Nelson Case (February 3, 1910 – March 23, 1976) was an American radio and television announcer.[1]
Case was the son of Walter and Ethel Case. His father was a newspaperman, and his mother was a driving force in the Long Beach Community Players.[2] He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and first worked as an announcer on the school's radio station. One of his early ventures into entertainment came when "as a youngster in Long Beach, he sang and played the uke for a band called the Sunset Symphonic Six."[3]
Although Case was best known for being an announcer on popular radio and television programs (in 1953, he was "on radio 20 times a week, on TV three"[6]), a 1941 newspaper article noted that he "covered everything from news and special events to sports."[7] His assignments included "Miss America pageants ... Davis Cup tennis matches and presidential inaugurations."[8] One of his more unusual assignments came February 6, 1936, when he described a simulated air attack on New York City. With United States Army planes in the roles of bombers and defenders, Case flew in a plane to "describe the combat from the air. He [was] attached to the 'defense' squadron ..."[9]
Career
Early years
Case's career as a professional entertainer began when, at 15, he was a pianist at radio station KFON in Long Beach, California. At 16, he started an orchestra and performed with it over KFON. In 1927, he moved to KGER (also in Long Beach) as an announcer and singer.[10] He also worked at KFI,[11]KFWB,[12] and KGFJ[13] in Los Angeles. Even after taking a position at a network, Case had a weekly program "for his baritone solo work" on KGO in San Francisco.[14]
In 1931, Case was listed as "announcer and singer with the Pacific vagabonds" on an afternoon program on WJZ-NBC.[15]
In 1962, Case was one of six people forming Metroscope, a service that furnished recorded commentaries to local radio stations.[34]
Style
Case became was what he called "a soft sell announcer," using a natural, conversational delivery that he said was "the opposite of the shouting, hammering type."[35] Early in his career, he responded to a newspaper's questionnaire by writing, in part:
The days when a program was introduced by stentorian blasts from the announcer are over. Nowadays he tries to be pleasant, cordial and friendly with his chatter .. both in introducing musical numbers and in giving commercial announcements.[36]
A newspaper columnist wrote, "[H]e broadcasts a feeling of sincerity unlike anyone else and his personality is broadcast to the listener and viewer who gets a feeling, 'Now, there's a guy I can trust.'"[37]
Military
Case was active in the Civil Air Patrol, being promoted to Flight commander in 1942.[38] At one point he filled in for a sick colleague on a radio broadcast, hurried to Roosevelt Field to practice maneuvers with the CAP, then dashed back to the studio for a rehearsal and broadcast.[39]
In 1932, Case was elected president of a group of announcers "within the NBC headquarters in San Francisco."[42] A news brief noted, "Association officials say that they are not organized as a union but are merely grouped together to ask the network for a raise in salaries when they are given spot announcements to make."[42]
Later, in New York, organization became more official and Case became more involved. In 1947, he was elected to a one-year term on the board of directors of the American Federation of Radio Artists' New York local.[43] In 1948, he was elected president of the New York local[44] and a vice-president of AFRA at the national level.[45] For 1949, he was re-elected to the New York local board[46] and re-elected president of the local.[47]
Hobbies
Case enjoyed writing fiction and composing music.[5] He also was described as "a great record fan."[48] When he bought a high fidelity sound system, he bought 130 LP records to play on it.[48] He accumulated "such a tremendous collection of jazz records that record companies, compiling albums of old-time jazz, often do their research in his library."[49]
He was also a writer. In 1952, he wrote a book, History of the Brooklyn Dodgers.[50] In 1953, his article, "Can TV Commercials Be Improved?," was published in Academy Magazine.[51]
Case married Sarah Lee, a descendant of Robert E. Lee and Ethan Allen. They had a daughter, Virginia Lee, and a son, Nelson Jr.[52] They were divorced in 1947.[53] His second marriage, on September 5, 1947, was to Nondas Metcalfe, an actress and writer.[54] They moved to New Hope, Pennsylvania, in 1958 and still made their home there when he died.[55]
Death
Case died of a heart attack March 23, 1976, in Doylestown Hospital in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He was survived by his wife, his son, and his daughter.[55]
References
^"Nelson Case". Michener Art Museum. Archived from the original on September 3, 2004. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1952). The 1952 Radio Annual. Radio Daily Corp. P. 934.
^Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1955). The 1955 Radio and Television Yearbook. Radio Daily Corp. P. 1173.
^Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1957). The 1957 Radio Annual and Television Year Book. Radio Daily Corp. P. 1196.
^Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1958). The 1958 Radio Annual and Television Year Book. Radio Daily Corp. P. 1117.
^Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1959). The 1959 Radio Annual and Television Year Book. Radio Daily Corp. P. 1212.
^Alicoate, Charles A., Ed. (1960). The 1960 Radio Annual and Television Year Book. Radio Daily Corp. P. 1198
^Witte, Lawrence (May 14, 1954). "TV-Radio News Bits". The Evening Independent. The Evening Independent. p. 20. Retrieved April 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Sneak Preview". ctva.com. CTVA – The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
^ abKleiner, Dick (January 13, 1955). "The Marquee". The Morning Herald. The Morning Herald. p. 11. Retrieved April 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^Kleiner, Dick (January 20, 1956). "The Marquee". The Kingston Daily Freeman. The Kingston Daily Freeman. p. 5. Retrieved April 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
