Willard Scott

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Willard Herman Scott, Jr. (born March 7, 1934) is an American media personality and author best known for his work on NBC's Today show.

Ed Walker (l) and Willard Scott, The Joy Boys (1965)

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Scott attended American University in Washington, D.C. and was a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. While there, he met Ed Walker. The two hosted a program on the university radio station WAMU-AM for two years, before moving in 1953 to WRC-AM, the NBC owned-and-operated television station in Washington.

From 1955 to 1972, Scott teamed with Ed Walker as co-host of the nightly Joy Boys radio program on WRC-AM. Scott would sketch a list of characters and a few lead lines setting up the situation, which Walker would commit to memory or make notes on his Braille typewriter, due to his blindness since birth. In a 1999 article recalling the Joy Boys at the height of their popularity in the mid-1960s, the Washington Post said they "dominated Washington, providing entertainment, companionship, and community to a city on the verge of powerful change".^[1] The Joy Boys show remained on WRC until 1972 when they moved to cross-town station WWDC for another two years. Of their close professional and personal bond which has continued to the present, Scott wrote in his book, The Joy of Living, that they are "closer than most brothers".^[2]

Scott spent the 1960s balancing his radio career with jobs as the host of children's television programs. He appeared on local television playing characters such as Commander Retro and Bozo the Clown. Another role he played during this time was that of Ronald McDonald, whom he created and was hired to portray for a McDonald's franchise in Washington, D.C., Scott played Ronald in the first three television ads featuring the character. Morgan Spurlock in the documentary film Super Size Me, claims that McDonald's fired Scott on account of his weight, supposedly concerned about McDonald's image. Others dispute this, saying that he was not unduly overweight at the time.

Willard Scott as Ronald McDonald, from one of the first 3 pre-recorded television advertisements to feature Ronald. Note the "food-tray hat".

In 1970, Scott moved from radio to television, appearing on WRC-TV as a weekday weatherman. He remained there until 1980, when he was tapped by NBC to become its weatherman for The Today Show, replacing Bob Ryan. After being inspired by a viewer request, Scott began his practice of wishing centenarians a happy birthday on-air in 1983.

During the '80s, Scott routinely did weather reports on the road, interviewing locals at community festivals and landmarks. He also periodically did the program from Washington, which he still considered his home. During this time, NBC executives told the bald Scott to wear a hairpiece. He complied when in New York, but refused when outside of the studio, resulting in a strange dichotomy on the air.

In 1989, Today show co-host Bryant Gumbel wrote an internal memo critical of the show's personalities. The memo was leaked to the media. Gumbel said Scott "holds the show hostage to his assortment of whims, wishes, birthdays and bad taste ... This guy is killing us and no one's even trying to rein him in." This garnered enough of a backlash that Gumbel was shown making up with Scott on the show.

Scott had a small role as Mr. Peter Poole on the late-1980s NBC sitcom The Hogan Family, where his character was married to Mrs. Poole, played by Edie McClurg.

Scott is currently the commercial voice of Smucker's jellies, taking over the job from Mason Adams. Smucker's is also the longtime sponsor of his Today birthday tributes.

Scott has published several fiction and non-fiction books based on his experiences.

Although he has retired as the show's full-time weatherman, Scott continues to appear on The Today Show to wish centenarians a happy birthday and to substitute for regular weatherman Al Roker.

American University has recently released some of the old Joy Boys radio broadcasts of the 1960s on CD's.

[edit] References

^ Marc Fisher, "Washington Comes of Age", Washington Post, September 13, 1999
^ Willard Scott, The Joy of Living. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1982 (ISBN 0-6981-1130-3).