Dennis James

Dennis James (August 24, 1917 – June 3, 1997) 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.

Early career

Born Demi James Sposa in Jersey City, 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.

Game show career

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. In 1956, he hosted 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.

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 destroyed 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, 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.

GSN has previously aired episodes of The Name's the Same with James hosting. The Christmas Day 1974 episode of 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 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.

Death

James died on June 3, 1997 from lung cancer 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.

References

External links

Questions and Answers with Dennis James

Category:1917 births Category:1997 deaths Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American film actors Category:American game show hosts Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American television actors Category:Boxing commentators Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Deaths from lung cancer Category:People from Jersey City, New Jersey