Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell | |
---|---|
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
Occupation | Radio/television announcer |
Years active | 1956–2010 |
Known for | Announcer on Wheel of Fortune (1975-1980, 1989-2010) |
Spouses | Jane Ryan
(m. 1952; died 1984)Ellen Lerner (m. 1990) |
Children | 4 |
Charles John O'Donnell (August 12, 1932 – November 1, 2010) was an American radio and television
Early career
O'Donnell was a Philadelphia native, and was of English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. He began his career as a teenager at WCHA in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In 1956, he worked as program director at WHAT, a 250-watt R&B station in Philadelphia, where he discovered and launched the career of future Philadelphia radio personality Hy Lit. When WIBG became top-40 in 1957, O'Donnell was named news director. In 1958, he became the sidekick of Dick Clark on WFIL-TV's afternoon dance program, American Bandstand.[2]
This led to several stints as a disc jockey on Los Angeles radio (most notably on Pasadena station KRLA, 1964–67), and later as news anchorman and staff announcer on Los Angeles television station KCOP-TV, where he performed double duty and often introduced his own newscasts with the self-referential cue "and now Charlie O'Donnell with the news." Additionally, Barry & Enright Productions taped The Joker's Wild and Tic-Tac-Dough at KCOP during its initial syndicated runs, which O'Donnell announced for. It was also in this period that he voiced the newscaster on the Simon & Garfunkel recording "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night."
He made a full-time career as an announcer on many television shows throughout the decades, with such series as
Wheel of Fortune and other game shows
O'Donnell was perhaps best known as the announcer of the game show
Among the game show companies O'Donnell worked for as a primary announcer were
He and
In addition to announcing on The All-New Dating Game, he appeared as a bachelor during the show's 1987-88 season.[3]
O’Donnell’s other, non-game show work includes, in addition to his duties on American Bandstand, the music variety series
Death
O'Donnell died at his home in
After his death, the show began rotating announcing duties among several guest announcers, including
The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia posthumously inducted O'Donnell into their Hall of Fame in 2011.[8]
References
- ^ a b Biography Archived 2010-06-29 at the Wayback Machine, wheeloffortune.com; accessed August 16, 2017.
- ^ "Charlie-O: Sense of Humor Behind the Innocent Look" (PDF). KRLA Beat. December 4, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved March 4, 2011. (PDF)
- YouTube
- ^ Gary Lycan (November 1, 2010). "'Wheel of Fortune' announcer Charlie O'Donnell dies at 78". The Orange County Register. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ "Services held for longtime broadcaster Charlie O'Donnell". Los Angeles Daily News. 11 November 2010.
- ^ Lycan, Gary (November 3, 2010). "Services set for 'Wheel of Fortune's' Charlie O'Donnell". The Orange County Register. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^ Nelson, Valerie J. (November 3, 2010). "Charlie O'Donnell of 'Wheel of Fortune,' as remembered by the show's host, Pat Sajak". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame, broadcastpioneers.com; accessed August 16, 2017.