Kermit Schafer
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Kermit Schafer | |
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Born | March 24, 1914 |
Died | March 8, 1979 | (aged 64)
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Writer and producer |
Kermit Schafer (March 24, 1914 – March 8, 1979) was an American writer and producer for radio and television in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his collections of "bloopers"—the word Schafer popularized for mistakes and gaffes of radio and TV announcers and personalities.
Early bloopers
Bloopers came into prominence in 1931, when radio announcer
These were collected and released in
These led the way for such later TV shows as TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes hosted by Dick Clark. Schafer himself gained minor celebrity under the nickname "The Blooper Man".[3] Schafer also published a number of books, such as Kermit Schafer's Blunderful World of Bloopers (1973) and Bloopers, Bloopers, Bloopers (1984).[4]
Criticism and controversy
Schafer has come under criticism from TV and radio historians who have noted his deceptive presentations in his albums. If Schafer could not obtain an actual audio recording of the event (as many of these bloopers occurred live and were not always transcribed onto recordings), he would simply hire actors and recreate the event—without offering any disclaimer. This led to some misrepresentations. For example, the blooper by Harry Von Zell described above was not recorded, so Schafer recreated it.[5]
Schafer is historically remembered for an unwittingly
Legacy
After Schafer's death on March 8, 1979, in Miami, Florida, shortly before his 65th birthday, his title of "Keeper of the Bloopers" passed to Dick Clark, who hosted and produced a long-running series of blooper specials (and a weekly program) beginning in the early 1980s. When Clark picked up the mantle, recordings of bloopers were far more easily obtainable, and in fact were often provided willingly by the producers of films and TV shows as a way of promoting their product.
Clark followed in Schafer's footsteps by releasing an album of bloopers from radio broadcasts. Clark's TV blooper shows always carried a dedication to "Kermit Schafer, Mr. Blooper", and the success of Clark's program led to the development of many imitators which continue to be broadcast as of 2008.[8]
Recordings
Seven Pardon My Blooper albums were released in the late 1950s-early 1960s on
He produced non-blooper comedy albums, among them Jubilee releases for Will Jordan and Peter Wood in the 1960s and Citizen's Bloopers, a spoof of the then-current CB craze in 1977. He edited a number of books transcribing bloopers, with some books covering certain themes such as bloopers from classified advertising and television broadcasts.[9]
References
- ^ White House source
- ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 296. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
- ^ Schafer, Kermit and Anderson, Doug; Super Duper Bloopers; Avenel Books; Avenel, New Jersey: 1974.
- ^ Kermit Schafer. Retrieved June 29, 2021 – via Library of Congress.
- ^ "Hoobert Heever". Snopes.com. May 27, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ Miller, Chuck (February 19, 2011). "A requiem for Uncle Don". Albany Times Union. Hearst Communications. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ "Uncle Don". Snopes.com. August 5, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ Clark, Dick, et al; Dick Clark Presents Radio's Uncensored Bloopers; vinyl recording on Atlantic: 80188-1. 1984.
- ^ ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
External links
- Kermit Schafer at IMDb
- Kermit Schaefer’s Blooper Records: A Requiem for Uncle Don at the Wayback Machine (archived April 15, 2003)
- Kermit Schafer mentions at Snopes.comUrban Legend Reference Pages: