Tom Kennedy (television host)

Tom Kennedy
Tom Kennedy
	Tom Kennedy in the 1960s
Born	James Edward Narz[1]; February 26, 1927; Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	October 7, 2020 (aged 93); Oxnard, California, U.S.[2]
Occupation	Game show host
Years active	1958–1989, 2003
Notable credit(s)	You Don't Say! (1963–69, 1975); Name That Tune (1974–1981); Whew! (1979–1980); Password Plus (1980–1982); Body Language (1984–1986); The Price Is Right (1985–1986, nighttime); Wordplay (1986–1987)
Spouse(s)	Betty Gevedon (1952–2011; her death)
Children	4
Relatives	Jack Narz (brother)

James Edward Narz (February 26, 1927 – October 7, 2020), known professionally as Tom Kennedy, was an American television host best known for his work in game shows.[1] Game shows Kennedy hosted included Split Second, Name That Tune, and You Don't Say!

Early years

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Kennedy was the son of John Lawrence Narz Sr., and the younger brother of host Jack Narz (1922–2008), whose son, David, related about his uncle's name change that the brothers wanted to avoid the perceived conflict of having two announcers with the same last name promoting competing products. "After a lunch meeting with his agent," he said, "... he emerged as Tom Kennedy."[3]

Kennedy attended the University of Missouri and the University of Kentucky.[4]

Radio

While attending the University of Missouri, Kennedy worked at KFRU in Columbia, Missouri. While in Lexington, Kentucky, he worked at WKLX. After moving to Los Angeles, he worked for five years at KPOL and had a part-time job at KGIL.[4]

Shows

Kennedy's biggest hit series were You Don't Say! which aired on NBC from 1963 to 1969, and on ABC in 1975; Split Second (1972–75); Name That Tune (1974–81); and Password Plus, which he hosted from 1980 to 1982 following the illness (and later death) of original host Allen Ludden. His other hosting credits include The Big Game (1958), Dr. I.Q. (1958–59), It's Your Bet (1971–72), Break the Bank (1976), 50 Grand Slam (1976), To Say the Least (1977–78), Whew! (1979–80), Password Plus (1980–1982), Body Language (1984–86), a syndicated nighttime version of The Price Is Right (1985–86) and Wordplay (1986–87). He briefly hosted a talk show, The Real Tom Kennedy Show, in the early 1970s, and appeared as a guest panelist on To Tell the Truth, Hollywood Squares, Liar's Club and other game shows. As an actor, he made guest appearances on such shows as The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Cannon and Hardcastle and McCormick.

Retirement and death

Kennedy retired in 1989 after several game show pilots produced by his production company failed to sell. In 2003, he appeared on Hollywood Squares during "Game Show Week Part 2".

Kennedy died on October 7, 2020, at the age of 93. His cause of death is unknown,[5] though it was known that he "had been ill for several months".[6][7]

Awards

In July 2005, Kennedy and his brother Jack Narz, were co-recipients of the Game Show Congress' Bill Cullen Award for Lifetime Achievement.[8] Cullen was a brother-in-law to Narz and Kennedy.

References

Baber, David (2007). Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. McFarland & Co. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-7864-2926-4. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
Vogt, Dustin. "Louisville native, TV host Tom Kennedy dies at 93". www.wave3.com.
Leszczak, Bob (2015). From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records, 1950–2000. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 242–43. ISBN 978-1-4422-4274-6. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
Baber, David (14 June 2015). Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. McFarland. pp. 133–34. ISBN 978-1-4766-0480-0. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
Berman, Marc. "Game Show Host Tom Kennedy Dies At 93". Forbes. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
"'Name That Tune' Game Show Host Tom Kennedy Dead at 93". TMZ. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
"Tom Kennedy, Genial Journeyman of TV Game Shows, Dies at 93". The New York Times. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
"News From ME – Mark Evanier's blog". www.newsfromme.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.

External links

Tom Kennedy at IMDb

Media offices
Preceded by Jack Barry Clark Race	Host of You Don't Say! 1963–1969, 1975	Vacant Title next held by Clark Race Jim Peck
New show	Host of Split Second 1972–1975	Vacant Title next held by Monty Hall
Preceded by Dennis James	Host of Name That Tune 1974–1981	Vacant Title next held by Jim Lange
Preceded by Allen Ludden	Host of Password Plus 1980–1982	Vacant Title next held by Bert Convy as Host of Super Password
Vacant Title last held by Bobby Van as Host of Showoffs	Host of Body Language 1984–1986	Show cancelled
Preceded by Bob Barker	Host of The Price Is Right (syndicated edition) 1985–1986	Vacant Title next held by Doug Davidson as Host of The New Price Is Right

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[biography-1] Baber, David (2007). Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. McFarland & Co. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-7864-2926-4. Retrieved 12 February 2016.

[2] Vogt, Dustin. "Louisville native, TV host Tom Kennedy dies at 93". www.wave3.com.

[fssv-3] Leszczak, Bob (2015). From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records, 1950–2000. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 242–43. ISBN 978-1-4422-4274-6. Retrieved 14 December 2016.

[tgsh-4] Baber, David (14 June 2015). Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. McFarland. pp. 133–34. ISBN 978-1-4766-0480-0. Retrieved 14 December 2016.

[5] Berman, Marc. "Game Show Host Tom Kennedy Dies At 93". Forbes. Retrieved 11 October 2020.

[6] "'Name That Tune' Game Show Host Tom Kennedy Dead at 93". TMZ. Retrieved 12 October 2020.

[7] "Tom Kennedy, Genial Journeyman of TV Game Shows, Dies at 93". The New York Times. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.

[8] "News From ME – Mark Evanier's blog". www.newsfromme.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.