Dick Lane (TV announcer)

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Dick Lane (May 28, 1899 - September 5, 1982) was a television announcer who made his mark broadcasting wrestling and roller derby (called Roller Games in Los Angeles) shows on KTLA mainly from the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

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[edit] Early years

Lane was born in 1899 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin to a farm family. Early in life he developed talents for reciting poetry and doing various song-and-dance acts. By his teenage years, he was doing an "iron jaw" routine in circuses around Europe and worked as a drummer touring with a band in Australia. After the decline of Vaudeville, Lane obtained extensive work in motion pictures and was best known at the time for playing Inspector Farraday in some Boston Blackie features.

During World War II, he appeared as MC with USO troupes entertaining G.I's. His unit appeared at Ft. Mc Arthur in September 1944.

[edit] Work with KTLA

Due to his work at Paramount Pictures, he was able to obtain work at KTLA which was owned by the studio at the time. When the station went commercial for the first time in 1947, Lane started work as a news presenter. One of the early highlights of his career was to report on the first atomic explosion covered by a television newscast. His claim to fame was when KTLA agreed to broadcast wrestling matches from the Olympic Auditorium in 1946 and hired Lane to comment on the action. He started his work airing Roller Derby in 1951. His broadcasts featured such personalities as Gorgeous George, Mr. Moto (wrestler) and Doc Grable. Contrary to popular opinion, it was Lane and not former ABC sports announcer Keith Jackson who coined the expression "Whoa Nellie!!" when something "bad" happened in the ring or on the rink.[1]

[edit] Later Years

After Lane retired from television full time in 1972, he accepted few offers for work, but did make a notable cameo appearance in Raquel Welch's vehicle The Kansas City Bomber. Lane died in Newport Beach, California on September 5, 1982.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Andrew Krebs, Wide world of Jackson, The Daily Collegian, November 8, 1997.
  • Dick Lane, Pioneer TV Announcer, Dead at 83, Los Angeles Times, September 6, 1982.

[edit] Links

<http://www.tvparty.com/nitro.html> Rare online clips of Dick Lane calling wrestling matches.