Jack Lescoulie

Lescoulie was born in Sacramento, California. ==Radio==

In 1933, Lescoulie had an orchestra that broadcast on KGFJ in Los Angeles. He was billed as the "Grouchmaster" on The Grouch Club (1938–1940), a program in which people aired their complaints about anything, During World War II, Lescoulie was a war correspondent, flying in Air Force planes on bombing missions over Italy. ==Television==

On television, Lescoulie hosted one of the earliest TV game shows, Fun and Fortune (1949) which lasted only one episode, and he was an announcer on Jackie Gleason's Cavalcade of Stars (1949–1952), as well as the original network announcer for The Honeymooners (1955–1956). He continued to announce for Gleason into the mid-1960s, at which time Gleason began to exclusively use Johnny Olson. During his long run on Today (1952–1967), Lescoulie's duties included announcing the show at the top and bottom of every hour, conducting interviews, reporting on sports, chatting with the crowd outside the studio and acting as a foil for Dave Garroway's pranks. He once joked that, despite his war correspondent credentials, he was picked for Today because he thought "they were looking for a man who doesn't sleep well in the mornings." Lescoulie was nicknamed "The Saver" by Garroway for his ability to liven up otherwise dull segments. Typical Lescoulie sketches included acting a scene from Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra with Jayne Mansfield in July, 1956, and being hit in the face with a pie by Buster Keaton in April, 1963. Often, Lescoulie would act as a traveling companion for Garroway to Today's overseas visits. He co-anchored the remote portions of both the 1959 Paris trip and the 1960 Rome voyage. It was during the latter that Lescoulie took an "accidental" dive into Trevi Fountain in front of unsuspecting pedestrians. Lescoulie went through a brief stint as host of The Tonight Show for six months in 1957. After Steve Allen's departure from Tonight in January, NBC renamed the show Tonight! America After Dark and transformed it into an interview and news program modeled after Today. Lescoulie, and then Al "Jazzbo" Collins, served as hosts. Lescoulie's tenure ran from January 28 to June 21, 1957. When Garroway left the show in the summer of 1961, NBC announced Today would resume its live broadcasts on July 17. Lescoulie promptly resigned, saying "I can't face those hours anymore." Lescoulie moved on to host the NBC educational children's series 1, 2, 3 Go!, which was canceled on May 20, 1962. He returned to Today that summer and stayed for another five years. Lescoulie left the show permanently in 1967, and the role he originated was filled by Joe Garagiola, Willard Scott, and Al Roker. ==Films==

Between 1938 and 1950, Lescoulie had a number of roles as a film actor, mostly uncredited, but he used the name Joe Hartman when he acted in the aviation drama Emergency Landing (1941). Lescoulie also recorded voice-overs for five Warner Bros. Cartoons shorts: • Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939), a Chuck Jones short in which Lescoulie voiced Casper Caveman, an impersonation of Jack Benny. • Slap-Happy Pappy (1940), a Bob Clampett short in which Lescoulie voiced a rabbit named Jack Bunny, an impersonation of Jack Benny. • Malibu Beach Party (1940), a Friz Freleng short in which he voiced Jack Bunny, an impersonation of Jack Benny. • Goofy Groceries (1941), a Bob Clampett short in which Lescoulie voiced a rabbit named Jack Bunny, an impersonation of Jack Benny. • Meet John Doughboy (1941), a Bob Clampett short in which Lescoulie voiced a caricature of Jack Benny. ==Stage==

Lescoulie appeared in one Broadway play, Tapestry in Gray (1935-1936). He also appeared in other theatrical productions, such as Achilles Had a Heel in New York City in 1935. ==Death==

Lescoulie died July 22, 1987, in St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer. ==References==