That's my pal Randy West on the left. Randy is a professional announcer and warm-up wizard specializing in game shows. He recently lent his talents to the new Newlywed Game for episodes yet to air, then returned to his regular gig in Las Vegas. There, he announces for the live version of The Price is Right (the one I wrote about here) and follows in the footsteps of the King of Game Show Announcers, the late Johnny Olson.
Somehow, Randy also found the time to write a book about his friend and idol — Johnny Olson, A Voice in Time. It's the story of a pioneer of early television. Johnny did zillions of hours of shows, good and bad, sometimes hosting but usually announcing. He was so facile at audience warm-ups that Jackie Gleason insisted on having his every show preceded by a Johnny Olson warm-up. That was relatively simple when Mr. Gleason did his shows from New York since that was where Johnny was then based. But then Gleason relocated to Miami Beach, Florida…and the show paid to fly Olson down each week to do the honors.
I've yet to read Randy's book on Johnny but he's an expert on the topic with a good understanding of how the job goes, so I'm eager to get a copy. If you're similarly eager, Randy's selling them over on this page of his website. You can also order your copy from the publisher or from Amazon. I get a little commission if you order from Amazon but if you order from Randy, you can get your copy autographed by him. Randy's site accepts PayPal or Plinko chips.