Jean Paul King

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Jean Paul King (December 1, 1904 – 1965[1]) was an American announcer and actor.

Early years[edit]

Born in North Bend, Nebraska, on December 1, 1904,[2] King was the son of Mr. and Mrs. E. B. King.[3] After growing up in Tacoma, Washington, he attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, for two years[2] before transferring to the University of Washington,[3] from which he graduated[4] in 1926.[2] At UW, he was active in the University Players,[3] glee club, and sports.[2] He was a member of the United States Navy Air Corps during World War II.[4]

Career[edit]

King began acting with a stock theater company while he was a college student and went on to other theatrical productions until he became active in radio.[2] Troupes with which he worked included the Henry Duffy players in Oakland.[5]

Radio[edit]

King was promoted from announcer on a radio drama in San Francisco to be the head announcer for NBC's West Coast network. From that position he went to work at KGW in Portland, KHQ in Spokane, and WLW in Cincinnati. He next became an NBC announcer in Chicago in August 1930.[2]

On network radio, King was the leading man on Romance, Inc.[6] and was the master of ceremonies for Saturday Night Party. Programs for which he was the announcer included Ziegfeld Follies of the Air,[7] The Lanny Ross Show,[8] Palmolive Beauty Box Theater,[9]: 532  Myrt and Marge,[9]: 474  Clara, Lu, and Em,[9] The Shadow,[10] Gang Busters, John's Other Wife, The Lamplighter, and The Voice of Experience.[2]

King was named program director of radio station KDYL in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 11, 1950. He also had a daily 30-minute program on that station.[4]

Other professional activities[edit]

King was the narrator of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer newsreels for two years.[11] He also narrated the Vitaphone films Mechanix Illustrated (no. 2) (1938)[12]: 167  and Northern Lights (1936)[12] and some Warner Bros. travelogues, beginning with Sweden (1936).[13] He appeared on television in the episodes "Up Jumped the Devil" on The Dick Powell Show,[14] "Who Killed April?" on Burke's Law (1964).[15]

King was director of public relations for the Buckley-King company in Tacoma,[11] and he was a writer who contributed articles to Radio Digest and other magazines.[16]

Personal life[edit]

On November 22, 1928, King married radio writer Mary Cogswell. They had a son.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "As The Years Slither By". Miami Herald. November 22, 1965. p. 123. Retrieved June 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Former Miam Student Gets Newsreel Job". Portsmouth Daily Times. November 22, 1936. p. 9. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Jean Paul King to Have Lead in University Play". The Tacoma News Tribune. August 2, 1926. p. 6. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "KDYL Names Jean Paul King New Director of Programs". The Salt Lake Tribune. February 12, 1950. p. 15. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Jean Paul King to Be Promotion Manager for Crosley Radio Concern". Spokane Chronicle. December 4, 1929. p. 11. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Air Briefs" (PDF). Billboard. September 26, 1936. p. 10. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "Program Reviews: 'Ziegfeld Follies of the Air'" (PDF). Billboard. March 7, 1936. p. 9. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Cox, Jim (10 January 2014). Musicmakers of Network Radio: 24 Entertainers, 1926-1962. McFarland. p. 269. ISBN 978-0-7864-8962-6. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-19-977078-6. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2015). Radio Program Openings and Closings, 1931-1972. McFarland. p. 211. ISBN 978-1-4766-1223-2. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Jean Paul King M. C. For Sunset Symphonies". The News Tribune. Washington, Tacoma. July 27, 1941. p. 15. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b Liebman, Roy (2015). Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. McFarland. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-4766-0936-2. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "Behind the Microphone" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 1, 1936. p. 44. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  14. ^ "The Dick Powell Show" (PDF). Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 27, 1961. p. 48-B. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Lentz, Robert J. (2014). Gloria Grahame, Bad Girl of Film Noir: The Complete Career. McFarland. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-7864-8722-6. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Coming and Going". Radio Digest. May 1931. p. 4. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Married and a Father, Jean Paul King Holds A Feminine Interest". Radio Wave. Oklahoma, Tulsa. March 10, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.