Herb Shriner
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Herb Shriner (born Herbert Arthur Schiner on May 29, 1918 in Toledo, Ohio; died April 23, 1970 in Delray Beach, Florida) was an American humorist, radio personality and television host.
Shriner was best known for his homespun monologues, usually with roots in his adopted home state of Indiana. He was often compared to fellow humorist Will Rogers.
Shriner moved to Fort Wayne as a toddler, when his mother Edith left his father. Shriner learned to play the harmonica as a grade school student. By the time he was attending Central High School, he had formed a quintet, later an octet, which made frequent local appearances. When the group disbanded, Shriner worked on his own, and when his lip gave out one night during a performance, he filled time by telling homespun stories. The laid-back, deadpan comedy routines became more popular than the music, and soon he was regaling audiences with tales about his fictional (and never named) Hoosier hometown.
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[edit] Radio
In 1940, Shriner was hired by NBC for occasional radio appearances, eventually leading to a regular 1942-43 spot on the long-run comedy-variety program, The Camel Caravan. During World War II, Shriner served in a special Army unit and performed in numerous USO shows for soldiers in Europe. After the war, Shriner bounced around on various radio shows, including The Philip Morris Follies of 1946 with Johnny Desmond and Margaret Whiting.
His big break in 1947 with a Broadway musical review called Inside U.S.A. The musical performances were generally panned by critics, but Shriner's monologues made the show popular and carried the show for more than a year.
During the Broadway stint, in 1948-49, Shriner hosted Herb Shriner Time, a CBS Radio weekday program with the Raymond Scott Quintet, singer Dorothy Collins) and announcer Durward Kirby.
[edit] Television
Herb Shriner Time later evolved into a short-lived, five-minute television show. Another TV show on ABC ran for the 1951-52 season. Shriner finally found TV success soon afterward with Two for the Money, a game show on NBC for the 1952-53 season, then on CBS for three seasons. The show was more of a showcase for Shriner's humor than a true game show, much as You Bet Your Life was a showcase for the comedy of Groucho Marx — indeed, the Shriner show was patterned after (some would say a knock-off of) You Bet Your Life and was created in response to the success of Marx's show. Despite being a Marx knock-off, the show was successful and Shriner became a household name. (Reruns of Two for the Money are occasionally shown on GSN.)
[edit] Records
In 1955, Shriner launched the Herb Shriner Harmonica Orchestra with personnel including Dominic (Don Henry) Quagenti, Cham-Ber Huang, Charles Leighton, Frank (Moose) Mitkowski, Victor Pankowitz, Alan Pogson and Alan (Blackie) Schackner. The group recorded two selections ("Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "Back Home Again in Indiana") for the Columbia LP Herb Shriner on Stage (1955).
Shriner's fame was fleeting, though. After he left Two for the Money in 1956, the show continued with Sam Levenson. Shriner tried another variety show on ABC which lasted two months, and he played a circuit of nightclubs, state fairs and similar venues.
Shriner moved his wife, Eileen “Pixie” McDermott, and three children to Florida to experience small-town life, returning each summer to Angola, Indiana. Shriner invested in real estate and collected vintage automobiles. Ironically, one of those cars proved to be his undoing — Shriner and his wife were killed when the brakes failed on his Studebaker Avanti.
Herb and Pixie Shriner had one daughter, Indy (named after Indianapolis, Indiana), and twin sons, Wil and Kin, who have enjoyed success in show business as well: Wil is a well-known comedian, actor and director, and Kin has had a lengthy career on soap operas.
