Bill Goodwin

William Nettles "Bill" Goodwin

Goodwin in 1951
Born July 28, 1910
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died May 9, 1958 (aged 47)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Cause of death
 Heart attack
Resting place
 Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California
Occupation Radio announcer and actor of film and television
Years active 1941-1958
Spouse(s) Philippa Hilber (b. 1918- d. 1996)
Children Bill Goodwin Sara Goodwin Mizen

William Nettles Goodwin, known as Bill Goodwin (July 28, 1910 - May 9, 1958),[1] was for many years the announcer and a recurring character of the Burns and Allen radio program, and subsequently The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show on television from 1950-1951. Upon his departure, he was replaced by Harry von Zell.

Career

Goodwin was known for frequently promoting the item sold by the sponsor of the show (Swan Soap or Maxwell House Coffee, among others, on radio; Carnation Evaporated Milk on television). He was effective on radio in doing 'integrated commercials,' in which the advertisement was deftly woven into the show's storyline. Goodwin was best known for his amiable and fun-loving personality, for his persona on air as a 'ladies' man,' and for joking around about George Burns's appearance and age. Ironically, he died more than thirty-seven years before George Burns.

Goodwin occasionally hosted other television and theater shows, including Penny to a Million and Dollar a Minute. His last job as announcer was for NBC Radio's The Bob Hope Show (1953–1955). He acted in several movies, including The Stork Club (1945), The Jolson Story (1946), Jolson Sings Again (1949) and The Big Beat (1958) with fellow Burns and Allen regular Hans Conried.

He played the role of Sherman Billingsley in The Stork Club (1945) and that of the hotel detective in Hitchcock's Spellbound (also 1945) and appeared with Doris Day in Tea for Two (1950). His last major role was as the narrator for the animated television cartoon Gerald McBoing-Boing.

His son is jazz drummer Bill Goodwin.

Not long before his death, Goodwin appeared as Ed Weston in two episodes of the short-lived CBS sitcom, The Eve Arden Show. Goodwin died on May 9, 1958, at the age of forty-seven after a heart attack in Palm Springs, California. He is interred at the Desert Memorial Park[1] in Cathedral City, California.

Partial filmography

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Palm Springs Cemetery District, "Interments of Interest"

External links