Bob Russell (January 1, 1908 – January 24, 1998) was an American entertainer, best known for hosting the Miss America 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, and Miss Canada pageants.

Biography

Bob Russell's father was a Russian-born baker. His family moved to New York at age nine and he began his career appearing in Broadway musicals in the 1920s. In the 1930s, he moved on to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, 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 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 ...

, 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" 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 daught ...

, 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 demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

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'',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 sou ...

, 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 ...

, 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 pr ...

'' (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. ...

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

'' (1953) – co-creator *'' Time Will Tell'' (1954) – announcer *'' Stand Up and Be Counted'' 1956-1957, host *'' Yours for a Song'' 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