Don Pardo | |
|---|---|
 Pardo announcingSaturday Night Live in 1992 | |
| Born | Dominick George Pardo Jr. (1918-02-22)February 22, 1918 Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | August 18, 2014(2014-08-18) (aged 96) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Other names | Dom Pardo |
| Alma mater | Emerson College |
| Occupation(s) | Voice actor, announcer |
| Years active | 1938–2014 |
| Known for | Announcer forSaturday Night Live |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Awards | Television Hall of Fame(member since 2010) |
| Signature | |
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Dominick George "Don"Pardo Jr. (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades.
A member of theTelevision Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenure withNBC, working as the announcer for early incarnations of such notable shows asThe Price Is Right,Jackpot,Jeopardy!,Three on a Match,Winning Streak andNBC Nightly News. His longest, and best-known, announcing job was for NBC'sSaturday Night Live, a job he held for 38 seasons, from the show's debut in 1975 until the end of the 6th season in 1981 and again from the season 8 premiere in 1982 until his death in 2014.[1]
Pardo was born inWestfield, Massachusetts, to Dominick George Pardo Sr. and Valeria "Viola" Rominak-Pardo, who werePolish immigrants who owned a bakery.[2] He spent his childhood inNorwich, Connecticut, andProvidence, Rhode Island, and graduated fromEmerson College in 1942.[3] Pardo was married to Catherine Lyons from 1938 until her death in 1995 and had five children: Donna, Karen, Paula, David and Michael.[2]
Pardo was hired for his first radio position at NBC affiliateWJAR in Providence in 1938.[4]
He joined NBC full-time as an in-house announcer in 1944, remaining on the network staff for 60 years. The radio programs on which he worked as an announcer includeBarrie Craig, Confidential Investigator,[5] the sci-fi showsX Minus One[6] andDimension X.[7]
DuringWorld War II, Pardo worked as a war reporter forNBC Radio.[8][9]
For most of 30 years, Pardo's recorded voice was one of the announcer introduction inserts for "Ten at Ten", theKFOGSan Francisco radio show appearing at 10 a.m., and in syndication with Dave Morey on KFOG HD Radio, although a few years featuredMonty Hall andLarry "Bud" Melman.[10][11]
In the early 1950s, he served as announcer for many of RCA's and NBC's closed-circuit color television demonstrations.[12]
Pardo made his mark on game shows for NBC in 1952 as the announcer onWinner Take All, and as the voice of the originalThe Price Is Right from 1956 until it moved toABC in 1963. Pardo's next show wasJeopardy!, which he announced from 1964 until the original version of the series ended in 1975.[12] Pardo also announced New York-based NBC game shows such asThree on a Match,Winning Streak, andJackpot!, all three of which wereBob Stewart productions.[13]
Pardo squeezed in many other assignments at NBC, including theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (until 1999),[14]WNBC-TV'sLive at Five[15] andNBC Nightly News.[16]
Pardo was the on-duty live booth announcer for WNBC-TV in New York and the NBC network on November 22, 1963, and he was the first to announce to NBC viewers that PresidentJohn F. Kennedyhad been shot in Dallas, Texas.[17]
His best-known announcing work was for the television seriesSaturday Night Live. His was the fourth voice heard on the show's premiere episode in 1975, after the first cold open sketch featuringMichael O'Donoghue,John Belushi andChevy Chase. Pardo remained the program's announcer except for one season (1981–1982), when it was announced byMel Brandt orBill Hanrahan. After "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", which is cried out at the end of thecold open, Pardo announces the show's title, then names the cast members and musical guests in a voice-over during the opening montage. According to Pardo, hisSaturday Night Live announcing booth during his tenure atStudio 8-H was almost exactly whereArturo Toscanini stood when conducting theNBC Symphony Orchestra inRockefeller Center[12] from 1937 to 1950.[citation needed]
In December 1976, Pardo participated in a musical performance byFrank Zappa, reciting a verse of the song "I'm the Slime". Pardo reprised this role on the live-recorded version of the song for theZappa in New York album[14] (it was not featured on the first release in 1978, but it appears on the 1993 CD re-release). He also provided narration for the songs "The Illinois Enema Bandit" and "Punky's Whips". A business dispute between Zappa and his record company of the time led to "Punky's Whips" being removed from the 1978 album, but the song was reinstated on the 1993 CD.[citation needed]
Pardo appeared in the"Weird Al" Yankovic song "I Lost on Jeopardy",[18] from his second album,"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D, a parody of "Jeopardy" byThe Greg Kihn Band, and its refrain "Our love's in jeopardy."[19] The song became the fourth music video released by Yankovic, and featured a number of cameo appearances includingKihn, originalJeopardy! hostArt Fleming, Yankovic's mentorDr. Demento, Pardo, and Yankovic's parents.
In 2009, he appeared in an episode of30 Rock ("Cutbacks") as Sid, TGS's announcer.
Pardo nominally retired from NBC in 2004. However, he continued to announce forSaturday Night Live at the behest of executive producerLorne Michaels, initially under the assumption that a permanent replacement would be found quickly.[20] After relocating toTucson, Arizona in 2005, he began pre-recording his announcements from his home studio one year later. That arrangement lasted only a few episodes before producers insisted that they needed him in Studio 8H, and he resumed weekly flights to New York.[21] On Saturday, February 23, 2008, Pardo appeared at the closing ofSaturday Night Live to blow out the candles on his 90th birthday cake. During this period, Pardo missed about five episodes due to illness; cast memberDarrell Hammond (who would succeed Pardo after his death) filled in for him but was uncredited.[22]
Upon his induction into the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame on May 14, 2009, Pardo suggested that the May 16, 2009, episode ofSaturday Night Live would be his last.[23] However, he subsequently returned for the show's 35th season. Starting with the 36th season, Pardo once again began pre-recording his parts from his home in Arizona instead of performing live in New York City.[21]
In 2010, Pardo was inducted into theTelevision Hall of Fame.[24]
Pardo died in his sleep in his Tucson home on August 18, 2014 at the age of 96.[2][25]
| Media offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Saturday Night Live announcer 1982–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by None | Saturday Night Live announcer 1975–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by None | Jeopardy! announcer 1964–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by None | The Price Is Right (1956) announcer November 26, 1956 – September 6, 1963 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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