Smilin' Jack Smith (1913-2006)
from REMEMBERadio podcast Hosted by rememberadio
"Smilin" Jack Smith (16 November 1913 in Seattle, Washington - July 3, 2006) was a crooner in the 1940s and also acted on TV and movies including On Moonlight Bay with Doris Day. He hosted the television program,"You Asked For It", in 1958 and 1971-72 with sporadic production continuing until 1977. He earned his own radio show in 1945, which featured such established singing stars as Dinah Shore, Margaret Whiting and Ginny Simms. Following a guest appearance in the musical film Make Believe Ballroom (1949), Jack was offered the second lead in Warner Bros.' On Moonlight Bay (1951) opposite Doris Day. He played Doris' nerdy suitor Herbert Wakely who loses the love game pretty easily to handsome Gordon MacRae. Radio fans of Jack did not like this unflattering image of him, and Jack, actually a handsome, strapping figure, turned down the role when it was repeated in the sequel By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). Radio lost its core audience with the coming of TV and Jack subsequently lost his show in 1952. He switched gears and became the TV host of the long-running show "You Asked for It" (1950) during the 1958-1959 season. Our podcast is ´The Tide Show´ from June 10, 1952.
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