Bob Russell (January 1, 1908 – January 24, 1998) was an

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

n entertainer, best known for hosting the

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

pageant Pageant may refer to: * Procession or ceremony in elaborate costume * Beauty pageant, or beauty contest * Latter Day Saint plays and pageants, run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or by members local to the area of the pageant * ...

during the years of 1940 to 1946, 1948 to 1950 and 1954. He also served as emcee for the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...

, and

Miss Canada Miss Canada is a beauty pageant for young women in Canada. It was founded in Hamilton in 1946. No title was awarded from 1993 through 2008. The trademark was purchased in 2009 by a Québec organization who produces the pageant under the name to ...

pageants.

Biography

Bob Russell's father was a Russian-born baker. His family moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

at age nine and he began his career appearing in

Broadway musicals Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

in the 1920s. In the 1930s, he moved on to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where he became a local star as the singing master of ceremonies at the elegant Cafe Marguery in the old Adelphia Hotel. In 1952 Russell co-created, directed and hosted the very first Miss Universe pageant in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and continued with the pageant through 1957. When the Miss America pageant was first televised in 1954, Russell rejected the song "

There She Is, Miss America "There She Is, Miss America" is a song written by songwriter Bernie Wayne for the Miss America pageant. It was first made famous in 1955 by master of ceremonies Bert Parks, who sang it every year until his firing in 1979. The song is sometimes r ...

" in favor of two of his own. His recommended replacement,

Bert Parks Bert Parks (born Bertram Jacobson; December 30, 1914 – February 2, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979. Early life Parks was bor ...

, in 1955 sang this promenade tune into history.

Lee Meriwether Lee Ann Meriwether (born May 27, 1935) is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the Miss America 1955 pageant. She has appeared in many films and television shows, notably as Betty Jones, the title character's secretary and daughte ...

, age 19 from California, was crowned Miss America on September 11, 1954, by a panel of judges including movie queen

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

. It was watched by 27 million people. Russell helped to start many early television

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

s, such as ''

Name That Tune ''Name That Tune'' is an American television music game show. Originally created and produced by orchestra conductor Harry Salter and his wife Roberta Semple Salter, the series features contestants competing to correctly identify songs being p ...

'' (1954–59). He appeared as the emcee of ''Bonnie Maid's Versatile Varieties'' (1950–51) and ''Your Pet Parade'' (1951), and was the announcer on the quiz show ''Time Will Tell'' (1954). From May 1956 to September 1957, he hosted ''

Stand Up and Be Counted ''Stand Up and Be Counted'' is a 1972 American comedy film directed by Jackie Cooper and starring Jacqueline Bisset and Stella Stevens. It features the recording of "I Am Woman" (1971) by Helen Reddy. Plot Cast * Jacqueline Bisset - Sheila ...

'',Feminist television criticism: a reader - Charlotte Brunsdon, Lynn Spigel - 2007 Page 327-"STAND UP AND BE COUNTED (5/28/56 to 9/6/57, CBS) Host: Bob Russell Contestants were home viewers selected by letter. As they sat with Bob Russell behind the wooden railing of a "front porch," they explained a personal dilemma to a ... Russell retired from the limelight to

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

, where he kept busy as Reservation Manager at the Aku Tiki Inn on

Lido Key Lido Key is a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, Florida, in the United States. It is part of the city of Sarasota and is connected to mainland Sarasota by John Ringling Causeway. Nearby keys To its north is Longboat Key; to its east are B ...

, and later at the Meadows Golf and Tennis Resort. Russell and his wife, Mignon Simpson Russell, had one child, a daughter named Ingrid.

Musical performances

*''

Princess Flavia ''Princess Flavia'' is a 1925 operetta in three acts based on Anthony Hope's novel ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', with book and lyrics by Harry B. Smith and music by Sigmund Romberg. Production ''Princess Flavia'' was staged by J. C. Huffman and p ...

'' (November 2, 1925 – March 1926; 152 performances)

TV shows

*''

Versatile Varieties ''Versatile Varieties'', also known as ''Bonnie Maid Versatile Varieties'' and ''Bonny Maid Versatile Varieties'', is a TV series that ran from 1949 to 1951 on NBC, CBS and ABC under three different formats. The sponsor was Bonnie Maid Linoleum. P ...

'' (1949) – emcee, 1950–1951 *'' Live Like a Millionaire'' (1951) *'' Your Pet Parade'' (1951) – host *''

'' (1953) – co-creator *''

Time Will Tell Time Will Tell may refer to: * Time Will Tell (Fifth Angel album), ''Time Will Tell'' (Fifth Angel album), 1989 * Time Will Tell (game show), ''Time Will Tell'' (game show), an American game show which aired on the DuMont Television Network in 1954 ...

'' (1954) – announcer *''

'' 1956-1957, host *''

Yours for a Song ''Yours for a Song'' is an American game show, created by Bob Russell, that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1961–1963 with Bert Parks as host and Johnny Gilbert as announcer. The series, which filmed in New York City, aired in p ...

'' creator, aired on ABC from 1961–1963 hosted by Bert Parks

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Bob (Entertainer) 1908 births 1998 deaths Beauty pageant hosts American game show hosts American male musical theatre actors American male television actors People from Passaic, New Jersey People from Sarasota, Florida 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers