Marvin Schlossberg, known professionally as Sonny Eliot (December 5, 1920 – November 16, 2012), was an American
meteorologist, actor and
comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...
, who was known for making jokes during his weather broadcasts.
Biography
Sonny Eliot was born on December 5, 1920, as the youngest of seven children, into a Jewish family.
Elliot attended
Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
,
and served in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as a
B-24
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
bomber pilot. During the war he spent 18 months as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
. He became a weatherman in 1947. He was known for his jokes during broadcasts.
Elliot started broadcasting Detroit weather on WWJ-TV (now
WDIV-TV on channel 4) from the 1947 to 1980. He later forecasted for
WJBK-TV (channel 2) Detroit from 1980 to 1983, and also hosted a movie series on
WKBD-TV
WKBD-TV (channel 50) is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS owned-and-operated station WWJ-TV (channel 62). Both stations share studios on ...
(channel 50). He was known for his jokes during his weather broadcast and combining words together. He also hosted the Detroit show ''At The Zoo'', which was filmed at the
Detroit Zoo. It would last 17 years, and aired on WWJ-TV/WDIV-TV.
Elliot also appeared on many TV shows and commercials.
In 2005 Elliot was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. Elliot retired from broadcasting in September 2010 and died on November 16, 2012, at the age of 91. Wayne State University hosted a tribute for Elliot.
References
External links
*
Sonny Eliot at DiscogsSonny Elliot at Turner Classic Movies
1920 births
2012 deaths
People from Michigan
American television weather presenters
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