.
James bought a home in Palm Springs, California in 1980. He was then called on to host dozens of charity events a year in the Palm Springs area, including events for Childhelp International, The Frank Sinatra Golf Classic, and the Bob Hope Desert Classic. In 1996, he received a Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
at his home in Palm Springs, California
.
For his contribution to the television industry, Dennis James has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
located at 6753 Hollywood Blvd.
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 is credited as the host of television's first network game show, the DuMont Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
's Cash and Carry
Cash and Carry (TV series)
Cash and Carry is an American television game show hosted by Dennis James that ran on the then-both affiliates of the DuMont Television Network from June 20, 1946 to July 1, 1947...
in 1946. James was the first person ever to host a telethon and to appear in a television commercial.
Early career
Born Demi James Sposa in Jersey CityJersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, he began his career in radio with WNEW (now WBBR
WBBR
WBBR is a radio station broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. It airs Bloomberg Radio, a service of Bloomberg L.P. WBBR's format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market updates and interviews with corporate executives,...
) and moved to television in 1938, working for the soon-to-become-DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
station WABD, which is now WNYW. (WABD helped to found the DuMont network in 1946.) James became the host of a few game shows, such as the ABC version of Chance of a Lifetime
Chance of a Lifetime (1950s TV series)
Chance of a Lifetime was a game show which aired on ABC and DuMont.-Broadcast history:Dennis James was the host of the ABC version which ended on August 20, 1953, and John Reed King was the host of the DuMont version, which ran from September 11, 1953 to June 17, 1955...
(1952–1953) and served as commentator for DuMont's wrestling and boxing shows. He essentially worked as a utility announcer for DuMont.
James also hosted the DuMont daytime variety show Okay, Mother
Okay, Mother
Okay, Mother is an American daytime variety/game show hosted by Dennis James which originally aired on WABD in New York City in 1948. After receiving good ratings and largely positive reviews the show, originally titled Mothers Inc., aired nationally at 1:00 PM on the DuMont Television Network from...
(1948–1951). James often addressed the TV audience as "Mother", a practice he had begun when discussing the finer points of wrestling during his sports broadcasts. He feared that men in the audience would be insulted by the implication that they didn't already know the rules (even if they didn't), but would accept that James was merely explaining things for the benefit of women viewers. During the late 1940s James was also an announcer for Paramount News
Paramount News
Paramount News is the name on the newsreels produced by Paramount Pictures .-History:The Paramount Newsreel began operation in 1927 and distributed roughly two movie theater issues per week until their closing in 1957. Movie theaters across the country would run these issues, usually on 35mm...
, announcing newsreels ranging from hard news to sports.
Game show career
Judge for Yourself
Judge for Yourself, at first subtitled The Fred Allen Show, is an unconventional Mark Goodson and Bill Todman quiz and audience participation television program, with comedian Fred Allen as the emcee. It aired on NBC from August 18, 1953, to May 11, 1954...
, which aired on 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...
, with Fred Allen
Fred Allen
Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
as the emcee.
James gained his greatest fame as the host of numerous game shows. Prior to 1956, he and 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....
hosted the 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...
musical game show Stop the Music
Stop the Music (TV series)
Stop the Music is a prime time television game show that aired for an hour on Thursday evenings on ABC from May 5, 1949 to April 24, 1952, and again for a half-hour from September 7, 1954, to June 14, 1956. It had also been broadcast on radio from 1948 to 1949.The series hosts were Bert Parks and...
.
In 1956, James emceed the short-lived High Finance
High Finance (1956 TV series)
High Finance is a quiz show created and hosted by the late Dennis James which aired on CBS from July 7 to December 15, 1956. It followed Gunsmoke, then in the second of its eventual twenty seasons, on the CBS schedule. High Finance aired at 10:30 p.m. Saturdays opposite NBC's Your Hit Parade.On the...
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...
in which contestants answer current events questions to build up a jackpot for prizes. James was responsible for the NBC daytime revival of Name That Tune
Name That Tune
Name That Tune is a television game show that put two contestants against each other to test their knowledge of songs. Premiering in the United States on NBC Radio in 1952, the show was created and produced by Harry Salter and his wife Roberta....
(1974–1975) and his last game show, the weekly syndicated nighttime version of The (New) Price is Right
The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)
The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
(1972–1977). James and producer Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
co-hosted a promotional film, selling stations on the 1972 revival of Price, which was originally hosted by James' fellow TV pioneer Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
. He also appeared with Bill Leyden
Bill Leyden
William "Bill" Leyden was a World War II veteran serving in the Marine Corps and a television game show host and announcer who emceed six game shows, including It Could Be You , Your First Impression , and You're Putting Me On...
in the 1962–1964 NBC quiz program Your First Impression
Your First Impression
Your First Impression is a NBC daytime game show which aired from January 2, 1962, to June 26, 1964. A panel of three celebrities tried to guess the identity of mystery guests from clues supplied by the host. Bill Leyden was the MC of the program, with Dennis James as a regular panelist or...
.
James' game show hosting duties spanned the better part of four decades, presiding over shows such as The Name's the Same
The Name's the Same
The Name's the Same is an American game show that was produced by Goodson-Todman for the ABC television network from December 5, 1951 to August 31, 1954, followed by a run from October 25, 1954 to October 7, 1955....
, High Finance
High Finance
High Finance is the fifth episode of the eighth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army that was originally broadcast on the 3 October 1975.-Synopsis:...
(which he co-created), Haggis Baggis
Haggis Baggis
Haggis Baggis was an American game show that aired on NBC from 1958-1959. Jack Linkletter hosted the primetime version while Fred Robbins and Dennis James did the daytime show...
, People Will Talk
People Will Talk
People Will Talk is a romantic comedy/drama directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck from a screenplay by Mankiewicz, based on the German play by Curt Goetz, which had been made into a movie in Germany...
, PDQ, and the talent shows Chance of a Lifetime and Your All-American College Show. James was also the official commercial presenter of the one-episode flop You're in the Picture
You're in the Picture
You're in the Picture is an American television game show that aired on CBS for only one episode on Friday, January 20, 1961 at 9:30pm, the evening of the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy....
, and appeared on the subsequent "apology" episode as well. He was also Ted Mack's announcer on The Original Amateur Hour.
James was a regular substitute host for Monty Hall
Monty Hall
Monte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
on Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and it was during this time that he caught the attention of Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
, who at the time was putting together The New Price is Right for syndication; the new format would incorporate the original format from 1956–1965 with elements from Deal. James was Goodson's first choice to host both that version and a daytime version commissioned by CBS, but the network insisted on Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences is an American quiz show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards and later on television by Edwards , Jack Bailey , Bob Barker , Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson . The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication...
host 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...
for the daytime show. Barker took the daytime show, which he hosted until 2007, while James hosted the nighttime version which aired in the "access period"
Prime Time Access Rule
The Prime Time Access Rule was instituted by the Federal Communications Commission in 1970 to restrict the amount of network broadcast programming that a local television station, Owned-and-operated station by or affiliated with a television network may air during "prime time"...
. James hosted the nighttime Price from 1972–1977, and also filled in for Barker during four daytime episodes that were taped on December 2, 1974 and aired from December 24 to 27 of that year, becoming the only substitute host in the CBS version's history; subsequently, tapings have been postponed if the host is unable to appear.
Surviving work
James was known to have kept tapes of shows he had hosted (mostly those from his guest hosting stints) in his personal library as a supplement to his résumé; one such clip, from Let's Make a Deal, appeared in the pitch film for The New Price Is Right. The status of the other tapes is unknown. Due to his work mostly being within the earlier years of television, most of James' shows (both as host and celebrity guest) have been destroyedWiping
Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
with the exceptions of The Name's the Same and his tenure on Price, plus a few scattered episodes of the other programs mentioned above. A single kinescoped episode (circa 1950) of his live DuMont daytime program "Okay Mother" survives in its entirety and is available on video as well as in the Paley Archives.
James' episodes of Price, however, frequently featured fur coats as prizes. Due to the wishes of Bob Barker, who prohibited any episodes featuring furs from airing on Game Show Network
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
and was executive producer of the show at the time the network aired reruns (giving him great authority over most aspects of the show), all but approximately 50 episodes of James' tenure were included in this prohibition. No episodes from the 1970s nighttime version were ever aired by GSN from 1996–2000, the time it held rights to the show.
GSN has previously aired episodes of The Name's the Same with James hosting. The Christmas Day 1974 episode of the daytime Price aired in tribute after James' death.
Other work
Outside of sports and game shows, James was also a popular commercial spokesman for products including Old Gold cigarettes, Kellogg's cereals and, through his own production company, many local and regional companies and businesses. For nearly 30 years, James was the spokesman for Physicians Mutual Insurance Company until his death in 1997. His expression "Okay? Okay!" became a trademark in many of James' commercials.He returned to his wrestling roots in the 1978 Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
film The One and Only
The One and Only (1978 film)
The One and Only is a 1978 film comedy starring Henry Winkler, directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Gordon.Gordon went on to write and direct the movie Arthur.-Plot:...
as the announcer for Winkler's title match, and was also the wrestling commentator in Rocky III
Rocky III
Rocky III is a 1982 American film that is the third installment in the Rocky film series. It is written and directed by and stars Sylvester Stallone as the title character, with Carl Weathers as former boxing rival Apollo Creed, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey, and Talia Shire as Rocky's...
for Rocky Balboa's match against Thunderlips (played by Hulk Hogan). His final acting appearance was in The Method in 1997.
James hosted the first telethon using the then-new television medium to raise money for charity. James was the emcee of the United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy is an international nonprofit charitable organization consisting of a network of affiliates. UCP is a leading service provider and advocate for adults and children with disabilities, including cerebral palsy...
Associations' telethons. UCP was founded in 1949 by Leonard and Isabel Goldenson and Jack and Ethel Hausman. (Leonard was the American Broadcasting Company
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 guiding spirit from the 1950s to the 1980s). James hosted the charity's primary telethon (in New York City
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...
on WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
) for 47 years, aided by Jane Pickens, Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
, Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
, and other performers. He also hosted telethons in major cities all over the United States on a monthly basis from 1950 until 1979. When the telethon went national in 1979 with John Ritter
John Ritter
Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively...
as M.C. in Los Angeles, UCP enlisted James as a national presenter, in addition to James' duties as the anchor of the New York City version, which was also seen on cable all over the US via WOR-TV.
James bought a home in Palm Springs, California in 1980. He was then called on to host dozens of charity events a year in the Palm Springs area, including events for Childhelp International, The Frank Sinatra Golf Classic, and the Bob Hope Desert Classic. In 1996, he received a Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
Death
James died on June 3, 1997 from lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at his home in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
.
For his contribution to the television industry, Dennis James has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
located at 6753 Hollywood Blvd.