Born
James Amici in
Kenosha, Wisconsin,. When his elder brother,
Don, left his position as the host and announcer for
The Chase and Sanborn Hour in the early 1940s, Jim took over for the remainder of the show's run. He also was heard as mountie Jim West on ABC's
Silver Eagle (1951–55). Other shows Ameche was heard on included
Grand Hotel,
Hollywood Playhouse, and
Big Sister. In the 1940s, he had several programs on
WGN radio in Chicago. He was heard on stations in Los Angeles and Palm Springs in the late 1950s and early 60s. For many years he was a popular local radio personality in the
New York City area. By the late 1960s, he was working as an announcer on New York's
WHN and the TV pitchman for a
Longines Symphonette Society mail-order
record album featuring clips of
old-time radio broadcasts. In the 1960s he also read radio advertisements for Gibson wines. For many years, he was the afternoon announcer on WQXR, the classical radio station of
The New York Times. He also recorded numerous radio ads in Phoenix, Arizona in his later years. ==Film==