| Bill Wendell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | William Joseph Wenzel Jr. |
| Born: | March 22, 1924 |
| Died: | April 14, 1999 (age 75) |
| Place of death: | Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Host, Announcer |
| Years active: | 1947-1996 |
| Known for: | Hosting the announcing the Late Show with David Letterman and To Tell the Truth |
William Joseph Wenzel Jr. (b. March 22, 1924 - d. April 14, 1999), known as Bill Wendell was an NBC television staff announcer for almost his entire professional career.
Personal Life[]
Wenzel was born in New York City. He served in the US Air Corps. in World War II and graduated from Fordham University with a degree in speech. He began announcing in 1947 at radio station WHAM in Rochester, New York. Then he went to WWJ in Detroit and finally came back to New York, taking roles at Dumont Television Network and NBC. He was also the announcer for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade for years and worked on The David Letterman Show. He retired in 1995 from the broadcasting business. On April 14, 1999, Wenzel died of complications from cancer.
Shows hosted[]
- Tic Tac Dough (1958-59 daytime)
- The Jan Murray Show (Charge Account) (sub)
- Word for Word (sub)
- Sale of the Century (1969 Pilot)
Shows announced[]
- Treasure Hunt (1956-1959)
- Win with a Winner
- Brains and Brawn (1958)
- Can Do
- The Jan Murray Show (Charge Account)
- Word for Word
- Let's Play Post Office
- Personality
- Sale of the Century (1969-1974)
- He Said She Said (sub)
- To Tell the Truth (1972-1977)
- The Couples Race (1973 unsold pilot for CBS)
- Write Your Own Ticket (1973 unsold pilot for NBC)
- Money Words (1974 unsold pilot for NBC)
- The Challengers (1974 unsold pilot for CBS)
- Smart Money (1975 unsold pilot for CBS)