Don Wilson (announcer)
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Don Wilson (September 1, 1900 – April 25, 1982) was an American announcer and occasional actor in radio and television, with a Falstaffian vocal presence, remembered best as the rotund announcer and comic foil to the star of The Jack Benny Program.
Though best known for his comedy work with Benny, Wilson had a background as a sportscaster, covering the opening of the 1932 Olympics. Wilson first worked with Benny on the broadcast of April 6, 1934, concurrent with a short stint as announcer on George Gershwin's series, Music By Gershwin.At 6 feet and over 200 pounds, Wilson possessed a resonant voice, a deep belly laugh, and a plump figure, all of which would become important parts of his character with Benny. Though Wilson's primary function as announcer was to read the opening and the commercial pitches notably for Jell-O and Lucky Strikes), his importance to the program was as both feed and foil to Jack and other cast members.
On radio in particular, Wilson's girth could be exploited, both in jokes by Benny and in audio gags, such as the amount of time it took an attendant to brush Don, or masseurs charging him by the pound. Another Wilson trademark was an occasional tendency to flub his lines, the most famous incident occurring in a 1950 broadcast. In a line that was supposed to refer to Drew Pearson, Wilson read the name as "Dreer Pooson," leading to a memorable follow-up later on in the broadcast by Frank Nelson.
Wilson also served stints as announcer for radio comedy or variety shows starring Alan Young, Bing Crosby, Ginny Simms, and Fanny Brice's comedy hit Baby Snooks. In 1936, Don Wilson was a regular on the daytime comedy Glamour Manor, opposite former Jack Benny Program regular Kenny Baker.
Wilson accompanied Benny into television in 1950, remaining with him through the series' end in 1965. On television, the fat jokes were toned down only slightly, mostly because the real Wilson was not as impossibly large as the radio Wilson was described. These appearances also often involved the fictional character of Don's equally hefty, aspiring announcer son, Harlow (played by Dale White). Wilson also co-starred with Benny in Buck Benny Rides Again (1940) and voicing a caricature of himself in The Mouse That Jack Built, a 1959 Warner Brothers spoof of The Jack Benny Program directed by Robert McKimson.
Other film roles included small appearances as announcers or commentators in several films, providing narration for Walt Disney's Academy Award nominated short Ferdinand the Bull, and a credited appearance as Mr. Kettering opposite Marilyn Monroe in Niagara. His final on-camera appearance was in two episodes of the 1960s Batman as newscaster Walter Klondike (spoofing Walter Cronkite).
Wilson was married four times. His second wife was Peggy Ann Kent, daughter of 20th Century Fox President Sidney R. Kent. They were divorced in December, 1942. The same month the divorce was final, Wilson married Polish countess Marusia Radunska. This marriage ended in divorce 7 years later. Wilson finally found a lasting partnership with fourth wife, radio actress Lois Corbet.
[edit] Sources
Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507678-8
