Smilin' Jack Smith
Jack Smith | |
---|---|
Born | Jack Ward Smith November 16, 1913 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
Died | July 3, 2006 | (aged 92)
Other names | Smilin' Jack Smith |
Years active | 1933–1984 |
Spouse |
Victoria Stuart
(m. 1936–2002) |
Relatives | Walter Reed (brother) |
Jack Ward Smith (November 16, 1913 – July 3, 2006), known as Smilin' Jack Smith, was an American crooner, radio host and actor.
Born in Seattle, Washington, United States,[citation needed] by 1933 Smith was in a singing trio, The Three Ambassadors.[1] In 1939, he became a solo crooner with a voice described as a "strong baritone with a tenor lilt"; he was billed as "The Singer with a Smile in His Voice."[2] He also sang with the Phil Harris Orchestra,[1] recording "Here It is Only Monday".
Establishing a radio program, The Jack Smith Show,[1] in 1945, he went on to host such guests as Dinah Shore, Margaret Whiting, John Serry Sr. and Ginny Simms. In a 1945 poll of radio critics by Motion Picture Daily, Smith was voted radio's "most promising star of tomorrow."[3]
Following a guest appearance in the musical film Make Believe Ballroom (1949), Smith was offered the second lead in Warner Bros.' On Moonlight Bay (1951) opposite Doris Day.[1]
With the
Jack Smith died in June 2006 in
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1933 | King Kong | Reporter | Uncredited |
1936 | Walking on Air | Singer at dance | Uncredited |
1949 | Make Believe Ballroom | Singer Jack Smith | |
1951 | On Moonlight Bay | Hubert Wakely | |
1971 | The Barefoot Executive | Clathworthy | |
1984 | Cannonball Run II | Announcer Jack Smith | (final film role) |
References
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7616-3. p. 138.
- The Milwaukee Journal. December 12, 1945. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.