Radio History: June 10

Hattie McDaniel

➦In 1895...actress/singer Hattie McDaniel was born in Wichita Kansas.

In the 1910s she was a band vocalist, then began playing increasingly assertive maid roles on the big screen, culminating in the supporting-actress Oscar for her ‘Mammy’ in Gone With The Wind (1939), the first African-American to be so honored.  She played on the “Amos and Andy” and Eddie Cantor radio shows in the ’30s and ’40s, and had the title role in her own radio show “Beulah” (1947-51), which she also played on TV (1950-’52) until her death from  breast cancer Oct 2, 1952 at age 57.

➦In 1924…WTAM was the first radio station to broadcast coverage of a political convention when it covered the 1924 Republican National Convention at Cleveland's Public Auditorium from June 10–12, 1924. Graham McNamee provided coverage of the Republican National Convention from Cleveland. HE was also  one of the great sports broadcasters of radio’s early years.

➦In 1985...Bob Prince died of cancer at age 68 (Born - July 1, 1916). He was a radio and television sportscaster and commentator best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the MLB Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he earned the nickname "The Gunner" and became a cultural icon in Pittsburgh.

Bob Prince

Prince was one of the most distinct and popular voices in sports broadcast history, known for his gravel voice, unabashed style and clever nicknames and phrases, which came to be known as "Gunnerisms." His unique manner influenced a number of broadcasters after him, including Pittsburgh Penguins voice Mike Lange and Pittsburgh Steelers color analyst Myron Cope.

Prince called Pirates games from 1948 to 1975, including the World Series championship years of 1960 and 1971. Nationally, Prince broadcast the 1960, 1966, and 1971 World Series and the 1965 All-Star Game for NBC, as well as the first year (1976) of ABC's Monday Night Baseball. He also broadcast at different times for other Pittsburgh-area sports teams, including Steelers football and Penguins hockey.

An Army brat, he attended many schools in Pittsburgh. An athlete himself, he lettered in swimming at the University of Pittsburgh. Prince worked for radio station WJAS, then landed a sports show on KDKA-TV. Prince joined Rosey Rowswell in the Pirates' broadcast booth as a commentator in 1948, and he was promoted to the top spot shortly after Rowswell's death in February 1955. He also broadcast Pittsburgh Steelers and Penn State football and once a Duquesne basketball game in the 1950s.

As a result of his distinct voice, knowledge of baseball, and high-profile persona, Prince was very popular among Pirates supporters. Prince was a fixture on team broadcasts for three decades on KDKA-AM, a clear channel radio station that could be heard throughout the eastern United States after sundown.

➦In 1995…Radio/TV Sportscaster Lindsey Nelson died of Parkinson's disease at age 86.

Lindsey Nelson

He spent 17 years with the New York Mets and three years with the San Francisco Giants. For 33 years Nelson covered college football, including 26 Cotton Bowls, five Sugar Bowls, four Rose Bowls, and 14 years announcing Notre Dame games. He is in 13 separate Halls of Fame. Fans remember a talented broadcaster, an expert storyteller, and a true sports enthusiast.

Nelson began his national baseball broadcast career as one of Gordon McLendon's radio announcers for the Liberty Broadcasting System, which primarily did recreations of games. After a stretch as an administrator with NBC Sports, he began doing the network's baseball broadcasts in 1957. He also broadcast college football, NBA and college basketball, and professional golf and tennis during his NBC tenure.

In 1962, he was hired as the lead broadcaster by the expansion New York Mets, and for the next 17 seasons did both radio and television with Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy. All three were eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

➦In 2000...Radio, TV journalist Judd Rose died from a brain tumor at age 44. He rose to prominence as an investigative reporter for ABC News, where Rose spent 16 years working on shows such as Prime Time Live and Good Morning America. His first Emmy came in 1987 for covering the fall of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, and he would go on to receive a total of four Emmy awards. He ended his career as co-anchor of the CNN program Newsstand.

His father was radio talk show host Hilly Rose. His mother was a 1940s radio actress turned award-winning NPR broadcaster, the host of Midday with Sondra Gair.

Is 83

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS

• Actor Alexandra Stewart (“Under the Cherry Moon,” “Frantic”) is 85. 
• Singer Shirley Alston Reeves of The Shirelles is 83. 
• Actor Jurgen Prochnow (“The English Patient,” “Das Boot”) is 83. 
• Actor Frankie Faison (“The Village,” “The Wire”) is 75. 
• Actor-producer Andrew Stevens (“Dallas”) is 69. 
• Bassist Kim Deal of The Pixies and The Breeders is 63. 
• Singer Maxi Priest is 63. 
• Actor Gina Gershon is 62. 
• Actor Jeanne Tripplehorn is 61. 
• Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin of Smashing Pumpkins is 60. 
• Actor Kate Flannery (“The Office”) is 60. 
• Model-actor Elizabeth Hurley is 59. 
• Guitarist Joey Santiago of The Pixies is 59. 
• Actor Doug McKeon (“On Golden Pond”) is 58. 
• Guitarist Emma Anderson (Lush) is 57. 
• Country guitarist Brian Hofeldt of The Derailers is 57. 
• Rapper The D.O.C. is 56. 
• Singer Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing) is 54. 
• Singer JoJo of K-Ci and JoJo is 53. 
• Singer Faith Evans is 51. 
• Actor Hugh Dancy is 49. 
• Singer Lemisha Grinstead of 702 is 46. 
• Actor DJ Qualls (“Memphis Beat,” ″Hustle and Flow”) is 46. 
• Actor Shane West (“ER,” ″Now and Again”) is 46. 
• Country singer Lee Brice is 45. 
• Singer Hoku is 43. 
• Actor Leelee Sobieski is 42. 
• Bassist Bridget Kearney of Lake Street Dive is 39. 
• Actor Titus Makin (TV’s “The Rookie”) is 35. 
• Actor Tristin Mays (2018′s “MacGyver,” ″The Vampire Diaries”) is 34. 
• Actor Eden McCoy (“General Hospital”) is 21.

✞REMEMBRANCES

• In 1967..Spencer Tracy Spencer Tracy, Actor (Woman of the Year, Father of the Bride), dies at 67
• In 1970..Earl Grant, Pop pianist, organist, and singer ("Ebb Tide"; "Winter Wonderland"), dies in a car crash in New Mexico at 39
• In 1985..Bob Prince, Sportscaster (Monday Night Baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates), dies of cancer at 68
• In 1995..Lindsey Nelson, Sportscaster (NY Mets), dies at 76
• In 2004..Ray Charles, Singer and pianist who pioneered soul music ("Georgia On My Mind"; "Mess Around"; "Hit The Road, Jack"), dies at 73