Dick Dudley

For the professional wrestler, see Big Dick Dudley.
Dick Dudley
Born
Casper Bernard Kuhn Jr.

(1915-04-22)April 22, 1915
Louisville, Kentucky
DiedFebruary 2, 2000(2000-02-02) (aged 84)
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)Radio and television announcer
Years active1925–1985

Richard Allen Dudley (birth name: Casper Bernard Kuhn Jr.)[1] (April 22, 1915 – February 2, 2000) was an American radio and television announcer once known as "the voice of NBC".[2]

Early years

Dudley's father was Casper Bernard Kuhn Sr. and his mother was Aida Perisutti, both of Nashville. His mother's parents came from Forni di Sopra in Italy. His father was a son of Ferdinand E. Kuhn, and brother of Oliver Kuhn, who like his brother attended Vanderbilt University. He played as a catcher on the baseball team in 1911 with Ray Morrison. He was also an accomplished violinist.[3] Another brother and Vanderbilt grad was Richard Dudley Kuhn, named for Richard Houston Dudley.[4]

Radio and tv announcer

Dudley's career began in 1925 on a children's radio program on WTNT radio in Nashville. Following graduation from high school, he started a repertory company in a renovated barn, and wrote plays, some of which featured a young Dinah Shore.

NBC

He later became an announcer and sound effects engineer on WSM (AM).[5] He broadcast flood-relief during the Ohio River Flood of 1937;[4] and in 1938 moved to New York City where, after holding several jobs, he joined NBC as a page, moving up the ranks to the position in staff announcer in 1940. He was among the first to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Due to World War II, Dudley was drafted into the Army in 1943, and served as program director of the American Forces Network in London.[6] He was on the "duffle bag" radio program which played requested songs and was listened to by the troops.[4][7]

Dudley returned to NBC after the war, where he announced on such radio shows as The Adventures of Archie Andrews,[8] The Aldrich Family, The Catholic Hour, The Jack Benny Show[9] and The Eternal Light. Dudley was also host of recorded-music programs on WNBC radio.[10][11] His television announcing credits included the original 1949 TV version of Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Arturo Toscanini's television concerts, the original 1950s version of The Price Is Right (as a substitute announcer), The Today Show, and Not for Women Only. In addition, he also handled local booth announcing work, including public service announcements, for NBC's New York outlet WNBC-TV.

He retired from NBC in 1985. Dudley died of a brain tumor at age 84.

References

  1. ^ Havighurst, Craig (2011-12-19). Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252094347.
  2. ^ Paid death notice in The New York Times, February 4, 2000.
  3. ^ Locomotive Engineers Journal. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. 1914. p. 678.
  4. ^ a b c Talley, Rhea (December 14, 1952). "A Man From Here Satirizes His Profession". Courier-Journal. p. 74.
  5. ^ Havighurst, Craig. Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City. Chicago, University of Illinois Press, 2007 (p. 107).
  6. ^ Morley, Patrick. This Is the American Forces Network: The Anglo-American Battle of the Air Waves in World War II. Praeger Publishers, 2001 (pp. 37, 44, 97, 131, 136).
  7. ^ A First year in Engineering Lines Department, by David Savage
  8. ^ Terrace, Vincent (1981), Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930-1960. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-498-02393-1. P. 4.
  9. ^ "This is the American Forces Network": The Anglo-American Battle of the Air Waves in World War II. Greenwood Publishing. 2001. ISBN 9780275969011.
  10. ^ "New WNBC Disc Show Will Debut On Saturday" (PDF). Radio Daily. January 8, 1948. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  11. ^ Miller, Leo (June 5, 1949). "Stars on Holiday, Stuff Continues". Sunday Herald. Retrieved 13 January 2015.