Gene Wood
Encyclopedia
Eugene Edward "Gene" Wood (October 20, 1925 – May 21, 2004) was an American
television personality, known primarily for his work as an announcer
on various game show
s. 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 Clock
. Wood also served a brief stint as a host on the latter show, and on another show entitled Anything You Can Do
. After retiring from game shows in 1996, Wood worked as an announcer for the television channel Game Show Network
, retiring from that in 1998.
, Massachusetts
, Wood majored in speech and theater at Emerson College
. His early career included stand-up comedy
, television commercials, and writing for Bob Keeshan
of Captain Kangaroo
fame. This work included a Terrytoons
-produced cartoon series that aired on the Captain Kangaroo show called The Adventures of Lariat Sam, for which Wood also supplied voices and sang the theme song. Wood also had a comedy career, often pairing with partner Bill Dana, performing their comedy act at nightclubs.
version of Supermarket Sweep
in 1966 (though EOTVGS Vol. 2 says his first work as announcer was on the daytime version of Password); three years later, he began a long association with Mark Goodson
-Bill Todman
Productions, where he worked on Beat the Clock
as its announcer from 1969 to 1972; after the departure of the show's host, Jack Narz
, Wood then took over as host of Beat the Clock, with Nick Holenreich serving as announcer. Wood hosted the 1971–1972 season of the short-lived game show Anything You Can Do
, which featured teams of men competing against teams of women in stunts similar to Beat the Clock. He also appeared as a celebrity panelist on one week of Match Game
in 1974.
By 1976, Wood had become a regular announcer for Goodson–Todman, working as voice-over for many of the company's game shows. In addition to his role as announcer, Wood regularly served as a warm-up act for the audiences on these shows, and often performed a series of comedy skits.
Among his most popular job was as announcer on the original version of Family Feud
. The original version, hosted by Richard Dawson, ran on ABC
from 1976 to 1985, and when Family Feud was revived in 1988 with Ray Combs
as host, Wood announced on that version as well until 1995, when Dawson became host again. Another show for which he announced on both the original version and a revival was Card Sharks
. The show's first incarnation, starring Jim Perry, ran from 1978 to 1981 on NBC
, while two concurrent revivals (one on CBS
and another in syndication, hosted by Bob Eubanks
and Bill Rafferty
, respectively) ran from 1986 to 1989. Wood announced the first few weeks of Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak
on ABC, before being replaced by Double Dares Marc Summers
.
After the 1985 death of the original announcer Johnny Olson
on the Bob Barker
version of The Price Is Right
, Wood was one of four interim announcers on that show, until Rod Roddy
was chosen as Olson's successor. At that same time, Wood also announced on the nightly syndicated version hosted by Tom Kennedy until Roddy took over on that version as well. He also filled in for Olson, during the final weeks of the Tom Kennedy-hosted version of Body Language
. Other shows on which Wood served as a regular announcer were Tattletales
(CBS, 1974–1978) Double Dare
(CBS, 1976–1977), Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
(NBC, 1983–1984), Password Plus
(NBC, 1979–1982), Super Password
(NBC, 1984–1989), Love Connection
(Syndication, 1985–1988), Classic Concentration (NBC, 1987–1991), and Win, Lose or Draw
(Syndicated, 1987–1990). Prior to his retirement in the late 1990s, he also did voiceovers for the Game Show Network
. To date, he announced 17 Goodson-Todman game shows, behind fellow Goodson-Todman announcer Johnny Olson
, who announced 21.
in the 1990s. He died of lung cancer
in Boston, Massachusetts on May 21, 2004.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television personality, known primarily for his work as an 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...
on various 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...
s. From the 1960s to the 1990s, he announced many game shows, primarily 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 such as 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...
, 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...
, Password, and Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer, ran on CBS from 1950–1958 and ABC from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz...
. Wood also served a brief stint as a host on the latter show, and on another show entitled Anything You Can Do
Anything You Can Do (game show)
Anything You Can Do was a Canadian stunt-based game show that aired on that country's CTV network and in syndication in the United States from 1971–1974. The host in the show's first season was Gene Wood, who at the time was also the announcer on Beat the Clock. For the last two seasons Don Harron...
. After retiring from game shows in 1996, Wood worked as an announcer for the television channel 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"...
, retiring from that in 1998.
Early life and career
Born in QuincyQuincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Wood majored in speech and theater at Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
. His early career included stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, television commercials, and writing for Bob Keeshan
Bob Keeshan
Robert James "Bob" Keeshan was an American television producer and actor. He is most notable as the title character of the children's television program Captain Kangaroo, which became an icon for millions of people during its 30-year run from 1955 to 1984.Keeshan also played the original...
of Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
fame. This work included a Terrytoons
Terrytoons
Terrytoons was an animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio, located in suburban New Rochelle, New York, operated from 1929 to 1968. Its most popular characters included Mighty Mouse, Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Dinky Duck, Deputy Dawg, Luno and Heckle and Jeckle; these cartoons and all of its...
-produced cartoon series that aired on the Captain Kangaroo show called The Adventures of Lariat Sam, for which Wood also supplied voices and sang the theme song. Wood also had a comedy career, often pairing with partner Bill Dana, performing their comedy act at nightclubs.
Television work
His first role as a game show announcer came as a substitute on the ABCAmerican 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...
version of Supermarket Sweep
Supermarket Sweep
Supermarket Sweep is an American television game show. Part of the format was similar to other team-based quiz shows; the other part was a live-action race through a supermarket, a novel concept at the time...
in 1966 (though EOTVGS Vol. 2 says his first work as announcer was on the daytime version of Password); three years later, he began a long association with 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, where he worked on Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer, ran on CBS from 1950–1958 and ABC from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz...
as its announcer from 1969 to 1972; after the departure of the show's host, Jack Narz
Jack Narz
Jack Narz was an American television announcer and game show host. Narz was the elder brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen...
, Wood then took over as host of Beat the Clock, with Nick Holenreich serving as announcer. Wood hosted the 1971–1972 season of the short-lived game show Anything You Can Do
Anything You Can Do (game show)
Anything You Can Do was a Canadian stunt-based game show that aired on that country's CTV network and in syndication in the United States from 1971–1974. The host in the show's first season was Gene Wood, who at the time was also the announcer on Beat the Clock. For the last two seasons Don Harron...
, which featured teams of men competing against teams of women in stunts similar to Beat the Clock. He also appeared as a celebrity panelist on one week of Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
in 1974.
By 1976, Wood had become a regular announcer for Goodson–Todman, working as voice-over for many of the company's game shows. In addition to his role as announcer, Wood regularly served as a warm-up act for the audiences on these shows, and often performed a series of comedy skits.
Among his most popular job was as announcer on the original version of 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...
. The original version, hosted by Richard Dawson, ran on 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...
from 1976 to 1985, and when Family Feud was revived in 1988 with Ray Combs
Ray Combs
Raymond Neil "Ray" Combs, Jr. was an American comedian, actor, and host of the game show Family Feud on CBS and in syndication from 1988 to 1994.-Early life and career:...
as host, Wood announced on that version as well until 1995, when Dawson became host again. Another show for which he announced on both the original version and a revival was 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...
. The show's first incarnation, starring Jim Perry, ran from 1978 to 1981 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...
, while two concurrent revivals (one 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...
and another in syndication, hosted by 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 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...
, respectively) ran from 1986 to 1989. Wood announced the first few weeks of Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak
Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak
Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak is an American television game show that aired on ABC from January 6 to April 4, 1986. British television personality Bruce Forsyth hosted the series, the only time he hosted a series outside of his native United Kingdom...
on ABC, before being replaced by Double Dares Marc Summers
Marc Summers
Marc Summers is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and a two-time talk show host. He is best known for hosting the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare and currently hosts Unwrapped on The Food Network.- Early career :Summers was born Marc Berkowitz in...
.
After the 1985 death of the original announcer 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...
on the 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...
version of The 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...
, Wood was one of four interim announcers on that show, until 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...
was chosen as Olson's successor. At that same time, Wood also announced on the nightly syndicated version hosted by Tom Kennedy until Roddy took over on that version as well. He also filled in for Olson, during the final weeks of the Tom Kennedy-hosted version of Body Language
Body Language (game show)
Body Language is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. The show aired on CBS from June 4, 1984 until January 3, 1986, and was hosted by Tom Kennedy...
. Other shows on which Wood served as a regular announcer were Tattletales
Tattletales
Tattletales is a game show which first aired on the CBS daytime schedule on February 18, 1974. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several announcers, including Jack Clark, Gene Wood, Johnny Olson and John Harlan, providing the voiceover at various times...
(CBS, 1974–1978) Double Dare
Double Dare (1976 game show)
Double Dare is an American television game show, produced by Mark Goodson—Bill Todman Productions, that ran from 1976 to 1977 on CBS. Alex Trebek was the host, with Johnny Olson and later Gene Wood announcing...
(CBS, 1976–1977), Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour is an American television game show that combined two long-running game shows of the 1960s and 1970s – Match Game and Hollywood Squares – into an hour-long format....
(NBC, 1983–1984), 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....
(NBC, 1979–1982), Super Password
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....
(NBC, 1984–1989), Love Connection
Love Connection
Love Connection is an American television game show, hosted by Chuck Woolery, in which singles attempted to connect with a compatible partner of the opposite gender. The show debuted in syndication on September 19, 1983 and ended on July 1, 1994, after more than 2,000 shows. Reruns continued to air...
(Syndication, 1985–1988), Classic Concentration (NBC, 1987–1991), and Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City, often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at various times...
(Syndicated, 1987–1990). Prior to his retirement in the late 1990s, he also did voiceovers for the 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"...
. To date, he announced 17 Goodson-Todman game shows, behind fellow Goodson-Todman announcer 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...
, who announced 21.
Death
Wood retired to Adamsville, Rhode IslandAdamsville, Rhode Island
Adamsville, Rhode Island is a historic village in Little Compton, Rhode Island. It was first settled in 1675 around the time of King Phillip's War.-Historic Sites:...
in the 1990s. He died of lung cancer
Lung 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...
in Boston, Massachusetts on May 21, 2004.