Cause of death Heart attack Spouse Philippa Hilber Role Announcer | Name Bill Goodwin Years active 1941-1958 Children Bill Goodwin | |
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Full Name William Nettles Goodwin Books Frommer's South Pacific: With Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands Movies and TV shows Similar People David Butler, Phil Woods, Jimmy Cobb, George Sidney, Jean Yarbrough | ||
Reflection by bill goodwin and dan dave buck dvd
William Nettles Goodwin (July 28, 1910 – May 9, 1958), was for many years the announcer and a recurring character of the Burns and Allen radio program, and subsequently The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show on television from 1950-1951. Upon his departure, he was replaced by Harry von Zell.
Contents
- Reflection by bill goodwin and dan dave buck dvd
- BURNS ALLEN S1 Ep24 NEW Harry Von Zell upstages Bill Goodwin VERY RARE episode 81651
- Early years
- Radio
- Television
- Film
- Walk of Fame
- Family
- Death
- References
BURNS & ALLEN - S1, Ep24: NEW! Harry Von Zell upstages Bill Goodwin - VERY RARE episode! (8/16/51)
Early years
A native of San Francisco, California, Goodwin attended the University of California. He acted in stage productions on the West Coast before he began working in radio in 1930. His initial work on the air was at a station in Portland, Oregon. It was followed by stints at stations in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
Radio
Goodwin was known for frequently promoting the item sold by the sponsor of the show (Swan Soap or Maxwell House Coffee, among others, on radio; Carnation Evaporated Milk on television). He was effective on radio in doing "integrated commercials", the first announcer to do so in which the advertisement was deftly woven into the show's storyline. In 1945, Goodwin was the "featured comedian" as a regular on The Frank Sinatra Show. In 1947, he had his own program, The Bill Goodwin Show, a situation comedy, also known as Leave It to Bill, which ran from April 26-December 13, 1947. He was the announcer for the Blondie radio program.
Television
Goodwin was the host of television shows, including Colgate Theatre, and Penny to a Million. His last job as announcer was for NBC Radio's The Bob Hope Show (1953–1955). Not long before his death, Goodwin appeared as Ed Weston in two episodes of the short-lived CBS sitcom, The Eve Arden Show.
Film
Goodwin acted in several movies, including The Stork Club (1945), The Jolson Story (1946), and Jolson Sings Again (1949). He played the role of Sherman Billingsley in The Stork Club (1945) and that of the hotel detective in Hitchcock's Spellbound (also 1945) and appeared with Doris Day in Tea for Two (1950). Goodwin's best film role was probably as a vain but impoverished stage actor in So This Is New York (1948). His last major role was as the narrator for the animated television cartoon Gerald McBoing-Boing.
Walk of Fame
Goodwin was inducted into the radio portion of the Hollywood Walk of Fame February 8, 1960. His star is at 6810 Hollywood Boulevard.
Family
Goodwin was married to actress Phillippa Hilber; the couple had four children: Jill, Lynn, Sally, and Bill Jr. His son is jazz drummer Bill Goodwin.
Death
Goodwin was found dead in his car on May 9, 1958, at the age of 47 after a heart attack in Palm Springs, California. He is interred at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.