John Booth Nesbitt (August 23, 1910 – August 10, 1960) was an actor, narrator, announcer, producer and screenwriter. Nesbitt was best known as the narrator of the MGM series Passing Parade.
John Nesbitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 23, 1910 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | August 10, 1960 (aged 49) Carmel, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | actor, narrator, announcer, producer and screenwriter |
| Known for | Passing Parade (1938–1949) |
Early years
editNesbitt, born John Booth Nesbitt on August 23, 1910, in Victoria, British Columbia,[1] was a grandson of actor Edwin Booth. His father worked in British intelligence during most of Nesbitt's younger years, after which he worked as a lecturer on world topics. Eventually the father became a Unitarian minister, and the family moved to Alameda, California.[2] Booth attended Saint Mary's College of California and the University of California.[3]
Stage
editNesbitt was active in stock theater in Vancouver and Spokane,[3] and he organized some little theater groups.[2]
Radio
editNesbitt began working for NBC in San Francisco in 1933.[1]: 211 In 1935, he was an announcer at KFRC in San Francisco.[4]
His signature program, The Passing Parade, was first broadcast in 1936 and ended in 1949, sometimes in 15-minute episodes and sometimes in 30-minute episodes. At one time or another, it was carried on the CBS, Mutual, NBC Blue and NBC Red networks.[5]: 265 The Passing Parade was also a segment on The John Charles Thomas Show (1943-1946).[5] and on the summer replacement program, The Meredith Willson-John Nesbitt Show (1942).[5]: 227
In the evening of June 6, 1944, known as D-Day in the Allied countries, Nesbitt broadcast a Passing Parade segment on CBS which captured the historical significance of the military invasion by imagining its story being retold 100 years in the future to schoolchildren.
Joseph M. Koehler described Nesbitt's talent in a review in the July 31, 1943, issue of Billboard: "His sense of the dramatic, uncanny timing and ability to discover the exact moment when drama must replace the spoken word combine to explain why he's radio's No. 1 story-teller."[6]
Nesbitt was also host of the anthology program So the Story Goes, which was syndicated in 1945–1946.[5]: 309
Personal life
editIn 1940, Nesbitt bought the Ennis House and had it altered by Frank Lloyd Wright, adding a north-terrace pool and ground-floor billiard room, as well as the first heating system for the building.[7]
Recognition
editNesbitt has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one at 1717 Vine Street in the Motion Pictures section and one at 6200 Hollywood Boulevard in the Radio section. Both were dedicated February 8, 1960.[8]
Death
editNesbitt died on August 10, 1960, in Carmel, California.[1]
Partial filmography
edit- That Mothers Might Live (1938) Producer & Narrator
- Main Street on the March! (1941) Producer & Narrator
- Of Pups and Puzzles (1941) Producer & Narrator
- The Woman in the House (1942)
- Stairway to Light (1945) Writer & Narrator
- Goodbye, Miss Turlock (1948) Producer, Writer & Narrator
- Telephone Time (1956–1957) Host, Writer & Narrator
References
edit- ^ a b c Cox, Jim (2007). Radio Speakers: Narrators, News Junkies, Sports Jockeys, Tattletales, Tipsters, Toastmasters and Coffee Klatch Couples Who Verbalized the Jargon of the Aural Ether from the 1920s to the 1980s--A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6086-1. P. 211.
- ^ a b "John Nesbitt Inherits His Flair for Acting". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. July 5, 1942. p. 12. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "John Nesbitt To Be Heard Over WFBG". Altoona Tribune. Pennsylvania, Altoona. October 16, 1943. p. 9. Retrieved July 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ecksan, K.L. (February 3, 1935). "They Tell Me". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. p. 50. Retrieved July 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 177.
- ^ Koehler, Joseph M. (July 31, 1943). "Program Reviews: "The Passing Parade". Billboard. p. 12. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ "Ennis House". LA Conservancy. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ "John Nesbitt". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
External links
edit- John Nesbitt at IMDb