Jeopardy's Johnny Gilbert

This is Jeopardy!" If you watch the TV show, you know the signature opening to the show. That robust voice belongs to veteran announcer Johnny Gilbert. To the casual viewer, this is all you see (or hear) from Gilbert. After all, he's simply an announcer for a game show - he talks for 30 seconds and he gets to go home! Here's what you may not know about Johnny Gilbert. He's 85 years old! I mention this because his voice is much younger. He started his professional career as a singer. He has a couple of albums available on his web site, www.johnnygilbert.tv. After years of working in nightclubs as a singer/comedian, he discovered TV - TV game shows. He hosted several and announced for several more including the original "Price Is Right" with Bill Cullen when it moved to ABC. He also had a daytime TV talk show in Dayton Ohio. He was replaced by a young Phil Donahue who changed the format of the show and made a lot of money. He's younger than Gilbert...and he's not working.

Part of Johnny Gilbert's appeal as a game show announcer is that prior to the show's taping, he would "warm up" the audience.

If you have any idea of what I am talking about, I encourage you to visit Johnny Gilbert's web site and if you know of a Jeopardy fan who is hard to shop for, pick up a couple of his albums!

The world of TV could use a lot more Johnny Gilberts, unfortunately, there's only one!