Harry von Zell

Portly, pudding-faced, wavy dark-haired actor/announcer Harry Von Zell, whose well-modulated voice was a standard radio fixture during the 1930s and '40s, also extended his talents toward film and TV where he appeared in numerous comedy outings, often as a straight man foil. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 11, 1906, he attended UCLA and first started on the air waves in 1927 with KMIC as both announcer and singer, eventually moving into national radio, announcing for Bing Crosby among others. Known for his quick and clever ad-libbing, he nevertheless got quite a bit of ribbing and won an honorary award in the Immortal National Hall of Bloopers Fame for referring to President Herbert Hoover once as "Hoobert Heever." Von Zell decorated a number of films, owning a few prime buttoned-down support parts in both comedy--including The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945), For Heaven's Sake (1950) and Son of Paleface (1952)--and dramas, such as The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947) and The Sa