Arthur "Art" Gilmore (born March 18, 1912) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
voice actor and announcer whose voice has been heard in
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and
television programA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
s,
moviesFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
,
trailersTrailers or previews are film advertisements for feature films that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema, on whose screen they are shown. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a film program. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to...
,
advertising promotionsA radio commercial is a form of advertising via the medium of radio. Airtime is purchased from a station or network in exchange for airing the commercials....
and
documentary filmDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
s.
Raised in
TacomaTacoma is a mid-sized urban port city in and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park...
, Gilmore graduated from
Washington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university and confers bachelor's, master's, professional and doctoral degrees, and offers...
in 1931, where he was a member of the Chi chapter of
Phi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men who wish to devote themselves to the advancement of music in America and who wish to associate with others who share that interest...
music fraternity and a member of the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity. In 1936 he became a staff announcer for the Warner Brothers'
radio stationRadio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common programming, either in syndication or simulcast or both...
KFWB in Hollywood and then moved to the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
-owned station
KNXKNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
as a
news readerA news presenter is a person who presents a news show on television, radio or the Internet.-Newscasters and newsreaders:...
.
Arthur "Art" Gilmore (born March 18, 1912) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
voice actor and announcer whose voice has been heard in
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and
television programA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
s,
moviesFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
,
trailersTrailers or previews are film advertisements for feature films that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema, on whose screen they are shown. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a film program. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to...
,
advertising promotionsA radio commercial is a form of advertising via the medium of radio. Airtime is purchased from a station or network in exchange for airing the commercials....
and
documentary filmDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
s.
Raised in
TacomaTacoma is a mid-sized urban port city in and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park...
, Gilmore graduated from
Washington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university and confers bachelor's, master's, professional and doctoral degrees, and offers...
in 1931, where he was a member of the Chi chapter of
Phi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men who wish to devote themselves to the advancement of music in America and who wish to associate with others who share that interest...
music fraternity and a member of the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity. In 1936 he became a staff announcer for the Warner Brothers'
radio stationRadio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common programming, either in syndication or simulcast or both...
KFWB in Hollywood and then moved to the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
-owned station
KNXKNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
as a
news readerA news presenter is a person who presents a news show on television, radio or the Internet.-Newscasters and newsreaders:...
. During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served as a fighter-director
U.S. NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
officer aboard an
aircraft carrierAn aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
in the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
. Leaving the Navy, he decided to become a professional singer and returned to Hollywood.
Radio
Gilmore's announcing voice became a part of many now legendary radio programs. Drawing his inspiration from the radio sports commentators of the 1930s, he became the announcer for
Amos 'n Andy,
The Adventures of Frank RaceThe Adventures of Frank Race was an American radio adventure serial syndicated by Bruce Eells Productions. The 30-minute program's first East Coast broadcast was 1949, and the show ran 43 episodes. Because it was syndicated, it aired on different stations on different days. For instance, in New...
,
Dr. Christian,
The Sears Radio Theater,
Stars Over Hollywood,
The Golden Days of Radio and other radio shows. It was Gilmore who introduced
Herbert W. ArmstrongHerbert W. Armstrong founded the Radio Church of God in the late 1930s, as well as Ambassador College in 1946, and was an early pioneer of radio and tele-evangelism, originally taking to the airwaves in the 1930s from...
and
Garner Ted ArmstrongGarner Ted Armstrong was an American evangelist and the son of Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the Worldwide Church of God, at the time a Sabbatarian organization that taught strict observance of a seventh-day sabbath, holy days typically associated with the Jewish faith, and other observances...
, reminding listeners to request free religious literature at the conclusion of "
The World TomorrowThe World Tomorrow is a now-defunct radio and television half-hour program which had been sponsored by the Radio Church of God The World Tomorrow is a now-defunct radio and television half-hour program which had been sponsored by the Radio Church of God The World Tomorrow is a now-defunct radio and...
" on radio and television.
Television
With the advent of television, Gilmore heralded
The George Gobel ShowGeorge Leslie Gobel was an American comedian and actor, best known as the star of his own weekly NBC television show, The George Gobel Show, from 1954 to 1960 .-Radio:Gobel was born in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Chicago's Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1937...
,
The Red Skelton ShowRed Skelton , born Richard Bernard Skelton, was an American comedian who was best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971...
,
An Evening With Fred AstaireAn Evening with Fred Astaire was a one-hour live television special starring Fred Astaire, broadcast on NBC on October 17, 1958. It was highly successful, winning nine Emmy awards and spawning three further specials, and technically innovative, as it was the first major television show to be...
and many others. He narrated 156 episodes of
Highway PatrolA highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, such as the Missouri State Highway Patrol, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such...
with
Broderick CrawfordBroderick Crawford was an American actor.-Early life:Crawford was born William Broderick Crawford in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lester Crawford and Helen Broderick, who were both vaudeville performers...
, 39 segments of
Mackenzie's RaidersMackenzie's Raiders is an American Western television series starring Richard Carlson that aired in syndication from 1958 until 1959. The series was narrated by Art Gilmore.-Synopsis:...
with Richard Carlson, and 41 episodes of
Men of AnnapolisMen of Annapolis is a 41-episode half-hour syndicated drama television series in anthology format which aired from 1957-1958 and was hosted by the voice of Art Gilmore. Darryl Hickman appeared four times on the program as Dusty Rhodes, a fictitious midshipman at the United States Naval Academy in...
. His television appearances included
The Mary Tyler Moore ShowMary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms.Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as Dick...
,
Adam-12Adam-12 is an American television drama which originally aired from September 21, 1968 to August 30, 1975 on NBC for 175 episodes. The show was produced by Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited, which also produced Dragnet and Emergency!...
,
Emergency!Emergency! is a television series, combining the medical drama and action-adventure genres, that was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios. It debuted as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, on NBC, replacing the short-lived series The Good Life, and ran until...
,
DragnetDragnet, syndicated as Badge 714, is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
, and
The WaltonsThe Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name, starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. The show centered on the titular family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and...
. He also announced Ronald W. Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech in 1964 supporting
Barry GoldwaterBarry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. He was also a Major General in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He was known as "Mr...
for U.S. President.
Films
Gilmore was heard in films as the voice of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1942 production of
Yankee Doodle DandyYankee Doodle Dandy is a biographical musical film about George M. Cohan , the actor / singer / dancer / playwright / songwriter / producer / theatre owner / director / choreographer known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway", starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston and Richard Whorf, and...
and
The Gallant Hours (1960) where he was the narrator for
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese sequences. His dramatic voice was also heard on film trailers and documentary films throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He narrated the
Joe McDoakesJoe McDoakes is the protagonist of a series of 63 black and white live action comedy one reel short subjects released between 1942 and 1956. The Joe McDoakes shorts are also known as the Behind the Eight Ball series or the So You Want... series .The...
series of short comedies which starred
George O'HanlonGeorge O'Hanlon was an American screen actor, comedian, and voice actor. He was a native of Brooklyn, New York City....
. Gilmore also served as the president of
American Federation of Television and Radio ArtistsThe American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...
, (AFTRA).
Recordings
In addition to his radio-TV work, he provided the narration for many collections of recorded musical works and a large number of recordings for children.
External links
- Gilmore narrating trailer for Where the Boys Are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCd0rPW06U8