Jack Narz
Encyclopedia
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
. Narz eluded the infamous quiz show scandals
to forge a respected hosting career.
. Narz also made appearances in local Los Angeles television and served as the announcer on one of TV's first nationally-broadcast children's shows, Space Patrol
.
Narz first achieved television fame in 1952, when he was the on-camera announcer and narrator of the sitcom Life with Elizabeth
starring Betty White
. In 1955, as he did on radio, Narz served as the announcer-sidekick of bandleader Bob Crosby
on the former's daytime TV show. That same year, he also worked as announcer on Place the Face
, a game show hosted by Bill Cullen
and earlier Jack Bailey. By the end of 1957, Narz's career success forced his family to relocate from southern California
to the suburbs of New York City
.
In January 1958, Narz began hosting his own game show, presiding over CBS's Dotto
. Within a brief time the show became very popular, with Dotto running five days a week on CBS and, beginning in the summer of 1958, weekly in prime time on NBC. Dotto was later part of the quiz show scandals
and was the first popular quiz show to be canceled as a result.
, while regular host Bill Cullen took a vacation. Later that year, he was the host of Video Village
, but asked producers to let him leave the show due to personal reasons (Monty Hall
succeeded him).
After relocating back to Los Angeles, Narz hosted Seven Keys
, which started as a local show, but then moved to ABC (1961–1964). It later returned as a local show in L.A. until sometime in 1965. This was followed by a 13-week run on a new NBC game show entitled I'll Bet
. In 1969, Narz began hosting the syndicated revival of Beat the Clock
, doing so until 1972 when the show's announcer, Gene Wood
, replaced him.
In 1973, Narz started hosting Concentration
. It aired in syndication until 1978 and was his longest-running job as host. He also emceed Now You See It
on CBS from 1974-1975. In 1979, Narz served as the announcer and an associate producer for the CBS revival of Beat the Clock which, ironically, was hosted by Monty Hall
. Narz also was used as a sub-announcer for Gene Wood
on the NBC version of Card Sharks
. After transitioning into semi-retirement, Narz spent his time as a celebrity golfer for various charitable causes.
. Tom Kennedy guest starred on Jack Narz's Beat the Clock, and Narz appeared on the Password Plus panel while Kennedy was hosting and even switched with his brother to host for half of an episode. Like his brother, Narz appeared on To Tell the Truth
as a celebrity panelist.
In 2005, Narz and Kennedy were co-recipients of the Bill Cullen Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Game Show Congress
. In May 2007, Narz and Kennedy received the Diamond Circle Award by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters at a celebrity luncheon honoring Leonard Maltin.
's wife, Ann. They had three sons and a daughter. After their divorce, Narz married Dolores "Dodo" Vaiksnor, who was a flight attendant for TWA and American Airlines for almost fifty years.
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
. Narz eluded the infamous quiz show scandals
Quiz show scandals
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....
to forge a respected hosting career.
Early career
Narz began his early career doing voice work as one of the narrators for Adventures of SupermanAdventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
. Narz also made appearances in local Los Angeles television and served as the announcer on one of TV's first nationally-broadcast children's shows, Space Patrol
Space Patrol
Space Patrol has been the title of several science fiction works:*Space Patrol , the United States 1950s TV series with a concurrent radio version...
.
Narz first achieved television fame in 1952, when he was the on-camera announcer and narrator of the sitcom Life with Elizabeth
Life with Elizabeth
Life with Elizabeth is an American sitcom which aired in syndication from October 7, 1953, to September 1, 1955. The show stars Betty White and Del Moore; Jack Narz was the on-camera announcer and narrator....
starring Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
. In 1955, as he did on radio, Narz served as the announcer-sidekick of bandleader Bob Crosby
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
on the former's daytime TV show. That same year, he also worked as announcer on Place the Face
Place the Face
Place the Face is an American game show that aired on CBS and NBC from 1953 to 1955. The series was hosted by Jack Smith, Jack Bailey, and then Bill Cullen. Jack Narz was the announcer.-Synopsis:...
, a game show hosted by Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
and earlier Jack Bailey. By the end of 1957, Narz's career success forced his family to relocate from southern California
California
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...
to the suburbs of 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...
.
In January 1958, Narz began hosting his own game show, presiding over CBS's Dotto
Dotto
Dotto is an American television quiz show which aired on CBS from January 6 to August 15, 1958 and was hosted by Jack Narz. Although it quickly became the highest-rated daytime game show on television, its end came when it became the unexpected first casualty – and ignition – of the...
. Within a brief time the show became very popular, with Dotto running five days a week on CBS and, beginning in the summer of 1958, weekly in prime time on NBC. Dotto was later part of the quiz show scandals
Quiz show scandals
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....
and was the first popular quiz show to be canceled as a result.
After Dotto
Narz returned to television within a short period of time after Dotto's cancellation, hosting its replacement Top Dollar (succeeding its first host, Warren Hull, as part of an arrangement made with CBS and the ad agency representing the Colgate-Palmolive Company and General Mills, with whom Narz was under contract at the time). In 1960, he guest-hosted for a month on The Price Is RightThe Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
, while regular host Bill Cullen took a vacation. Later that year, he was the host of Video Village
Video Village
Video Village is an American television game show produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions which aired on the CBS network in daytime from July 11, 1960 to June 15, 1962 and in primetime from July 1 to September 16, 1960....
, but asked producers to let him leave the show due to personal reasons (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:...
succeeded him).
After relocating back to Los Angeles, Narz hosted Seven Keys
Seven Keys (game show)
Seven Keys is an American game show hosted by Jack Narz and based on Chutes & Ladders that aired from September 12, 1960 to January 15, 1965 on KTLA and ABC.The first KTLA series is one of the few non-syndicated television game shows to air daily in nighttime...
, which started as a local show, but then moved to ABC (1961–1964). It later returned as a local show in L.A. until sometime in 1965. This was followed by a 13-week run on a new NBC game show entitled I'll Bet
I'll Bet
I'll Bet is an American game show that ran on NBC from March 29 to September 24, 1965. The series was created by Ralph Andrews, and hosted by Jack Narz....
. In 1969, Narz began hosting the syndicated revival of 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...
, doing so until 1972 when the show's announcer, 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...
, replaced him.
In 1973, Narz started hosting Concentration
Concentration (game show)
Concentration was an American TV game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. Matching cards represented prizes that contestants could win...
. It aired in syndication until 1978 and was his longest-running job as host. He also emceed Now You See It
Now You See It
Now You See It is an American television game show created by Frank Wayne for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two Now You See It series were produced, and both aired on CBS. The first series ran from April 1, 1974 until June 13, 1975, and was hosted by Jack Narz...
on CBS from 1974-1975. In 1979, Narz served as the announcer and an associate producer for the CBS revival of Beat the Clock which, ironically, was hosted by 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:...
. Narz also was used as a sub-announcer for 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...
on the NBC version of 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...
. After transitioning into semi-retirement, Narz spent his time as a celebrity golfer for various charitable causes.
'Brother' Act
While Narz and his brother Tom Kennedy (whose real name is Jim Narz) forged successful individual careers as broadcasters, they also made occasional joint appearances. Jack Narz appeared on Tom Kennedy's You Don't Say during its NBC run, and the syndicated It's Your BetIt's Your Bet
It's Your Bet is an American game show which aired in syndication from 1969-1973. The series was a revised version of the NBC game I'll Bet, which aired in 1965 and was a Ralph Andrews production.-Hosts:...
. Tom Kennedy guest starred on Jack Narz's Beat the Clock, and Narz appeared on the Password Plus panel while Kennedy was hosting and even switched with his brother to host for half of an episode. Like his brother, Narz appeared on 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...
as a celebrity panelist.
In 2005, Narz and Kennedy were co-recipients of the Bill Cullen Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Game Show Congress
Game Show Congress
Game Show Congress is a meeting of industry professionals, former contestants and fans of television game shows. It was first held in 2002 and will hold its eighth conference in 2011.-GSC 1:...
. In May 2007, Narz and Kennedy received the Diamond Circle Award by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters at a celebrity luncheon honoring Leonard Maltin.
Personal life
Narz' first wife was Mary Lou Roemheld, daughter of Oscar-winning composer Heinz Roemheld and the sister of Bill CullenBill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
's wife, Ann. They had three sons and a daughter. After their divorce, Narz married Dolores "Dodo" Vaiksnor, who was a flight attendant for TWA and American Airlines for almost fifty years.