Dan Seymour (June 28, 1914 – July 27, 1982) [1] was an announcer in the era of old-time radio and in the early years of television [2] and later became an advertising executive. [1]
Seymour was born in Manhattan. He attended schools in Paterson, New Jersey, and graduated from Montclair Academy. [3] When he was 18, he traveled to study and teach stage techniques as a guest of the Austrian Ministry of Education. [4] He was a dramatics major at Amherst College. [5]
Seymour was once recognized as "Radio's best announcer." [4] An obituary observed: "Seymour was best known as the deep-voiced announcer who startled Americans with a convincing but fictional account of Martians landing on Earth in the War of the Worlds broadcast in 1938." [6]
His first job in radio announcing came in 1935 at WNAC in Boston, Massachusetts, after his college graduation. [3] While at the station, he was also an announcer for the Yankee Network. In 1936, he resigned and joined CBS in New York City. [7] His first major assignment there was announcing for Major Bowes Amateur Hour. [8]
A significant assignment early in his career was becoming the announcer on We the People, a job that led to a position with the program's advertising agency, Young and Rubicam. [4]
Other programs on which Seymour worked as announcer were The Henry Morgan Show, [9]: 304 The Aldrich Family, [9] Songs by Jack Smith, [10] Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories, [11] Sing It Again, [12] Bobby Benson, [13] and Original Gillette Community Sing. [13]: 45
Seymour was one of the producers of You and the News. [14]
Seymour was master of ceremonies on Where Was I? [15] and Sing It Again. [16]: 972 He was the announcer for Tex and Jinx, [16]: 1063 Dunninger and Winchell, (also known as The Bigelow Show for part of its run), [16] and The Swift Home Service Club. [16]: 1045
In 1945, Seymour, director Tony Leader, and writer Judson Phillips combined efforts to create P.L.S. Productions, a radio producing team, with offices in New York City. The team's first program was You Make the News, which began November 15, 1945, on the Mutual Broadcasting System. [17]
Three months after Seymour became producer of We the People in February 1950, the program's television Nielsen rating had almost doubled. [18]
In 1950, Seymour left the on-air side of broadcasting to work in programming. He explained his transition by saying: "I never really enjoyed being a performer. The process of simply reading lines became a bore. I became fascinated with the whole business of mass communications and mass persuasion. This was where the challenge lay." [3]
He first was employed by the Young & Rubicam advertising agency. [19] An invitation to "administer a lift to the General Electric program" for Y & R led to "a permanent role with the agency as a television and radio executive." [4] In 1953, he was appointed a vice president in charge of programming in the agency's radio-television department. [20] He resigned from Y & R October 1, 1955, to become a vice president of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency. [21] Later, he became president and chief executive officer at the Thompson agency. [22]
In 1946, Seymour and Kathryn Murray shared narration on an eight-sided 78rpm album, Arthur Murray Teaches the Fox Trot. The instructional recordings were issued in conjunction with Arthur Murray's dance studios. [23]
Seymour was elected to one-year terms on the board of the New York City local of the American Federation of Radio Artists for 1948 [24] and 1949. [25]
Seymour served on two ad hoc committees appointed by two United States presidents. Under Lyndon Johnson, he was on a committee "to make recommendations for improvements in United States foreign trade." Under Richard Nixon, he was on a committee "to find ways to increase public awareness on personal health." [3]
Seymour was married to the former Louise Scharff. They had four children. [4]
Seymour died of a heart attack July 27, 1982, at his apartment in New York City. He was 68. [6] He was survived by his wife, a son, three daughters and 10 grandchildren. [3]