Best Classic American TV Announcers

Sometimes we heard their names, and sometimes they toiled in obscurity. Sometimes they sat on the couch next to Johnny, and sometimes they stood in a sound-proof booth with a pair of over-sized headphones on. Sometimes they just introduced a game show or variety show host, and sometimes they got into the act. They are are the television show announcer.

A few of these who toiled in the shadows had that certain something that made them minor celebrities in their own right. Their voices were distinctive and mellifluous, and became as associated with the TV shows they announced. They created taglines that we all imitated, calling to the cat on top of the bookshelf, "Come on down! You're the next contestant...", or annoying our friends named John when they walk in a room by shouting, "Heeeeeeeer'es Johnny!"

To qualify for my list of Hall of Fame announcers, the honoree must really be known as an announcer and made a bit of a career out of it, doing more than one show (and not counting sportscasting or narrating as the host, as Mel Allen so memorably did for almost two decades on "This Week in Baseball"); they must have been memorable; they must have created a tag line or done something to become associated in the audience's mind with one of their shows; and they must have been emulated and imitated. And since my interest is focused on the classic era (i.e. from my younger days) of American television, their career must have included announcing at least one show from those years (even if they are better known for more recent shows).

Here's my arbitrary list of the best announcers from the classic days of American TV, along with a partial list of some of the announcing gigs for which they were best known:

[Trivia: Don Pardo is one of only two people to ever have a lifetime contract with NBC. The other? Bob Hope.]

Honorable Mention

• Don LaFontaine
• John Facenda

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