Bud Collyer (June 18, 1908 – September 8, 1969) was an American
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...
actor/announcer who became one of the nation's first major
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
game showA game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems usually for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while...
stars.
Early life and career
Collyer was born
Clayton Johnson Heermance, Jr. in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
to Clayton Johnson Heermance and Caroline Collyer. He originally sought a career in the law, attending
Williams CollegeWilliams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts.Williams was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams as a men's college, located in the Berkshires in northwestern Massachusetts, at the foot of Mount Greylock. In 1834, the first...
and
Fordham UniversityFordham University is a private university in the United States, with three campuses located in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
law school. Though he became a law clerk after his graduation, making as much in a month of radio as he did in a year of clerking convinced him to make broadcasting his career, changing his surname and becoming a familiar voice on all three major radio networks by 1940. Among others, his radio roles as
Terry and the Pirates (Pat Ryan),
Renfrew of the Mounted (the title role), and
Abie's Irish RoseAbie's Irish Rose is a popular comedy by Anne Nichols familiar from stage productions, films and radio programs. The basic premise involves an Irish Catholic girl and a young Jewish man who marry despite the objections of their families.-Theater and films:...
(the title role, again), not to mention announcing for a number of radio soap operas--including
The Guiding Light and
The GoldbergsThe Goldbergs is a comedy-drama broadcast from 1929 to 1946 on American radio. It was adapted into a 1948 play entitled Me and Molly and then later seen as a television situation comedy...
, which was actually a serial comedy with dramatic overtones.
Collyer's best-remembered radio role arrived in early 1940: the title role in
The Adventures of Superman on the
Mutual Broadcasting SystemThe Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. Of the four national networks of American radio's classic era, Mutual had for decades the largest number of affiliates but the least certain financial position. In the golden age of U.S...
, a role he did in the 1940s radio drama and subsequent
SupermanThe Superman animated cartoons, commonly but somewhat erroneously known as the "Fleischer Superman cartoons" were a series of seventeen animated Technicolor short films, produced by Fleischer Studios from 1941 to 1942 and Famous Studios from 1942 to 1943 and released by Paramount Pictures between...
cartoons. Collyer supplied the voices of both Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent. A highlight of every Superman episode was the moment when Clark Kent transformed into Superman, an effect which Collyer conveyed by shifting voices while speaking the immortal phrase "This is (or "looks like") a job
for SUPERMAN!!" (Collyer's voice deepened by an octave whenever he made the transition from the one identity to the other.)
Game-show hosting
Collyer got his first helping of game shows when he co-hosted
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
's (the former NBC Blue network)
Break the BankBreak the Bank is a title that has been used for three entirely separate American game shows throughout television history.* Break the Bank * Break the Bank * Break the Bank...
with future
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
Pageant mainstay
Bert ParksBert Parks was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer and host, best known as the longtime host of the annual Miss America telecast.-Biography:...
; and, when he was picked to host the radio original of the
Mark GoodsonMark Goodson was a successful American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
-
Bill TodmanWilliam S. "Bill" Todman was an American television producer born in New York City. He produced many of television's longest running shows with business partner Mark Goodson.-Early Life:...
team's first game,
Winner Take All--the latter also becoming, in due course, the first hosting seat for another game show titan,
Bill CullenWilliam Lawrence Francis Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
.
"Beat The Clock"
Collyer went on to host the television versions of both shows, but in 1950 he got the job which genuinely made him a household name:
Beat The ClockNot to be confused with a song of the same by Ghostface Killah, from his album The Pretty Toney Album.Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950....
, a stunt game show which pitted couples (usually, but not exclusively, married) against the clock in a race to perform silly (sometimes messy) tasks, which were called "problems" but could with more accuracy be called "stunts." The grand prizes for these usually came in terms of cash or home appliances. (When
Monty HallMonte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born emcee, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Life and career:...
hosted the program in the 1980s, the "problems" did indeed come to be called "stunts.") Collyer hosted the show for eleven years (1950-61), and he also co-produced it for part of its run.
Collyer did an excellent job keeping the show fast-paced; he spoke quickly and brightly, and was often moving around the stage as much as the contestants. Frequently Collyer would interrupt a stunt to offer helpful advice, or demonstrate a more efficient way to win the game. One of Collyer's trademarks on the show was securing his long-tubed stage microphone in his armpit (particularly while demonstrating the basics of a stunt for his contestants). He also typically wore bow ties, and liked to point out when contestants were "bow-tie guys" like himself, though initially, through the mid-1950s, he wore straight "four-in-hand" neckties most weeks. He enjoyed meeting families of contestants, and was fond of children. He would always ask about contestants's children, and sometimes would compare the number and sexes with that of his own family. When children were brought onstage with their parents, he would take time to talk to each of them and ask them what they wanted to be when they grew up, in a manner reminiscent of his contemporary,
Art LinkletterArthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter is a Canadian-American radio and television personality and the former host of two of the longest-running shows in United States broadcast history: House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, on NBC radio-TV for 19 years...
.
At the height of the show's popularity, an installment of
The HoneymoonersThe Honeymooners is a situation comedy television show that was created by Marvin Marx, and shot before a live audience which debuted as a half-hour series on October 1, 1955...
(which surfaced years later, when
Jackie GleasonHerbert Walton Gleason, Jr. , baptized as John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason, was an American comedian, actor and musician....
released the so-called "Lost Episodes") featured blustery Ralph Kramden and scatterbrained Ed Norton appearing on and playing
Beat the Clock. Unlike the show's familiar parody of
The $64,000 Question (
The $99,000 Answer), Gleason's
Beat the Clock episode used the actual show and set, complete with the familiar large minute clock emblazoned with sponsor Sylvania's logo, and ending with Collyer and his famous sign-off: "Next time may be
your time to beat the clock."
To Tell The Truth
In 1956, Collyer became equally, if not more, familiar as the host of a new Goodson-Todman production,
To Tell The TruthTo Tell the Truth is an American television game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired intermittently in various forms since 1956 on both networks and in syndication. Along with The Price Is Right, it is one of two game shows in the United States to...
, on
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...
. This panel show featured four celebrities questioning three challengers all claiming to be the same person. Collyer would read an affidavit from the actual contestant, and then monitor the panel's cross-examination. Because the show depended on conversation instead of physical stunts, Collyer's demeanor on
To Tell the Truth was much calmer and more avuncular than his fever-pitch performances on
Beat The Clock. After the celebrities voted for their choices, Collyer intoned the famous phrase, "Will the real... John Doe... please... stand up?" Collyer always employed pauses to build the suspense. Sometimes one or both impostors would
pretend to stand up before the real contestant did, bringing a moment of last-minute suspense as well as a chuckle from Collyer. The sequence provided an especially riotous moment in 1962, when Collyer purred, with a particularly pronounced twinkle, "Will the real Bob Miller--please...stand up?"
TWO Bob Millers, both pitchers for the newborn
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. The Mets are a member of the East Division of Major League Baseball's National League....
, rose in response!
Among the celebrities who served as
To Tell The Truth panelists during the 14-year run of the show were
Don Ameche-Biography:Ameche was born Dominic Felix Amici in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the son of Barbara, who was of Irish and German descent, and Felix Ameche, an immigrant from Italy whose original surname was "Amici." He had three brothers, Omberto , James , and Louis and two sisters, Elizabeth and Catherine...
,
Orson BeanOrson Bean is an American film, television, and stage actor. He appeared frequently on televised game shows in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, but is perhaps best known as a long-time panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth....
,
Johnny CarsonJohn William “Johnny” Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
,
Ralph BellamyRalph Rexford Bellamy was an American actor with a career that spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:...
,
Polly BergenPolly Bergen is an American Emmy Award-winning actress, singer, and entrepreneur.-Career:...
, Kitty Carlisle,
Peggy CassMary Margaret “Peggy” Cass was an American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer.A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Cass became interested in acting as a member of the drama club at Cambridge Latin School; however, she attended all of high school without a speaking part...
,
Bert ConvyBernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an American game show host and panelist, actor and singer known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose or Draw.-Early life:...
,
Hy GardnerHy Gardner was a columnist for the New York Herald Tribune, host of The Hy Gardner Show, and a regular panelist on the first incarnation of To Tell The Truth. In 1957 Gardner also appeared on the show made up as a clown along with guest challenger Paul Jung...
,
Phyllis NewmanPhyllis Newman is an American actress and singer.Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, she attended PS 17 and Lincoln High School where she was voted "Future Hollywood Star" and "Most Pull with the Faculty." Newman made her Broadway debut in Wish You Were Here in 1952...
and
Tom PostonThomas Gordon "Tom" Poston was an American television and film actor. He starred on television in a career that began in 1950...
. The show became popular enough to sustain a weekday version as well as a weekly evening version, and Collyer presided over both concurrently.
Other work
Collyer's other game hosting slots included the short-lived (two years) game,
Feather Your Nest, and the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
game
Number PleaseNumber Please is a Goodson-Todman Productions game show hosted by Bud Collyer, which aired from January 30 to December 29, 1961. It replaced Collyer's Beat the Clock when its ABC run completed, and was an early predecessor of Wheel of Fortune and other word-puzzle game shows.-Gameplay:Two...
in 1961 (which replaced
Beat the Clock on the Monday after the final ABC episode).
The Superman connection and the Beat The Clock revival
In 1966, Collyer reprised his role as the voice of Superman in the
FilmationFilmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
animated children's series
The New Adventures Of SupermanThe New Adventures of Superman was a series of six-minute animated Superman adventures produced by Filmation that were broadcast on CBS between 1966 and 1970...
.
In 1969,
Beat The Clock was brought back for a new syndicated run; the host chosen for the show was
Jack NarzJohn William Narz, Jr. was an American television announcer and game show host. He was the brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen. In his career, Narz hosted several game shows, including Concentration, Beat the Clock, Now You See It and Dotto...
. One legend holds that Narz was flying to New York to host the first tapings of the show, and none other than Collyer himself sat next to Narz on the flight. Narz was nervous and did not know what to expect, but was pleased to find Collyer as generous and kind as he appeared on television. Collyer wished him luck and opined that his run would be as long as the original, and before the week was done, handwritten notes for every member of the crew who had worked on the original series arrived from Collyer, wishing them all luck. (Collyer's written replies to fan mail were often in longhand.)
Politics
There was a side of Collyer's career that involved controversy. During his 1950s heyday with
Beat The Clock and
To Tell The Truth, he was a leader in an overtly anti-Communist faction of the New York chapter of the
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...
. That faction supported such publications as
Red ChannelsRed Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television is an anti-Communist tract published in the United States at the height of the Red Scare...
(the famous list of 151 reputed Communists or reputed fellow travelers, as the term was then, in radio and television) and interest groups that shared the authors' politics---groups like AWARE, Inc. (co-founded, in fact, by the man who wrote Red Channels introduction), purporting to screen broadcast performers for actual or alleged Communist ties, pressuring networks and advertisers to shun them under threat of boycott.
An opposing faction, led by
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...
radio personality
John Henry FaulkJohn Henry Faulk from Austin, Texas was a storyteller and radio show host. His successful lawsuit against blacklisters of the entertainment industry helped to bring an end to the Hollywood blacklist.-Early life:...
and
Orson BeanOrson Bean is an American film, television, and stage actor. He appeared frequently on televised game shows in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, but is perhaps best known as a long-time panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth....
, defeated Collyer's faction in an election to run the New York local. Whatever Collyer thought of Bean's actual or alleged politics, or Bean of Collyer's, they were nothing but professional and courteous to each other on air. Such was Collyer's professional way with any colleague or guest, no matter what he or they thought or did off the air.
Spirituality and charity
Religion and charitable work were very important to Collyer, and he was always particularly pleased to hear contestants say that they considered donating portions of their winnings to the church, or that they planned to donate to charities. He would often include "God bless you" in his parting words to contestants. He was always particularly happy to have a contestant that was a minister on the show and would ask about his congregation. On Beat The Clock, he often delivered public service messages about such charitable causes as the
March of DimesMarch of Dimes is a United States health charity whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality....
and other drives for research of diseases.
Collyer taught a Sunday school class at his Presbyterian church in
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
for more than 35 years, and spent some of his off time as a caretaker at his church. According to one story, a parishioner called the church one Sunday during a particularly heavy snowstorm to inquire if the church would be open that day. "Oh yes," Collyer replied, "God and I are here." Collyer was known to have contributed to various
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
religious works, including authoring at least one religious book and making a recording of the
Good News BibleThe Good News Bible , also called the Good News Translation , is an English language translation of the Bible by the American Bible Society, first published as the New Testament under the name Good News for Modern Man in 1966...
New TestamentThe New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament, both terms being associated with Supersessionism...
. He wrote two inspirational books, "Thou Shalt Not Fear" !1962) and "With the Whole Heart" (1966).
Death
Collyer died at age 61 from a circulatory ailment in
Greenwich, ConnecticutGreenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 61,101. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies that have left Manhattan. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in...
, on the same day To Tell The Truth was revived in syndication, this time hosted by
Garry MooreGarry Moore was an American entertainer, game show host and comedian best known for his work in television...
. At the time of his death, he was married to 1930s movie actress
Marian ShockleyMarian Shockley was an American film actress of the 1930s.Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Shockley was selected as a "WAMPAS Baby Star" in 1932, alongside such well known actresses as Ginger Rogers and Gloria Stuart, star of the 1997 blockbuster movie Titanic...
, with whom he had three children. In 1957, his son Mike appeared as a guest challenger on the "To Tell The Truth" show, under the name of "Pat Rizzuto". His brother, Richard V. "Dick" Heermance, film editor and producer, also appeared as a contestant on
To Tell The TruthTo Tell the Truth is an American television game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired intermittently in various forms since 1956 on both networks and in syndication. Along with The Price Is Right, it is one of two game shows in the United States to...
as himself on October 21, 1958. Two of the panelists voted for him, even though he looked nothing like his brother. Bud Collyer is interred at
Putnam Cemeterythumb|300px|The main entrance of Putnam CemeteryPutnam Cemetery is a non-sectarian cemetery located in affluent Fairfield County, Greenwich, Connecticut. It is affiliated with adjacent Saint Mary's Cemetery, which is a Catholic cemetery. The cemetery is located in a quiet, residential neighborhood...
in Greenwich. His daughter, Cynthia, a former television personality in Milwaukee, WI, had taken up residence in Mequon, WI as of February of 2009.
External links
- Bud Collyer Memorial at Find A Grave
Find A Grave is a website providing access and input to an online database of cemetery records.-History:According to the founder, Salt Lake City resident Jim Tipton, the website was developed in 1995 to address the lack of any existing site that catered to his hobby of visiting the graves of...