Ben Grauer
Ben Grauer | |
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Monitor , 1957. | |
Born | Benjamin Franklin Grauer June 2, 1908 Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
Died | May 31, 1977 New York City, U.S. | (aged 68)
Occupation | broadcaster |
Benjamin Franklin Grauer (June 2, 1908 – May 31, 1977) was an American radio and television personality, following a career during the 1920s as a
Grauer was born in
In 1954, he married interior designer Melanie Kahane.
Radio
Grauer's greatest fame lies in his legendary 40-year career in radio. In 1930, the 22-year-old Benjamin Franklin Grauer joined the staff at NBC.[1] He quickly rose through the ranks to become a senior commentator and reporter. He was the designated announcer for the popular 1940s Walter Winchell's Jergens Journal.[2] Perhaps, most importantly, he was selected by Arturo Toscanini to become the voice of the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Grauer took over as announcer in late 1942, and remained until the orchestra was disbanded in June 1954. Toscanini said he was his favorite announcer.
Grauer did both the Toscanini radio and TV broadcasts. Several years after the death of Toscanini, Grauer and composer
Starting in 1932, Grauer covered the
Grauer also was one of five hosts/narrators of "The First Fabulous Fifty", a five-part NBC Radio Network documentary series on the history of the network, featuring soundbites from past NBC programs. The series was broadcast on the occasion of the network's 50th anniversary in the autumn of 1976. Grauer narrated the first installment, which covered the network's first decade on the air, 1926 through 1936.
Television
Grauer provided the commentary for NBC's first television special, the opening in 1939 of the New York World's Fair. In 1948, Grauer, working with anchor John Cameron Swayze, provided the first extensive live network TV coverage of the national political conventions.
For five months in 1950, Grauer was host of The Ben Grauer Show, an NBC talk show that focused on books and their authors.[4]
In 1954, NBC began broadcasting some of their shows in living color, and in 1957, the animated Peacock logo made its debut. It was Grauer who first spoke the now famous words, "The following program is brought to you in living color on NBC", behind the Peacock graphic. During his 40-year broadcast career, he hosted numerous TV programs on NBC, including game shows, quiz shows, concerts and news programs.
Reissues
It is for announcing the Toscanini radio concerts that Grauer is best known to modern classical music buffs. Several CD reissues have included those announcements to give the listener the feeling of hearing the NBC Symphony broadcasts exactly as they sounded when first aired. However, on the
An archival recording of Grauer's voice calling, "Here it is," begins Harry Shearer's Le Show.
Final years and death
In the decade before his death, Grauer collected material for a projected history of prices and pricing, with special attention to book prices. He was active in several professional journalistic organizations as well as the Grolier Club. Grauer had a strong interest in the graphic arts; he even printed his own Christmas cards.
Filmography
Including early career as child actor:
- His Woman (1919)
- Mad Woman (1919)
- The Idol Dancer (1920) .... as Native Boy (film directed by D.W. Griffith)
- Annabel Lee (1921) .... David Martin, as a child
- The Town That Forgot God (1922) .... as a boy
- My Friend the Devil (1922) .... George Dryden, as a boy
- Does It Pay? (1923)
- Gaslight Follies (1945) .... Narrator, 'Stars of Yesterday'
- Fight of the Wild Stallions (1947) .... Narrator
- Type Speaks! (1947) .... Narrator & Himself (industrial film made for American Type Founders Company
- Kon-Tiki (1950) (voice) .... Narrator
Radio credits
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These are found at Digital Deli Too.[6]
TV credits
- Americana (1947–1949) American Historyquiz show. NBC-TV
- The Ben Grauer Show, You Are an Artist, Learn to Draw (1950)
- The Big Story(1949–57) dramatic TV anthology. NBC-TV
- Eyewitness (1947–48) Series that traced the history and development of TV itself. NBC-TV
- In Town Today (1951) RCA variety specials included Bob Hope and other stars showing off their new TV sets. NBC-TV
- It's a Problem (1951–52) A trio of experts discuss everyday living difficulties. NBC-TV
- Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge (1949–50) Popular musical quiz show hosted by Grauer. NBC-TV
- Lewisohn Stadium Concerts (1950) Featuring the New York Philharmonic. NBC-TV
- March of Medicine (1958) Medical documentary series. NBC-TV
- The Sacco-Vanzetti Story (1960) TV miniseries narrated by Grauer.
- Say It with Acting (1949–1952) Teams from Broadway shows play charades.
- Tactic (1959) NBC-TV series. Guests included Alfred Hitchcock and William Shatner.
- What Happened (1952) Panelists had to find out why each guest was important on this NBC-TV series.
Listen to
References
- ^ "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #13 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library".
- ^ Hart, Dennis. "Monitor's Communicators". Monitor Beacon. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ISBN 9780307483201. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "American Portraits-Ben Grauer". DigitalDeliToo. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
Bibliography
- Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 35.