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

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 tr ...

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 i ...

'' 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 advertising, ...

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

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 17t ...

, 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, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, University of Califor ...

. 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 largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

. 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 largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

Radio

Goodwin was known for frequently promoting the item sold by the sponsor of the show ( Swan Soap or Maxwell House Coffee, among others, on radio; Carnation Evaporated Milk 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'' 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'' (1953–1955). Not long before his death, Goodwin appeared as Ed Weston in two episodes of the short-lived CBS

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''.

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'' (1949). He played the role of Sherman Billingsley in '' The Stork Club'' (1945) and that of the hotel detective in Hitchcock's '' Spellbound'' (also 1945) and appeared with

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

in '' Tea for Two'' (1950) and '' It's a Great Feeling'' (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 ...

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

Walk of Fame

Goodwin was inducted into the radio portion of the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

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.

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 ...

'' (1941) as Announcer *'' Blondie Goes to College'' (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'' (1943) as Steve Denning (uncredited) *'' So Proudly We Hail!'' (1943) as Capt. O'Rourke (uncredited) *'' Riding High'' (1943) as Chuck Steuart *'' Bathing Beauty'' (1944) as Professor Willis Evans *''

Incendiary Blonde ''Incendiary Blonde'' is a 1945 American musical drama film biography of 1920s nightclub star Texas Guinan. Filmed in Technicolor by director George Marshall and loosely based on a true story, the picture stars actress Betty Hutton as Guinan. The ...

'' (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 Ba ...

'' (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 de ...

'' (1946) as Police Lt. Larry Brooks *'' Earl Carroll Sketchbook'' (1946) as Rick Castle *''

'' (1946) as Tom Baron *'' Hit Parade of 1947'' (1947) as Rod Huntley *'' Heaven Only Knows'' (1947) as Bill Plumber *''

'' (1948) as Jimmy Ralston / Captain Shaw in Play *'' Mickey'' (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 *'' It's a Great Feeling'' (1949) as Arthur Trent *'' Jolson Sings Again'' (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'' (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 Nielsen ...

'' (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 Going steady is a romantic relationship in which both partners commit to date only each other. Growing in prevalence in the United States after World War II, going steady became the mainstream dating pattern in high schools and colleges in the 195 ...

'' (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