{{Other people|Bill Goodwin|William Goodwin (disambiguation)}} {{Short description|American radio announcer and actor (1910–1958)}} {{Use American English|date=June 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Bill Goodwin | image = Bill Goodwin 1951.JPG | caption = Goodwin in 1951 | imagesize = | birth_name = William Nettles Goodwin | birth_date = {{Birth date|1910|07|28}} | birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1958|05|09|1910|07|28}} | death_place = Palm Springs, California, U.S. | burial_place = Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California, U.S. | alma_mater = | television = | occupation = {{flatlist| * Radio announcer * Actor }} | years_active = 1941–1958 | height = | spouse = {{marriage|Philippa Hilber<br>|1938<!--Year omitted when marriage ends with death of the article subject per template instructions-->}} | children = 4 including Bill Goodwin | partner = | website = | relatives = }}
'''William Nettles Goodwin''' (July 28, 1910 – May 9, 1958),<ref name=PSCemDis>[http://www.pscemetery.com/pdfs/interments.pdf Palm Springs Cemetery District, "Interments of Interest"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926121359/http://www.pscemetery.com/pdfs/interments.pdf |date=September 26, 2018 }}, pscemetery.com; accessed June 20, 2017.</ref> was an American radio announcer and actor. He was for many years the announcer and a recurring character of the Burns and Allen radio program, and subsequently ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'' on television from 1950–1951. Upon his departure, he was replaced by Harry von Zell.
==Early years== A native of San Francisco, California,<ref name=ose>{{cite news|last1=Mann|first1=May|title=Going Hollywood|newspaper=The Ogden Standard-Examiner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2861406/the_ogden_standardexaminer|agency=The Ogden Standard-Examiner|date=August 27, 1942|page=13|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=July 22, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref> Goodwin attended the University of California.<ref name=erg>{{cite news|title=Radio Veteran Bill Goodwin Found Dead|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19580509&id=ps4TAAAAIBAJ&pg=5076,1556607&hl=en|accessdate=July 23, 2015|agency=Eugene Register-Guard|date=May 9, 1958}}</ref> He acted in stage productions on the West Coast before he began working in radio in 1930. His initial work on the air was at a station in Portland, Oregon. It was followed by stints at stations in Sacramento and Los Angeles.<ref name=lct/>
==Radio== Goodwin was known for frequently promoting the item sold by the sponsor of the show (Swan Soap or Maxwell House Coffee, among others, on radio; Carnation Evaporated Milk on television). He was effective on radio in doing "integrated commercials", the first announcer to do so<ref name=lct/> in which the advertisement was deftly woven into the show's storyline. In 1945, Goodwin was the "featured comedian" as a regular on ''The Frank Sinatra Show'' and ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Y&R Seeks Dana Andrews|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-Radio-Daily-IDX/RD-45/Radio-Daily-1945-Jan-Page-0079.pdf#search=%22sinatra%22|accessdate=July 22, 2015|agency=Radio Daily|date=January 12, 1945|page=5}}{{dead link|date=May 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In 1947, he had his own program,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ackerman|first1=Paul|title=Bill Goodwin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QAwEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Bill+Goodwin+Show%22&pg=PT10|accessdate=July 22, 2015|agency=Billboard|date=May 10, 1947|page=11}}</ref> ''The Bill Goodwin Show'', a situation comedy, also known as ''Leave It to Bill'', which ran from April 26 – December 13, 1947.<ref name="dunningota">{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=John |date=1998 |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&dq=%22The+Bill+Goodwin+Show,+situation+comedy%22&pg=PA89 |section=The Bill Goodwin Show |page=89 |accessdate=13 July 2017 }}</ref> He was the announcer for the ''Blondie'' radio program.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rathbun|first1=Joe|title=Joe's Radio Parade|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/18897416/?terms=%22Bill%2BGoodwin%22%2Bradio%2Bfamily|agency=The Times Recorder|date=October 6, 1940|page=8|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate = July 22, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref>
==Television== Goodwin was the host of television shows, including ''Colgate Theatre''<ref>{{cite news|title=Bill Goodwin, 47, Announcer on Radio, Dies|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1958/05/10/page/25/article/bill-goodwin-47-announcer-on-radio-dies|accessdate=22 July 2015|agency=Chicago Tribune|date=May 10, 1958}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Witte|first1=Lawrence|title=TV-Radio News Bits|newspaper=The Evening Independent |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2862249/the_evening_independent/|agency=The Evening Independent|date=June 29, 1955|page=15|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=July 22, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref> and ''Penny to a Million''.<ref name=lct>{{cite news|last1=Kleiner|first1=Dick|title=The Marquee|newspaper=The la Crosse Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2861234/the_la_crosse_tribune/|agency=The La Crosse Tribune|date=June 11, 1955|page=7|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=July 22, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref> His last job as announcer was for NBC Radio's ''The Bob Hope Show'' (1953–1955). Not long before his death, Goodwin appeared as Ed Weston in two episodes of the short-lived CBS sitcom, ''The Eve Arden Show''.{{cn|date=December 2015}}
==Film== {{unsourced|section|date=December 2015}} Goodwin acted in several movies, including ''The Stork Club'' (1945), ''The Jolson Story'' (1946), and ''Jolson Sings Again'' (1949). He played the role of Sherman Billingsley in ''The Stork Club'' (1945) and that of the hotel detective in Hitchcock's ''Spellbound'' (also 1945) and appeared with Doris Day in ''Tea for Two'' (1950) and ''It's a Great Feeling'' (1949). Goodwin's best film role was probably as a vain but impoverished stage actor in ''So This Is New York'' (1948). His last major role was as the narrator for the animated television cartoon ''Gerald McBoing-Boing''.
==Walk of Fame== Goodwin was inducted into the radio portion of the Hollywood Walk of Fame February 8, 1960. His star is at 6810 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bill Goodwin|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/bill-goodwin|website=Hollywood Walk of Fame|accessdate=July 22, 2015}}</ref>
==Family== Goodwin was married to actress Philippa Hilber; the couple had four children:<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wilk|first1=Ralph|title=Los Angeles|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-Radio-Daily-IDX/RD-45/Radio-Daily-1945-Feb-Page-0100.pdf#search=%22sinatra%22|accessdate=22 July 2015|agency=Radio Daily|date=February 18, 1945|page=4}}{{dead link|date=May 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Jill, Lynn, Sally, and Bill Jr.<ref name=erg/> His son is jazz drummer Bill Goodwin.
==Death== Goodwin was found dead in his car on May 9, 1958, at the age of 47 after a heart attack in Palm Springs, California.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bill Goodwin Dies of Heart Attack|url=http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19580509.2.6|agency=Desert Sun|date=May 9, 1958}}</ref> He is interred at the Desert Memorial Park<ref name=PSCemDis/> in Cathedral City, California.
==Partial filmography== {{Div col|colwidth=40em}} *''Let's Make Music'' (1941) as Announcer *''Blondie in Society'' (1941) as Announcer *''Blondie Goes to College'' (1942) as Announcer at Shell Race *''Wake Island'' (1942) as Sgt. Higbee / Narrator *''No Time for Love'' (1943) as Christley (uncredited) *''Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour'' (1943) as Steve Denning (uncredited) *''So Proudly We Hail!'' (1943) as Capt. O'Rourke (uncredited) *''Riding High'' (1943) as Chuck Steuart *''Bathing Beauty'' (1944) as Professor Willis Evans *''Incendiary Blonde'' (1945) as Tim Callahan *''River Gang'' (1945) as Mike *''Spellbound'' (1945) as House Detective of the Empire State Hotel *''The Stork Club'' (1945) as Sherman Billingsley *''To Each His Own'' (1946) as Mac Tilton *''House of Horrors'' (1946) as Police Lt. Larry Brooks *''Earl Carroll Sketchbook'' (1946) as Rick Castle *''The Jolson Story'' (1946) as Tom Baron *''Hit Parade of 1947'' (1947) as Rod Huntley *''Heaven Only Knows'' (1947) as Bill Plumber *''So This Is New York'' (1948) as Jimmy Ralston / Captain Shaw in Play *''Mickey'' (1948) as George R. Kelly *''The Life of Riley'' (1949) as Sidney Monahan *''It's a Great Feeling'' (1949) as Arthur Trent *''Jolson Sings Again'' (1949) as Tom Baron *''Tea for Two'' (1950) as William 'Moe' Early *''The First Time'' (1952) as Mel Gilbert *''Lucky Me'' (1954) as Otis Thayer *''The Atomic Kid'' (1954) as Dr. Rodell *''The Opposite Sex'' (1956) as Howard Fowler *''Bundle of Joy'' (1956) as Mr. Creely *''Going Steady'' (1958) as Gordon P. Turner *''The Big Beat'' (1958) as Joseph Randall {{div col end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography|Los Angeles|California|Radio|Film|Television}} *{{IMDb name}} *{{Find a Grave}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Bill}} Category:1910 births Category:1958 deaths Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:American male radio actors Category:Burials at Desert Memorial Park Category:20th-century American male actors