William Nettles Goodwin (July 28, 1910 – May 9, 1958),Palm Springs Cemetery District, "Interments of Interest"
pscemetery.com; accessed June 20, 2017. was for many years the announcer and a recurring character of the

Burns and Allen Burns and Allen was an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen. They worked together as a successful comedy team that entertained vaudeville, film, radio, and television audiences for over forty years. The duo ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

program, and subsequently ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

'' on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

from 1950–1951. Upon his departure, he was replaced by

Harry von Zell Harry Rudolph von Zell (July 11, 1906 – November 21, 1981) was an American announcer of radio programs, and an actor in films and television shows. He is best remembered for his work on ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show''. Life and ...

Early years

A native of

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, Goodwin attended the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

. He acted in stage productions on the West Coast before he began working in radio in 1930. His initial work on the air was at a station in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. It was followed by stints at stations in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Radio

Goodwin was known for frequently promoting the item sold by the sponsor of the show (

Swan Soap Swan was a brand of soap introduced by the Lever Brothers Company in 1941 to compete with Ivory. Swan may have been advertised as a soap that could be used in the kitchen as a hand soap or in the bathroom to bathe the baby. Actually, during the r ...

Maxwell House Coffee Maxwell House is an American brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Heinz in North America and JDE Peet's in the rest of the world. Introduced in 1892 by wholesale grocer Joel Owsley Cheek, it was named in honor of the M ...

, among others, on radio;

Carnation ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.Med ...

Evaporated Milk Evaporated milk, known in some countries as "unsweetened condensed milk", is a shelf-stable canned cow’s milk product where about 60% of the water has been removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains adde ...

on television). He was effective on radio in doing "integrated commercials", the first announcer to do so in which the advertisement was deftly woven into the show's storyline. In 1945, Goodwin was the "featured comedian" as a regular on ''The Frank Sinatra Show'' and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. In 1947, he had his own program, ''The Bill Goodwin Show'', a situation comedy, also known as ''Leave It to Bill'', which ran from April 26-December 13, 1947. He was the announcer for the '' Blondie'' radio program.

Television

Goodwin was the host of television shows, including ''

Colgate Theatre ''Colgate Theatre'' is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC during 1949 and 1958 for a total of 50 episodes in two different formats. The first edition, a live television anthology, was telecast on Monday nights from J ...

'' and ''

Penny to a Million ''Penny to a Million'' is a primetime American television game show (at the time more commonly called a "quiz show") that aired on ABC from May 4 to October 19, 1955 on Wednesday nights, for alternating sponsors (Brown & Williamson's Raleigh cigare ...

''. His last job as announcer was for NBC Radio's ''

The Bob Hope Show ''The Pepsodent Show'' is an American radio comedy program broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio. The program starred comedian Bob Hope and his sidekick Jerry Colonna along with Blanche Stewart and Elvia Allman as high-society crazies Brenda a ...

'' (1953–1955). Not long before his death, Goodwin appeared as Ed Weston in two episodes of the short-lived

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

, ''

The Eve Arden Show ''The Eve Arden Show'' is a 26-episode American sitcom which aired during the 1957–1958 season on CBS, alternately sponsored by Lever Brothers and Shulton, Inc. (Old Spice). Overview The show, starring Eve Arden, centers on Liza Hammond, a wi ...

''.

Film

Goodwin acted in several movies, including '' The Stork Club'' (1945), ''

The Jolson Story ''The Jolson Story'' is a 1946 American musical biography film which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as Julie Benson (approximating Jolson's wife, Ruby Keeler), William Demares ...

'' (1946), and ''

Jolson Sings Again ''Jolson Sings Again'' is a 1949 American musical biographical film directed by Henry Levin, and the sequel to ''The Jolson Story'' (1946), both of which cover the life of singer Al Jolson. It was the highest-grossing film of 1949 and received ...

'' (1949). He played the role of

Sherman Billingsley John Sherman Billingsley (March 10, 1896 – October 4, 1966) was an American nightclub owner and former bootlegger who was the founder and owner of New York's Stork Club. Life and career John Sherman Billingsley was the youngest child of ...

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) and ''

It's a Great Feeling ''It's a Great Feeling'' is a 1949 American Technicolor musical comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Carson, and Dennis Morgan in a parody of what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood movie making. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Mel Shavel ...

'' (1949). Goodwin's best film role was probably as a vain but impoverished stage actor in ''

So This Is New York ''So This Is New York'' is a 1948 satirical movie comedy starring acerbic radio and television comedian Henry Morgan and directed by Richard Fleischer. The cynically sophisticated screenplay was written by Carl Foreman and Herbert Baker from t ...

'' (1948). His last major role was as the narrator for the animated television cartoon ''

Gerald McBoing-Boing ''Gerald McBoing-Boing'' is an animated short film about a little boy who speaks through sound effects instead of spoken words. It was produced by United Productions of America (UPA) and given wide release by Columbia Pictures on November 2, 1950. ...

''.

Walk of Fame

Goodwin was inducted into the radio portion of the Hollywood Walk of Fame February 8, 1960. His star is at 6810 Hollywood Boulevard.

Family

Goodwin was married to actress Phillippa Hilber; the couple had four children: Jill, Lynn, Sally, and Bill Jr. His son is jazz drummer

Bill Goodwin William Nettles Goodwin (July 28, 1910 – May 9, 1958),Palm Spr ...

Death

Goodwin was found dead in his car on May 9, 1958, at the age of 47 after a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He is interred at the

Desert Memorial Park Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs. Opening in 1956 and receiving its first interment in 1957,The Palm Springs Cemetery District itself was covers 504 square miles, including Palm Spr ...

Cathedral City, California Cathedral City, colloquially known as "Cat City", is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. Situated between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, the city has the second larg ...

Partial filmography

*''

Let's Make Music ''Let's Make Music'' is a 1941 American musical film directed by Leslie Goodwins starring Bob Crosby, Jean Rogers and Elisabeth Risdon. It was produced by RKO Pictures and written by Nathanael West. The film's songs include the classic "Big No ...

'' (1941) as Announcer *''

Blondie in Society ''Blondie in Society'' is a 1941 black-and-white comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, and Larry Simms. It is the ninth of the 28 features in the Blondie film series. Plot Dagwood is given a Great D ...

'' (1941) as Announcer *''

Blondie Goes to College ''Blondie Goes to College'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer. The film is a part of the ''Blondie'' series, starring Penny Singleton in the title role. It is the tenth of twenty-eight Blondie movies starring Penny Sing ...

'' (1942) as Announcer at Shell Race *''

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of T ...

'' (1942) as Sgt. Higbee / Narrator *'' No Time for Love'' (1943) as Christley (uncredited) *''

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour ''Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Hugh Bennett and written by Edwin Blum and Aleen Leslie. The film stars Jimmy Lydon, Charles Smith, John Litel, Olive Blakeney, Diana Lynn and Frances Gifford. The fi ...

'' (1943) as Steve Denning (uncredited) *''

So Proudly We Hail! ''So Proudly We Hail!'' is a 1943 American war film directed and produced by Mark Sandrich and starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard – who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance – a ...

'' (1943) as Capt. O'Rourke (uncredited) *'' Riding High'' (1943) as Chuck Steuart *''

Bathing Beauty ''Bathing Beauty'' is a 1944 musical film starring Red Skelton, Basil Rathbone, and Esther Williams, and directed by George Sidney. Although this was not Williams' screen debut, it was her first Technicolor musical. The film was initially to be ...

'' (1944) as Professor Willis Evans *'' Incendiary Blonde'' (1945) as Tim Callahan *''

River Gang ''River Gang'' is a 1945 American crime film directed by Charles David and written by Leslie Charteris and Dwight V. Babcock. The film stars Gloria Jean, John Qualen, Bill Goodwin, Keefe Brasselle, Sheldon Leonard, Gus Schilling and Vince Barne ...

'' (1945) as Mike *'' Spellbound'' (1945) as House Detective of the Empire State Hotel *'' The Stork Club'' (1945) as Sherman Billingsley *'' To Each His Own'' (1946) as Mac Tilton *''

House of Horrors ''House of Horrors'' is a 1946 American horror film released by Universal Pictures, starring Rondo Hatton as a madman named "the Creeper". Plot Struggling sculptor Marcel de Lange (Martin Kosleck) is depressed about events in his life, and d ...

'' (1946) as Police Lt. Larry Brooks *''

Earl Carroll Sketchbook ''Earl Carroll Sketchbook'' is a 1946 American musical film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Frank Gill Jr. and Parke Levy. The film stars Constance Moore, William Marshall, Bill Goodwin, Johnny Coy, Barbara Jo Allen and Edward Everett ...

'' (1946) as Rick Castle *''

'' (1946) as Tom Baron *''

Hit Parade of 1947 ''Hit Parade of 1947'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Frank McDonald and written by Mary Loos. The film stars Eddie Albert, Constance Moore, Joan Edwards, Gil Lamb, Bill Goodwin and William Frawley. The film was released on March 2 ...

'' (1947) as Rod Huntley *'' Heaven Only Knows'' (1947) as Bill Plumber *''

'' (1948) as Jimmy Ralston / Captain Shaw in Play *''

Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men * Mickey Andrews (bor ...

'' (1948) as George R. Kelly *''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. Radio The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later kn ...

'' (1949) as Sidney Monahan *''

'' (1949) as Arthur Trent *''

'' (1949) as Tom Baron *'' Tea for Two'' (1950) as William 'Moe' Early *'' The First Time'' (1952) as Mel Gilbert *'' Lucky Me'' (1954) as Otis Thayer *''

The Atomic Kid ''The Atomic Kid'' is a 1954 American black-and-white science fiction comedy film directed by Leslie H. Martinson and starring Mickey Rooney and Robert Strauss. It was distributed by Republic Pictures and produced by Maurice Duke and Mickey ...

'' (1954) as Dr. Rodell *''

The Opposite Sex ''The Opposite Sex'' is a 1956 American musical romantic comedy film shot in Metrocolor and CinemaScope. The film was directed by David Miller and stars June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, and Ann Miller, with Leslie Ni ...

'' (1956) as Howard Fowler *''

Bundle of Joy ''Bundle of Joy'' is a 1956 Technicolor musical remake of the comedy film ''Bachelor Mother'' (1939), which starred Ginger Rogers and David Niven. It stars Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (who were married in real-life at the time), and Adolphe ...

'' (1956) as Mr. Creely *'' Going Steady'' (1958) as Gordon P. Turner *'' The Big Beat'' (1958) as Joseph Randall

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Bill 1910 births 1958 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male radio actors Burials at Desert Memorial Park 20th-century American male actors da:Bill Goodwin