Gil Stratton
Encyclopedia
Gil Stratton Jr. was an actor and sportscaster who was born in Brooklyn
, New York
. He most recently resided in Toluca Lake, California
until his death from congestive heart failure
.
at the age of 19 as Bud Hooper in the George Abbott
musical
Best Foot Forward
. The musical ran from October 1, 1941 to July 4, 1942.
with Mickey Rooney
and Judy Garland
, singing "Embraceable You" in a duet with Garland.
After completing Girl Crazy, he had a short film hiatus, due to having enlisted in the Army Air Forces upon the US entry to World War II. He later noted that he ended up spending much of his service umpiring baseball. During this time, he began umpiring for the Pacific Coast League
. While he umpired the PCL, he began using the line "Time to call 'em as I see 'em."
When Stratton completed his time with the Army, he returned to film, appearing in such features as Stalag 17
(1953), a rather embarrassing and ultimately uncredited novelty role in The Wild One
(1954), and Bundle of Joy
(1956). He starred in a total of 40 films during his film career, sharing the big screen with other notable actors such as Cary Grant
, Shirley Temple
, Marilyn Monroe
, and William Holden
.
, The Great Gildersleeve
, and My Little Margie
He worked opposite Judy Garland
in the 1950 radio adaptation of The Wizard of Oz
, and acted opposite Shirley Temple
in a radio version of The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
.
In the 1954-1955 television season, Stratton starred on CBS
as "Junior" Jackson in the situation comedy
That's My Boy
as a son pushed by his father to become a football star at their common alma mater
. His co-stars were Eddie Mayehoff
as his father, a construction contractors in the series, and Rochelle Hudson
as his mother, Alice Jackson.Oddly, Hudson, cast as the mother, was only six years older than Stratton.
In the 1950s, Stratton appeared in several episodes of Jack Webb
's Dragnet
. In the 1970s and 1980s, he made occasional guest appearances on many television series, usually portraying a sports announcer.
(now CBS-2
) in 1954 as a sportscaster and sports news anchor. He spent sixteen years as sports anchor of the show The Big News during the 1960s and 1970s. This was the first hour-long news program for the region. While there, he became recognized for his signature phrase "Time to call 'em as I see 'em", which he had started saying during his years as a baseball umpire. Within a year,"The Big News" was earning a 28 percent share in the Los Angeles ratings and the show format became the standard that was copied by other local TV stations across the country. Stratton was the last-surviving member of The Big News team prior to his death.
He also served as a sportscaster for California CBS AM radio station KNX 1070
from 1967-84 and from 1986-97.
While working for CBS Sports
in both television and radio, he covered the 1960 Summer Olympics
from Rome. He also covered the NFL as "the voice" of the Los Angeles Rams in the 1960s, and called Major League Baseball
games, Kentucky Derbies
, and feature races from Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Del Mar. He also covered many other sports, such as hockey, tennis, track and field and golf.
MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann
worked with Stratton at both KCBS/KNXT and at KNX 1070. He said of Stratton, "There aren't many renaissance men in any age, but Gil was one of them." Stratton won five local Emmys during his television career, and was also awarded seven Golden Mike awards from the Radio-Television News Association.
Stratton died on October 11, 2008, at the age of 86.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He most recently resided in Toluca Lake, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
until his death from congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
.
Early life
Gil Stratton Jr. was born June 2, 1922, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He attended Poly Prep in Brooklyn. He later attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., where he eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree and starred as goalie of the SLU hockey team.Stage career
He first became interested in acting as a teenager. He debuted on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the age of 19 as Bud Hooper in the George Abbott
George Abbott
George Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Best Foot Forward
Best Foot Forward
Best Foot Forward is a 1943 American film adapted from the 1941 Broadway musical comedy of the same title. The film was released by MGM, directed by Edward Buzzell, and starring Lucille Ball, William Gaxton, Virginia Weidler, Chill Wills, June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, and Nancy Walker.-Plot:The...
. The musical ran from October 1, 1941 to July 4, 1942.
Film career
As a result of Stratton's appearance in Best Foot Forward, MGM hired him as a contract player. His first job for MGM was in the film Girl CrazyGirl Crazy (1943 film)
Girl Crazy is a 1943 musical film produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Based on the stage musical of the same name, Girl Crazy stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in their ninth of ten pairings, partly filmed on location near Palm Springs, California...
with Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
and Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, singing "Embraceable You" in a duet with Garland.
After completing Girl Crazy, he had a short film hiatus, due to having enlisted in the Army Air Forces upon the US entry to World War II. He later noted that he ended up spending much of his service umpiring baseball. During this time, he began umpiring for the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
. While he umpired the PCL, he began using the line "Time to call 'em as I see 'em."
When Stratton completed his time with the Army, he returned to film, appearing in such features as Stalag 17
Stalag 17
Stalag 17 is a 1953 war film which tells the story of a group of American airmen held in a German World War II prisoner of war camp, who come to suspect that one of their number is a traitor...
(1953), a rather embarrassing and ultimately uncredited novelty role in The Wild One
The Wild One
The Wild One is a 1953 outlaw biker film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. It is famed for Marlon Brando's iconic portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler.-Basis:...
(1954), and Bundle of Joy
Bundle of Joy
Bundle of Joy is a musical remake of the comedy film Bachelor Mother . It stars Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and Adolphe Menjou. An unmarried salesgirl at a department store finds and takes care of an abandoned baby...
(1956). He starred in a total of 40 films during his film career, sharing the big screen with other notable actors such as Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, and William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
.
Radio/television actor
In addition to acting in several films, Stratton began working as a radio actor in the late 1940s, performing in such shows as Lux Radio TheaterLux Radio Theater
Lux Radio Theater, a long-run classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network ; CBS and NBC . Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences...
, The Great Gildersleeve
The Great Gildersleeve
The Great Gildersleeve , initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. Built around Throckmorton Philharmonic Gildersleeve, a character who had been a staple on the classic radio situation comedy Fibber McGee and Molly, first Introduced to...
, and My Little Margie
My Little Margie
My Little Margie is an American situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D...
He worked opposite Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
in the 1950 radio adaptation of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
, and acted opposite Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
in a radio version of The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer is a 1947 American screwball comedy film directed by Irving Reis. The screenplay was written by Sidney Sheldon. The film stars Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple in a story about a teenager's crush on an older man. The film was a critical success...
.
In the 1954-1955 television season, Stratton starred on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
as "Junior" Jackson in the situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
That's My Boy
That's My Boy (1954 TV series)
That's My Boy is a largely forgotten 1954-1955 CBS situation comedy television series based on the 1951 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis film of the same name....
as a son pushed by his father to become a football star at their common alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
. His co-stars were Eddie Mayehoff
Eddie Mayehoff
Eddie Mayehoff was an American actor.Probably his best known role was as Harold Lampson, the henpecked husband and incompetent lawyer in the 1965 comedy movie How to Murder Your Wife....
as his father, a construction contractors in the series, and Rochelle Hudson
Rochelle Hudson
Rochelle Hudson was an American film actress from the 1930s through the 1960s. Hudson was a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1931.-Career:...
as his mother, Alice Jackson.Oddly, Hudson, cast as the mother, was only six years older than Stratton.
In the 1950s, Stratton appeared in several episodes of Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
's Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
. In the 1970s and 1980s, he made occasional guest appearances on many television series, usually portraying a sports announcer.
Sportscasting career
Stratton was hired by KNXT-TVKCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
(now CBS-2
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
) in 1954 as a sportscaster and sports news anchor. He spent sixteen years as sports anchor of the show The Big News during the 1960s and 1970s. This was the first hour-long news program for the region. While there, he became recognized for his signature phrase "Time to call 'em as I see 'em", which he had started saying during his years as a baseball umpire. Within a year,"The Big News" was earning a 28 percent share in the Los Angeles ratings and the show format became the standard that was copied by other local TV stations across the country. Stratton was the last-surviving member of The Big News team prior to his death.
He also served as a sportscaster for California CBS AM radio station KNX 1070
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
from 1967-84 and from 1986-97.
While working for CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
in both television and radio, he covered the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
from Rome. He also covered the NFL as "the voice" of the Los Angeles Rams in the 1960s, and called Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
games, Kentucky Derbies
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, and feature races from Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Del Mar. He also covered many other sports, such as hockey, tennis, track and field and golf.
MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
worked with Stratton at both KCBS/KNXT and at KNX 1070. He said of Stratton, "There aren't many renaissance men in any age, but Gil was one of them." Stratton won five local Emmys during his television career, and was also awarded seven Golden Mike awards from the Radio-Television News Association.
Retirement and later life
Stratton first retired from TV and Radio in 1984, but ended up returning again to KNX 1070 radio in 1986 as a weekend sports anchor. He retired again in 1997. He continued doing charity work, such as hosting many charity golf tournaments to raise funds for Henry Mayo Hospital in Newhall. That hospital later named a newborn nursery after him, in appreciation of this work. He also taught classes in broadcasting at California State University Northridge.Stratton died on October 11, 2008, at the age of 86.