I was a young announcer for the NBC Blue Network radio affiliate in Boston in the mid-1940s at a time when George Burns and Gracie Allen came to town to appear at the old Boston Garden.
George and Gracie were busy with a thousand-and-one things to do; they sent their announcer, Bill Goodwin to be interviewed by our program manager. She introduced Mr. Goodwin to me, saying: "This is my announcer, Lou Dumont. Do you have any words of advice for him?" The very personable Mr. Goodwin told me to always remember to use 'pear-shaped' tones whenever I did my announcing thing. He used, as an example, part of his network commercial for the sponsor of the Burns and Allen show at that time. It was: "WELL I SWAN, HOW ABOUT YOU?" The makers of Swan Soap got an extra commercial from Bill Goodwin.
I remember that as though it were yesterday. |