| Jack Narz | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 13, 1922 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 2008 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | TV presenter Game show host |
| Years active | 1949–1982 |
Jack Narz (November 13, 1922 – October 15, 2008) was an American television announcer and game show host. He was the elder brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen. Narz eluded the infamous quiz show scandal to forge a respected hosting career.
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Early in his career, Narz did some voice work. In the initial (1951) episode of Adventures of Superman, he narrated at key points in the backstory of the title character. He also made appearances in local Los Angeles television and served as the announcer on one of TV's first nationally-broadcast children's shows, Space Patrol.
Narz first achieved television fame in 1952, when he was the on-camera announcer and narrator of the sitcom "Life with Elizabeth" starring Betty White. In 1955, as he did on radio, Narz served as the announcer-sidekick of bandleader Bob Crosby on the former's daytime TV show. That same year, he also worked as announcer on "Place The Face" a game show hosted by Bill Cullen. By the end of 1957, his career would have Narz move his family from southern California to the suburbs of New York City.
In January 1958, he got his own game show, presiding over CBS's Dotto. Within a very brief time, this show became as popular, with Dotto running five days a week on CBS and, beginning in the summer of 1958, weekly in prime time on NBC, with Narz hosting both versions.
Dotto turned out to be fixed, and was the first popular quiz show to be canceled as a result.
He was back on the air within a short period of time after "Dotto's" cancellation, hosting its replacement "Top Dollar" (succeeding its first host, Warren Hull, as part of an arrangement made with CBS and the ad agency representing the Colgate-Palmolive Company and General Mills, with whom Narz was under contract at the time). In 1960, he guest-hosted for a month on The Price Is Right, while regular host Bill Cullen took a vacation. Later that year, he was the host of Video Village, but asked producers to let him leave the show due to personal reasons. After relocating back to Los Angeles, he hosted Seven Keys, which started as a local show, but then moved to ABC (1961-1964). It later returned as a local show in L.A. until sometime in 1965. This was followed by a 13-week run on a new NBC game show entitled "I'll Bet." In 1969, Narz began hosting the syndicated revival of Beat the Clock, doing so until 1972 when the show's announcer, Gene Wood, replaced him.
In 1973, Narz started hosting Concentration. It aired in syndication until 1978. That was his longest-lasting job as host. He also emceed Now You See It on CBS (1974-1975). In 1979-80, he worked for a season as announcer and associate producer for the CBS revival of Beat the Clock. Narz also was used as a sub-announcer for Gene Wood on the NBC version of Card Sharks.
Later, Narz, who was semi-retired, spent his time since as a celebrity golfer for various charitable causes.
While the Narz brothers (Tom Kennedy is the stage name of Jim Narz) have forged successful individual careers as broadcasters, they did make occasional joint appearances. Jack Narz would appear on Tom Kennedy's You Don't Say during its NBC run, and the syndicated It's Your Bet; Tom Kennedy guested on Jack Narz's Beat the Clock, and Narz appeared on the Password Plus panel during the Kennedy era and switched with his brother to host for half an episode.
Like his brother, Narz appeared on To Tell the Truth as a celebrity panelist.
In 2005, Jack Narz and Tom Kennedy were co-recipients of the Bill Cullen Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Game Show Congress.
In April 2007, Narz was interviewed by Stu Shostak on Shokus Internet Radio.
In May 2007, Jack Narz and Tom Kennedy were given the Diamond Circle Award by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters at a celebrity luncheon honoring Leonard Maltin.
Narz' first wife was Mary Lou Roemheld, daughter of Oscar-winning composer Heinz Roemheld and the sister of Bill Cullen's wife, Anne (hence the brother-in-law relationship Narz had with Cullen in the 1950s). After their divorce, he married Dolores, a flight attendant for TWA and American Airlines.
Narz died on October 15, 2008, as a result of complications of two strokes.[1]
| Preceded by Bud Collyer |
Host of Beat the Clock 1969–1972 |
Succeeded by Gene Wood |
| Preceded by Bob Clayton |
Host of Concentration 1973–1978 |
Succeeded by Alex Trebek on Classic Concentration (1987–1991) |
| Preceded by None |
Host of Now You See It 1974–1975 |
Succeeded by Chuck Henry in 1989 |
   | Shokus Internet Radio. - TV on the Radio for Baby Boomers...This is Shokus Internet Radio! |
| | "Jack Narz, 85, Genial Host of Television Game Shows, Dies" - The New York Times > Log In |
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