Bill Forman (1915 – 1966) was an American radio announcer and actor. He was best known for his work as the title character on
''The Whistler''.
Early life
Forman was born Raymond L. Forman on May 26, 1915 in
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of t ...
. His father was a
Methodist minister. He attended
Wesleyan University, where he majored in English and theatre.
discovered him and cast him in a play in New York. Forman later reported having been in six flop plays that year.
Career
Forman worked for
WHBC in
Canton, Ohio
Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...
and then for
WGAR in
Cleveland, Ohio before he moved to
Los Angeles to work at KMPC, where he succeeded Lou Huston, in 1942.
During his career, Forman was known as the "dean" and for his many accents on ''
Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge''.
Forman appeared on ''The Whistler'' starting in 1941.
He once stated he never missed a broadcast. According to a 1990 newspaper article, he did not provide the whistling of his character. He starred in
the television adaptation of ''The Whistler'' which aired for one season beginning in 1954.
Forman also announced and narrated for various radio shows. He was the narrator on the ''
Zane Grey Show'' and the announcer on ''
The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show''; its predecessor, ''
The Fitch Bandwagon;'' ''
Richard Diamond, Private Detective'';
''The Charlie McCarthy Show''; and ''The
Tony Martin Show.''
In addition to his work on broadcast and radio, Forman contributed vocal work to several films, including ''
Wilbur the Lion'' (1947) and ''
The Pride of St. Louis
''The Pride of St. Louis'' is a 1952 American biographical film of the life of Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean. It starred Dan Dailey as Dean, Joanne Dru as his wife, and Richard Crenna as his brother Paul "Daffy" Dean, a ...
'' (1952).
Personal life and death
Forman was inducted into the military at
Fort MacArthur in 1945.
Forman was married and had three children. He enjoyed golf, cooking, and
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
stories and films.
Forman was a friend of
Frank Lovejoy
Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir '' The Hitch-Hiker'' and for starring in the radio drama '' Night Beat ...
.
He died on April 25, 1966.
References
External links
*
* {{IBDB name, id=106049
* Bill Forman a
RadioGold Index 1915 births
Male actors from Connecticut
American male radio actors
American male film actors
People from Mount Vernon, New York
Wesleyan University alumni
American male television actors
1966 deaths