Herbert Arthur "Herb" Shriner (May 29, 1918 – April 23, 1970) was an American

humorist A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking. A raconteur is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society ...

radio personality A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, and television host. Shriner was known for his homespun monologues, usually about his home state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He was frequently compared to humorist

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

Early life

Shriner was born Herbert Arthur Schriner in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, the son of Edith (née Rockwell) and Peter Schriner. He moved to

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

as a small child, when his mother left his father. Shriner learned to play the

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

as a

grade school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

student. He formed a quintet when he was in high school; it expanded to an octet and made frequent local appearances. Shriner then performed on his own. When his lip gave out one night, he filled time by telling homespun stories. His deadpan comedy routines became more popular than his music, and soon he was entertaining audiences with stories about a fictional Hoosier hometown.

Career

Radio

In 1940, Shriner was hired by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

for occasional radio appearances, which led to a regular spot in 1942 and 1943 on the comedy-variety program ''

Camel Caravan A camel train, caravan, or camel string is a series of camels carrying passengers and goods on a regular or semi-regular service between points. Despite rarely travelling faster than human walking speed, for centuries camels' ability to withst ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served in a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

special services unit and performed for two years in

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

shows for GIs in Europe. After the war, he appeared on a number of radio shows, including ''The Philip Morris Follies of 1946'' with Johnny Desmond and

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American singer of popular music who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard'', January 12, ...

. In 1947 he appeared in a Broadway musical revue called ''Inside U.S.A.'' The performances were panned by critics, but Shriner's monologues made it a success and carried the show for over a year. Shriner hosted ''Herb Shriner Time,'' a CBS Radio weekday program, in 1948 and 1949 with the

Raymond Scott Raymond Scott (born Harry Warnow; September 10, 1908 – February 8, 1994) was an American composer, band leader, pianist and record producer. Known best in his time as a composer of production music, Scott is today regarded as an early ...

Quintet, singer

Dorothy Collins Dorothy Collins (born Marjorie Chandler;
''

Durward Kirby. The program was initially titled ''Alka-Seltzer Time'' (not to be confused with the later '' Alka-Seltzer Time'' that starred Curt Massey and

Martha Tilton Martha Tilton (November 14, 1915 – December 8, 2006) was an American popular singer during America's swing era and traditional pop period. She is best known for her 1939 recording of " And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman. Tilton was born ...

). In August 1949, Shriner decided not to continue the program because it was too much work. The previously mentioned ''Alka-Seltzer Time'', with Massey and Tilton, which had been a summer replacement, continued in Shriner's place on CBS.

Television

Shriner had a five-minute comedy monologue on CBS that debuted on November 7, 1949. Philip Morris cigarettes sponsored the show, which ran from 7:55 to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The show ended in 1950 when Philip Morris "decided that five-minute TV shows do not adequately advertise the product." ''Herb Shriner Time'' evolved into a short-lived, fifteen-minute television show. A half-hour version on ABC ran during the 1951-52 season. Shriner found TV success with '' Two for the Money,'' a

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

which appeared on NBC in the 1952-53 season, then moved to CBS for three seasons. It was more of a showcase for Shriner's humor than a game show, much like ''

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radioGroucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

. ''Two for the Money'' gave Shriner an opportunity to deliver short monologues and harmonica solos. Reruns are occasionally shown even now on GSN. Seventeen-year-old

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

wrote jokes for Shriner's shows.

Film

Shriner's only film role was portraying hardware store owner Frank Johnson in '' Main Street to Broadway'' (1953).

Records

In 1955, Shriner launched the Herb Shriner Harmonica Orchestra with Dominic (Don Henry) Quagenti, Cham-Ber Huang, Charles Leighton, Frank (Moose) Mitkowski, Victor Pankowitz, Alan Pogson and Alan (Blackie) Schackner. They recorded "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "Back Home Again in Indiana" for the Columbia LP ''Herb Shriner on Stage'' (1955). After he left ''Two for the Money'' in 1956, the show continued with fellow humorist Sam Levenson. Shriner tried a variety show on CBS which lasted almost three months (replaced by ''

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

''), and then played

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

state fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

s, showboats, and similar venues.

Personal life

Shriner and his wife, Eileen "Pixie" McDermott, moved with their children to Florida, returning each summer to Angola, Indiana. Shriner invested in real estate and collected vintage automobiles. In 1970, he and his wife were killed in

Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020, was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census. Located in the Miami metropolitan area, De ...

, in one of those cars, a Studebaker Avanti, when the brakes failed. Some of his collection can be seen in the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in

Auburn, Indiana Auburn is a city in DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,412 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1836 by Wesley Park (1811–1868), the city is the county seat of DeKalb County. Auburn is also known as ''Home of the Classics' ...

. Shriner's children are a daughter, Indy (named after

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

), and twin sons, actor, comedian and director

Wil Shriner Wil Herbert Shriner (born December 6, 1953) is an American actor, comedian, film director, screenwriter and game show host. Life and career Shriner was born in New York City, New York, the twin brother of soap opera actor Kin Shriner, and the ...

(named for Will Rogers) and

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

actor

Kin Shriner Kin Herbert Shriner (born December 6, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Scott Baldwin on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its spin-off, ''Port Charles''. Early life Shriner and his twin brother, actor Wi ...

(named for Frank McKinney 'Kin" Hubbard, an early 20th-century Southern Indiana folk humorist).

Television appearances

References

External links

*
GSN — Herb Shriner
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shriner, Herb 1918 births 1970 deaths American game show hosts American humorists Male actors from Fort Wayne, Indiana Male actors from Toledo, Ohio Road incident deaths in Florida 20th-century American male actors American harmonica players Musicians from Fort Wayne, Indiana