American actor
Art Gilmore
|
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Publicity Photo of Art Gilmore
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Born
| Arthur Wells Gilmore
(
1912-03-18
)
March 18, 1912
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Died
| September 25, 2010
(2010-09-25)
(aged 98)
|
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Occupation(s)
| Actor, announcer
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Years active
| 1935?2004
|
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Spouse
|
Grace Gilmore
(
m.
1938)
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Arthur Wells Gilmore
, known as
Art Gilmore
(March 18, 1912 ? September 25, 2010) was an American actor and announcer heard on
radio
and
television
programs, children's records, movies,
trailers
, radio commercials, and documentary films. He also appeared in several
television series
and a few feature films.
Biography
[
edit
]
Reared in
Tacoma
,
Washington
, Gilmore attended
Washington State University
in 1931, where he was a member of the Chi chapter of
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
music fraternity and a member of the Alpha Omicron chapter of
Theta Chi
fraternity. In 1935, he was hired to work as an announcer for Seattle's
KOL
Radio.
[1]
In 1936, he became a staff announcer for the
Warner Brothers
'
radio station
KFWB
in
Hollywood
and then moved to the
CBS
-owned station
KNX
as a
news reader
.
[1]
During
World War II
, he served as a fighter-director
U.S. Navy
officer aboard an
aircraft carrier
in the
Pacific Ocean
.
Leaving the Navy, he decided to become a professional singer and returned to Hollywood.
With a group of notable Hollywood radio stars, including
Edgar Bergen
,
Ralph Edwards
,
Les Tremayne
,
[2]
and
Jim Jordan
, Gilmore founded Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters in 1966.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[1]
At the time of his death, he was Chairman Emeritus of PPB. The organization presents the
Art Gilmore Career Achievement Award
four times each year to celebrities who have made notable contributions to the broadcasting and related industries. The organization was renamed Hollywood Media Professionals in 2019.
[6]
Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters
materials are at
American Radio Archives
.
[7]
[8]
Radio
[
edit
]
Gilmore's announcing voice became a part of many 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 Race
,
Dr. Christian
,
Sears Radio Theater
,
Stars over Hollywood
,
The Golden Days of Radio
and other radio shows. It was Gilmore who introduced
Herbert W. Armstrong
and
Garner Ted Armstrong
, reminding listeners to request free religious literature at the conclusion of
The World Tomorrow
on radio and television.
[1]
Television
[
edit
]
With the advent of television, Gilmore heralded
The George Gobel Show
,
The Red Skelton Show
,
An Evening with Fred Astaire
and many others.
He narrated 156 episodes of
Highway Patrol
with
Broderick Crawford
, 39 segments of
Mackenzie's Raiders
with
Richard Carlson
41 episodes of
Men of Annapolis
and all 36 episodes of
The New Breed
.
[1]
His television appearances included
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
,
Adam-12
,
Emergency!
,
Dragnet
and
The Waltons
. He announced
Ronald Reagan
's "A Time for Choosing" speech in 1964 supporting
Barry Goldwater
for
U.S. President
.
Films
[
edit
]
Gilmore was heard in films as the voice of President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
in the 1942 production of
Yankee Doodle Dandy
, and in
The Gallant Hours
(1960), where he was the narrator for
Japanese
sequences. His dramatic voice was also heard on countless film trailers beginning in the 1940s (he narrated the trailer for the 1946 film
Gilda
), and on documentary films throughout the 1950s and 1960s. (He appeared on camera at the beginning of the trailer for the 1948 thriller
The Big Clock
.) He narrated the
Joe McDoakes
series of short comedies which starred
George O'Hanlon
, notably
So You Want to Be a Detective
(1948), in which he participated (with the camera as his point of view). Gilmore also served as the president of
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
(AFTRA) from 1961 until 1963.
[1]
Recordings
[
edit
]
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. Gilmore was also active in reading textbooks for the blind and dyslexic for many years.
[1]
Books
[
edit
]
Gilmore co-authored the book
Television and Radio Announcing
.
Death
[
edit
]
He died of natural causes on September 25, 2010, aged 98.
[9]
Gilmore was survived by his wife, Grace; daughters Marilyn and Barbara; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. His nephew,
Robb Weller
, said that his uncle was the reason he chose to work in broadcasting.
[1]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Year
|
Title
|
Role
|
Notes
|
1941
|
The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance
|
Newsreel Announcer
|
Uncredited
|
1942
|
Saboteur
|
Radio Broadcaster
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1942
|
Yankee Doodle Dandy
|
Franklin D. Roosevelt
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1943
|
Mission to Moscow
|
Commentator
|
Uncredited
|
1943
|
Action in the North Atlantic
|
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1946
|
Rendezvous 24
|
Agent Thompson / Narrator
|
Uncredited
|
1946
|
The Man Who Dared
|
Radio Announcer
|
Uncredited
|
1946
|
Deadline for Murder
|
Bit Role
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1946
|
Blue Skies
|
Radio Broadcaster
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1947
|
Backlash
|
Radio Commentator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1947
|
Welcome Stranger
|
Radio Announcer
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1947
|
The Unsuspected
|
Announcer
|
Uncredited
|
1948
|
The Strange Mrs. Crane
|
Radio Broadcaster
|
Uncredited
|
1949
|
My Dream Is Yours
|
Radio Announcer
|
Uncredited
|
1949
|
King of the Rocket Men
|
Newscaster
|
Serial, [Ch. 5], Voice, Uncredited
|
1949
|
The Girl from Jones Beach
|
Narrator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1950
|
Appointment with Danger
|
Narrator
|
Uncredited
|
1950
|
Tea for Two
|
Radio Announcer
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1951
|
Valentino
|
Narrator at End
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1951
|
A Place in the Sun
|
Radio Broadcaster
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1951
|
Sunny Side of the Street
|
Announcer
|
Uncredited
|
1951
|
The Tanks Are Coming
|
Narrator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1952
|
The Winning Team
|
Radio Sports Announcer
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1952
|
The Story of Will Rogers
|
Announcer at Political Convention
|
Uncredited
|
1952
|
Barbed Wire
|
Opening Narrator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1952
|
Battles of Chief Pontiac
|
Narrator
|
Uncredited
|
1954
|
It Should Happen to You
|
Don Toddman
|
Uncredited
|
1954
|
Creature from the Black Lagoon
|
Narrator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1954
|
Susan Slept Here
|
The Oscar
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1954
|
Rear Window
|
Radio Announcer
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1954
|
Dragnet
|
Doctor
|
Uncredited
|
1954
|
Tobor the Great
|
Airport Announcer
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1955
|
Unchained
|
Narrator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1955
|
City of Shadows
|
Radio Broadcaster
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1955
|
Francis in the Navy
|
Lieutenant Hopper
|
Uncredited
|
1955
|
Wiretapper
|
Narrator
|
Voice
|
1955
|
Three Stripes in the Sun
|
Public Address Announcer
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1955
|
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
|
Radio Broadcaster
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1956
|
The Killing
|
Narrator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1956
|
A Cry in the Night
|
Television Announcer
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1956
|
The Boss
|
Radio Broadcaster
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1956
|
Rodan
|
Narrator
|
English version, Voice, Uncredited
|
1957
|
Fear Strikes Out
|
Broadcaster
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1958
|
The Narcotics Story
|
Narrator
|
Voice
|
1958
|
Suicide Battalion
|
Captain Hendry
|
Uncredited
|
1960
|
Who Was That Lady?
|
Television Announcer
|
Uncredited
|
1960
|
The Gallant Hours
|
Narrator: Japanese Sequences
|
Voice
|
1962
|
To Kill a Mockingbird
|
Trailer Narrator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1963
|
The Nutty Professor
|
Narrator
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
1963
|
Johnny Cool
|
Racetrack Announcer
|
Voice, Uncredited
|
2001
|
Moonbeams
|
The Moon
|
(final film role)
|
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
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Television series
| |
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Radio series
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Films
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Miscellaneous
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International
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National
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People
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