John Reed King (October 25, 1914 – July 8, 1979) was an American radio and television game show host who hosted numerous game shows during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
John Reed King | |
|---|---|
 King at right with a contestant on the television game show There's One In Every Family, 1952. | |
| Born | October 25, 1914 Wilmington, Delaware |
| Died | July 8, 1979 (aged 64) Woodstown, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Host on radio and television programs |
| Spouse | Jean Abbot King |
| Children | 2 daughters, 1 son |
Career
editKing was one of the announcers for The American School of the Air on CBS,[1] and he had one of the top-rated radio shows of the 1930s in New York City with Missus Goes A-Shopping. He was also an announcer for the radio version of Death Valley Days[1] and for The Jack Berch Show.[2]
On August 1, 1944, he hosted the live television version of Missus Goes A-Shopping, and on January 29, 1946, he hosted the television version of It's a Gift, making these among the first television quiz shows ever aired, after CBS Television Quiz (1941-1942).
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, King was host of The John Reed King Show, an audience-participation quiz show. It began on WOR-TV and moved to WCBS-TV on February 2, 1950.[3]
He worked at KDKA radio and television in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1960s. He was a morning news anchor for the radio station, and hosted a daily talk show on television. In 1970, he was a news anchor at KGO-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated television station in San Francisco, California.
Personal life
editHe married Jean Elizabeth Abbot (or Abbott).[when?] They had two daughters and a son.[4]
Radio Shows, Host
edit- Missus Goes A-Shopping (1934-1944) CBS Radio and local NYC
- Our Gal Sunday (1937-1940) announcer
- Duffy's Tavern (1941-1942) announcer
- The Gay Nineties Revue (1941) announcer
- What's My Name? (1941)
- Double or Nothing (1944 - 1945)
- Death Valley Days and The Sheriff (1945-1951) announcer
- Give and Take (1945-1953) CBS
- Chance of a Lifetime (1949-1952) ABC[1]
- Sky King (1954) playing the part of Sky King
Television Shows, Host
edit- Missus Goes A-Shopping (1944-1949) CBS Television
- It's a Gift (1946) CBS
- King's Party Line (1946)
- The John Reed King Show (1949)
- Chance of a Lifetime (1950-1952) ABC; (1953-1955) (DuMont)
- Battle of the Ages (1952)
- Beat the Clock (1952)
- Where Was I? (1952-1953) DuMont
- What's Your Bid? (Feb-April 1953) ABC
- There's One In Every Family (1952-1953) CBS
- Give and Take (1952-1953) CBS
- Why? (1953)
- Let's See (1954) ABC
- Have a Heart (1955) DuMont
- Gunsmoke, episode "Old Comrade" (1962) guest starred as a townsman
Books
edit- John Reed King's Quiz and Game Book (1949)
References
edit- ^ a b c Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3
- ^ "Berch Is Back". Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. Harrisburg Telegraph. June 7, 1941. p. 24. Retrieved November 30, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Debuts, Highlights, Changes (Continued)". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. January 29, 1950. p. 2. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Obituary, nytimes.com. July 10, 1979. Accessed August 10, 2023.
