John Cameron Swayze
Encyclopedia
John Cameron Swayze was a popular news commentator
and game show
panelist in the United States
during the 1950s.
the son of a wholesale drug salesman. He attended schools in Atchison, Kansas. Swayze first sought to work as an actor
, but his activity in Broadway theatre
during 1929 ended when acting roles became scarce following Wall Street's
stock market crash.
From there Swayze graduated to radio doing news updates for Kansas City's KMBC in 1940 and, reportedly, an experimental early television newscast. Four years later, Swayze went farther west, to Los Angeles and Hollywood where NBC
hired him for its western news division before moving him to its New York
news operation in 1947.
During 1948 Swayze provided voice-over work for the 'Camel Newsreel Theatre', an early television news program that broadcast Movietone News
newsreels.
At the same time Swayze proposed and obtained a radio quiz program, Who Said That?
. The radio version lasted only a year, but Swayze was an occasional panelist in the television version of the program, which was broadcast on NBC from 1948 to 1955. In the series, celebrites try to determine the speaker of quotations taken from recent news reports.
NBC, meanwhile, made Swayze the host of its national political convention coverage in 1948—the first commercial coverage ever by television (NBC Television
did broadcast the Republican National Convention from Philadelphia during 1940 on a non-commercial, semi-experimental basis).
. He read items from the news wires and periodically interviewed newsmakers but he is remembered best for his two catch-phrases: "Let's go hop scotching around the world for headlines" and his somewhat cartoonish sign-off: "That's the story, folks—glad we could get together. And now, this is John Cameron Swayze saying, good night." In early 1955, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, maker of Camel cigarettes, reduced its sponsorship to three days a week. Chrysler's Plymouth division sponsored the other days and on those days, the program was labeled the Plymouth News Caravan. In time Swayze's almost manic style seemed frivolous compared to his CBS
rival Douglas Edwards
with the News who Swayze once out-rated but whose anchor sounded sober and no-nonsense. During 1956 Swayze was dismissed in favor of a new anchor team Chet Huntley
and David Brinkley
. The Huntley-Brinkley Report soon became the nation's top-rated television newscast; Edwards was replaced during 1962 by Walter Cronkite
.
—was more familiar for a series of commercials he did for Timex. Again he showed a penchant for catch-phrases, especially: "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking". Swayze performed in Timex commercials that were mock newscasts before delivering the catch-phrase at the end of the commercials. Swayze did the Timex commercials for over two decades.
Swayze also appeared in commercials for Studebaker
promoting the automobile company's 1963 model line. He also appeared in a 1984 commercial for radio station WHTZ in New York City, which was broadcast in other markets promoting different radio stations.
, whose first "break-in" novelty record (a mock newscast spliced with current rock and roll music), "The Flying Saucer," satirized him as reporter John Cameron Cameron (played by Goodman). Swayze is mentioned in a lyric of Allan Sherman
's novelty song "My Grandfather's Watch", a parody of Henry Clay Work
's "My Grandfather's Clock".
John Cameron Swayze made periodic cameo performances in movies beginning with 1957's A Face in the Crowd. He also hosted and narrated from 1955-57 the long running television drama series, The Armstrong Circle Theatre (1950–1963) after leaving NBC News, as well as a daytime television game show for ABC, Chance for Romance.
He is mentioned in one of the scenes of Walt Disney World's attraction, Carousel of Progress
at the Magic Kingdom
in Orlando, Florida.
Swayze was fairly frequently mentioned on the television series The Golden Girls
—for example in season one, Episode 9 broadcast on Nov. 16th 1985, Blanche and the Younger Man. Blanche finished telling the story when she was almost Mrs. Andy Griffith and Sophia reminds Dorothy when Blanche told a similar story but about John Cameron Swayze. And his Timex commercials are amusingly mentioned in the episode "The Stan Who Came to Dinner", which broadcast January 10, 1987, where Sophia (Estelle Getty
) tells of a recurring dream where John Cameron Swayze straps a Timex to her chin and tosses her across an icy pond.
In episode 805 of Mystery Science Theater 3000
, when the watch of a character in the movie The Thing That Couldn't Die
is found in a traderat's nest, Tom Servo
exclaims: "John Cameron Traderat."
.
Newsradio 880 in New York until October 2010 (under the name Cameron Swayze) and Suzanne Swayze Patrick of Alexandria, Virginia; 6 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren. He died in Sarasota, Florida, on August 15, 1995.
John Cameron Swayze and the actor Patrick Swayze
were 6th cousins once removed. Both John and Patrick's father are descendants by 7 generations of Judge Samuel Swayze (March 20, 1688/1689-May 11, 1759) and his wife Penelope Horton (1689/1690-1746). Judge Swayze was the son of Joseph Swasey and his wife Mary Betts. Mary Betts was the daughter of Captain Richard Betts and his wife Joanna Chamberlayne. Other noteworthy relations descending from the Betts or Swayze lineages are actors William Holden
and Tom Hulce
, and Evgenia Citkowitz, wife of actor Julian Sands
.
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
and 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...
panelist in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the 1950s.
Early life
He was born in Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
the son of a wholesale drug salesman. He attended schools in Atchison, Kansas. Swayze first sought to work as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, but his activity in Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
during 1929 ended when acting roles became scarce following Wall Street's
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
stock market crash.
Career
Swayze returned to the Midwest and worked for the Kansas City Journal Post as a reporter.From there Swayze graduated to radio doing news updates for Kansas City's KMBC in 1940 and, reportedly, an experimental early television newscast. Four years later, Swayze went farther west, to Los Angeles and Hollywood where 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...
hired him for its western news division before moving him to its New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
news operation in 1947.
During 1948 Swayze provided voice-over work for the 'Camel Newsreel Theatre', an early television news program that broadcast Movietone News
Movietone News
Movietone News is a newsreel that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States, and from 1929 to 1979 in the United Kingdom.-History:It is known in the U.S. as Fox Movietone News, produced cinema, sound newsreels from 1928 to 1963 in the U.S., from 1929 to 1979 in the UK , and from 1929 to 1975 in...
newsreels.
At the same time Swayze proposed and obtained a radio quiz program, Who Said That?
Who Said That?
Who Said That? is a 1947-55 NBC radio-television game show, in which a panel of celebrities attempts to determine the speaker of a quotation from recent news reports. The series was first proposed and edited by Fred W. Friendly, later of CBS News....
. The radio version lasted only a year, but Swayze was an occasional panelist in the television version of the program, which was broadcast on NBC from 1948 to 1955. In the series, celebrites try to determine the speaker of quotations taken from recent news reports.
NBC, meanwhile, made Swayze the host of its national political convention coverage in 1948—the first commercial coverage ever by television (NBC Television
did broadcast the Republican National Convention from Philadelphia during 1940 on a non-commercial, semi-experimental basis).
Anchor
Swayze was chosen in 1949 to host NBC's first television newscast, the fifteen-minute Camel News CaravanCamel News Caravan
The Camel News Caravan was a 15 minute American television news program aired by NBC News from February 14, 1949 to October 26, 1956. Sponsored by the Camel cigarette brand and anchored by John Cameron Swayze, it was the first NBC news program to use NBC filmed news stories rather than movie...
. He read items from the news wires and periodically interviewed newsmakers but he is remembered best for his two catch-phrases: "Let's go hop scotching around the world for headlines" and his somewhat cartoonish sign-off: "That's the story, folks—glad we could get together. And now, this is John Cameron Swayze saying, good night." In early 1955, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, maker of Camel cigarettes, reduced its sponsorship to three days a week. Chrysler's Plymouth division sponsored the other days and on those days, the program was labeled the Plymouth News Caravan. In time Swayze's almost manic style seemed frivolous compared to his 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...
rival Douglas Edwards
Douglas Edwards
Douglas Edwards was America's first network news television anchor, anchoring CBS's first nightly news broadcast from 1948–1962, which was later to be titled CBS Evening News.-Early life and career:...
with the News who Swayze once out-rated but whose anchor sounded sober and no-nonsense. During 1956 Swayze was dismissed in favor of a new anchor team Chet Huntley
Chet Huntley
Chester Robert "Chet" Huntley was an American television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956.-Early life:...
and David Brinkley
David Brinkley
David McClure Brinkley was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997....
. The Huntley-Brinkley Report soon became the nation's top-rated television newscast; Edwards was replaced during 1962 by Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
.
Spokesperson
By that time Swayze—despite a brief anchoring of an evening newscast for the American Broadcasting CompanyAmerican 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...
—was more familiar for a series of commercials he did for Timex. Again he showed a penchant for catch-phrases, especially: "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking". Swayze performed in Timex commercials that were mock newscasts before delivering the catch-phrase at the end of the commercials. Swayze did the Timex commercials for over two decades.
Swayze also appeared in commercials for Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
promoting the automobile company's 1963 model line. He also appeared in a 1984 commercial for radio station WHTZ in New York City, which was broadcast in other markets promoting different radio stations.
Popular culture
He was satirized easily enough himself, perhaps most memorably by comics Bill Buchanan and Dickie GoodmanDickie Goodman
Richard Dorian "Dickie" Goodman was an American music producer.-Career:In June 1956 Goodman created his first record, "The Flying Saucer", which he co-wrote with his partner Bill Buchanan, and featured a four-minute rewriting of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio show...
, whose first "break-in" novelty record (a mock newscast spliced with current rock and roll music), "The Flying Saucer," satirized him as reporter John Cameron Cameron (played by Goodman). Swayze is mentioned in a lyric of Allan Sherman
Allan Sherman
Allan Sherman was an American comedy writer and television producer who became famous as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, My Son, the Folk Singer , became the fastest-selling record album up to that time...
's novelty song "My Grandfather's Watch", a parody of Henry Clay Work
Henry Clay Work
Henry Clay Work was an American composer and songwriter.-Biography:He was born in Middletown, Connecticut, to Alanson and Amelia Work. His father opposed slavery, and Work was himself an active abolitionist and Union supporter...
's "My Grandfather's Clock".
John Cameron Swayze made periodic cameo performances in movies beginning with 1957's A Face in the Crowd. He also hosted and narrated from 1955-57 the long running television drama series, The Armstrong Circle Theatre (1950–1963) after leaving NBC News, as well as a daytime television game show for ABC, Chance for Romance.
He is mentioned in one of the scenes of Walt Disney World's attraction, Carousel of Progress
Carousel of Progress
The Carousel of Progress is an attraction located at the Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort, currently operating under the name Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress...
at the Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
in Orlando, Florida.
Swayze was fairly frequently mentioned on the television series The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
—for example in season one, Episode 9 broadcast on Nov. 16th 1985, Blanche and the Younger Man. Blanche finished telling the story when she was almost Mrs. Andy Griffith and Sophia reminds Dorothy when Blanche told a similar story but about John Cameron Swayze. And his Timex commercials are amusingly mentioned in the episode "The Stan Who Came to Dinner", which broadcast January 10, 1987, where Sophia (Estelle Getty
Estelle Getty
Estelle Scher-Gettleman , better known by her stage name Estelle Getty, was an American actress, who appeared in film, television, and theatre...
) tells of a recurring dream where John Cameron Swayze straps a Timex to her chin and tosses her across an icy pond.
In episode 805 of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
, when the watch of a character in the movie The Thing That Couldn't Die
The Thing That Couldn't Die
The Thing that Couldn't Die is a 1958 American black and white horror film from an original screenplay by David Duncan for Universal-International Pictures, produced and directed by Will Cowan.-Plot:...
is found in a traderat's nest, Tom Servo
Tom Servo
Tom Servo is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Tom is one of two wise-cracking, robotic main characters of the show, built by Joel Robinson to act as a companion and help stave off space madness as Joel was forced to watch...
exclaims: "John Cameron Traderat."
Honors
Swayze is the first person shown in the montage of former anchorpersons that currently begins the NBC Nightly NewsNBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
.
Personal life
John Cameron Swayze was the son of Jesse Ernest Swayze and Christine Cameron, aka Camerona (cited by some sources). He had a sister, Mary F. Swayze (b. 1908). He married Beulah Mae Estes in 1935. He was survived by his widow and two children: John Cameron Swayze, Jr. of Bedford, New York who anchored weekend news on WCBSWCBS (AM)
WCBS , often referred to as "WCBS Newsradio 880" , is a radio station in New York City. Owned by CBS Radio, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of the CBS Radio Network...
Newsradio 880 in New York until October 2010 (under the name Cameron Swayze) and Suzanne Swayze Patrick of Alexandria, Virginia; 6 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren. He died in Sarasota, Florida, on August 15, 1995.
John Cameron Swayze and the actor Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
were 6th cousins once removed. Both John and Patrick's father are descendants by 7 generations of Judge Samuel Swayze (March 20, 1688/1689-May 11, 1759) and his wife Penelope Horton (1689/1690-1746). Judge Swayze was the son of Joseph Swasey and his wife Mary Betts. Mary Betts was the daughter of Captain Richard Betts and his wife Joanna Chamberlayne. Other noteworthy relations descending from the Betts or Swayze lineages are actors William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
and Tom Hulce
Tom Hulce
Thomas Edward "Tom" Hulce is an American actor and theater producer. As an actor, he is perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Mozart in the movie Amadeus and his role as "Pinto" in National Lampoon's Animal House. Additional acting awards included a total of four Golden Globe...
, and Evgenia Citkowitz, wife of actor Julian Sands
Julian Sands
Julian M. Sands is an English actor, known for his roles in the Best Picture nominee The Killing Fields, the cult film Warlock, A Room with a View, Arachnophobia, Vatel, the television series 24 and as Jor-El in the television series Smallville.-Career:Sands began his film career appearing in...
.