| Jack Clark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Jack Clark |
| Born: | November 25, 1925 |
| Died: | July 21, 1988 |
| Place of death: | Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation: | Host, Announcer |
| Years active: | 1951-1988 |
| Known for: | Hosting The Cross-Wits and Announcing Game Shows |
Jack Clark (born November 25, 1925, in St. Joseph, MO; died July 21, 1988, in Los Angeles, CA) was a game show host and announcer, best known for hosting The Cross-Wits and announcing on Wheel of Fortune. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated. During his time at UC Berkeley, he was a substitute announcer on AM radio station KROW.
In 1988, he was diagnosed with bone cancer. On July 21, 1988, Jack passed away at the age of 62. Pat Sajak eulogized Jack at the closing segment on the daytime version of Wheel, and at the beginning of the 1988-89 syndicated season of Wheel. Before his death, Jack requested that Charlie O'Donnell (the man whom he replaced in 1980) replace him. However, Charlie was unavailable at the time; M.G. Kelly announced until Charlie became available.
Shows Hosted[]
- Password (1960s, sub for Allen Ludden)
- To Tell the Truth (1963, sub for Bud Collyer)
- 100 Grand (1963)
- The Price is Right (1960s, sub for Bill Cullen)
- The Face is Familiar (1965 pilot)
- Split Second (1965 unsold pilot)
- Eye Guess (1966; sub for Bill Cullen, who played the game against wife Ann Cullen)
- Celebrity Doubletalk (1967 unsold pilot)
- The $10,000 Sweep (1972 unsold pilot)
- Split Second (1970s, rehearsal games)
- Dealer's Choice (1974-1975)
- Big Spenders (1975 unsold pilot)
- Mindreaders (1975 unsold pilot by Goodson-Todman, unrelated to their eventual series)
- 20 Questions (1975 unsold pilot)
- The Cross-Wits (1975-1980)
- Caught in the Act (1979 unsold pilot)
- Rhyme and Reason (1981 unsold pilot)
- Now You See It (1985 unsold pilots)
Shows Announced[]
- The Big Surprise (1955-1957)
- How Do You Rate? (1958)
- Top Dollar (1958-1959)
- Password (1960s)
- The Face is Familiar (1966)
- Eye Guess (1967-1969)
- You're Putting Me On (1969)
- Second Guessers (1969 unsold pilot; was also the on-location host)
- Monday Night Quarterback (1970 or 1971 unsold pilot)
- The Reel Game (1971)
- Split Second (1972-1975)
- The $10,000 Pyramid (1973, sub for Bob Clayton)
- TattleTales (1974-1975)
- 3 for the Money (1975)
- Second Chance (1977)
- The Love Experts (1978-1979)
- Mind Readers (1978 unsold pilot)
- Wheel of Fortune (1980-1988)
- Second Guess (1982 unsold pilot)
- The (New) $25,000 Pyramid (1982-1985)
- Twisters (1982 unsold pilot)
- Famous Last Words (1983 unsold pilot)
- Go (1983, sub for Johnny Gilbert)
- $50,000 a Minute (1985 unsold pilots)
- The $100,000 Pyramid (1985)
Pictures[]
Commemorative Speech on the death of Jack Clark[]
"Most of you know, I suppose, that there is a gap between the time we tape these shows, and the time we air them. So, we're about to tell you by the time you see this will have happened several weeks ago. For us as we're doing it, it is very new and very difficult for us to deal with, our dear friend, our announcer Jack Clark passed away. And, uh, Jack was with his show for a little over seven years, he brought a class and a professionalism, and a humor to his job that will be impossible to fully replace. Jack loved Wheel of Fortune, he loved the people to work on the show, he loved the people who watched the show, and we all loved him, and we will miss him. Good-bye, old friend." - Pat Sajak (on a closing segment from the daytime in August 1988)
"Well, as we have mentioned, this is, in fact, the first show of our new season. And, as many of you know during our Summer off, we suffered a great loss. We lost a dear friend. Our announcer, Jack Clark, passed away. And while the intervening time has kind of helped a little bit with that immediate jolt of grief and sorrow you feel, we're still saddened around here, but we're left with a lot of warm and wonderful memories of a great guy and a wonderful broadcaster who added so much to this show and was so instrumental in its success. So, while we miss Jack very much, we treasure and just love the fact that we had the chance to know him and to work with him. He was a very special man. We'll be right back. (audience applauds)" - Pat Sajak (after the second round, at the start of the 6th syndicated season in September 1988)