Harry von Zell(1906-1981)
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Portly, pudding-faced, wavy dark-haired actor/announcer Harry Von Zell,
whose well-modulated voice was a standard radio fixture during the
1930s and '40s, also extended his talents toward film and TV where he
appeared in numerous comedy outings, often as a straight man foil. Born
in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 11, 1906, he attended UCLA and first
started on the air waves in 1927 with KMIC as both announcer and
singer, eventually moving into national radio, announcing for
Bing Crosby among others. Known for his
quick and clever ad-libbing, he nevertheless got quite a bit of ribbing
and won an honorary award in the Immortal National Hall of Bloopers
Fame for referring to President
Herbert Hoover once as "Hoobert
Heever."
Von Zell decorated a number of films, owning a few prime buttoned-down
support parts in both comedy--including
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945),
For Heaven's Sake (1950) and
Son of Paleface (1952)--and
dramas, such as
The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947)
and The Saxon Charm (1948). He
was also front-and-center in a number of comedy shorts, usually playing
himself. The name Harry Von Zell became a household word, while riding
on the talented coattails of the husband/wife team of
George Burns and
Gracie Allen in their classic TV sitcom
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950).
He played the hesitant, somewhat bewildered friend of the family, also
serving as the program's announcer. In addition, he was with CBS in New
York for six years and a TV network announcer for the likes of
Eddie Cantor,
Fred Allen,
Phil Baker,
Dinah Shore and
Joan Davis over his long career.
Following his retirement in the 1970s after some TV work including
Bachelor Father (1957) and
Perry Mason (1957) (he also once
wrote and appeared on a
Wagon Train (1957) episode), Von
Zell was seen frequently at nostalgic functions. He died of cancer in
1981 at the age of 75 in Los Angeles. He was a posthumous inductee of
the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
whose well-modulated voice was a standard radio fixture during the
1930s and '40s, also extended his talents toward film and TV where he
appeared in numerous comedy outings, often as a straight man foil. Born
in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 11, 1906, he attended UCLA and first
started on the air waves in 1927 with KMIC as both announcer and
singer, eventually moving into national radio, announcing for
Bing Crosby among others. Known for his
quick and clever ad-libbing, he nevertheless got quite a bit of ribbing
and won an honorary award in the Immortal National Hall of Bloopers
Fame for referring to President
Herbert Hoover once as "Hoobert
Heever."
Von Zell decorated a number of films, owning a few prime buttoned-down
support parts in both comedy--including
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945),
For Heaven's Sake (1950) and
Son of Paleface (1952)--and
dramas, such as
The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947)
and The Saxon Charm (1948). He
was also front-and-center in a number of comedy shorts, usually playing
himself. The name Harry Von Zell became a household word, while riding
on the talented coattails of the husband/wife team of
George Burns and
Gracie Allen in their classic TV sitcom
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950).
He played the hesitant, somewhat bewildered friend of the family, also
serving as the program's announcer. In addition, he was with CBS in New
York for six years and a TV network announcer for the likes of
Eddie Cantor,
Fred Allen,
Phil Baker,
Dinah Shore and
Joan Davis over his long career.
Following his retirement in the 1970s after some TV work including
Bachelor Father (1957) and
Perry Mason (1957) (he also once
wrote and appeared on a
Wagon Train (1957) episode), Von
Zell was seen frequently at nostalgic functions. He died of cancer in
1981 at the age of 75 in Los Angeles. He was a posthumous inductee of
the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame.