Steve Allen, Eddy Arnold and Joe E. Brown served as substitute hosts/performers on "Talent Scouts" (1948) and on "Arthur Godfrey and His Friends" (1949).
After years of being a popular radio personality in Washington, DC, Godfrey tried to get the top execs at CBS Radio to air his radio show on the full network. They turned him down, claiming that he was strictly a local host. However, on April 12, 1945, the network needed someone to serve as commentator for the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Godfrey was assigned to host the sad event. His remarks were so sincere and heartfelt that CBS finally gave him a nationally broadcast talk/variety series.
At his TV peak in 1953, he starred in three different television shows simultaneously -- "Arthur Godfrey and His Friends" (1949), "Talent Scouts" (1948), and "Arthur Godfrey Time".
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 323-325. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
Grandfather of DC Housewife, Mary Schmidt Amons.
He made his radio debut in the mid-'20s on a radio talent show as a banjo player and singer. He later hosted his own musical/variety program, "Red Godfrey The Warbling Banjoist & His Uklelee Club.
He once remarked on his television show that, when told they had booked Tommy Leonetti, he thought that it was a trio called "Tommy, Lee and Eddie.".
He was a close friend of narrator Peter Thomas.
He was awarded 3 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard; for Recording at 6616 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Television at 1559 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.
He was known for finding and grooming young, undiscovered talent. But he insisted on loyalty and absolute control over their careers. One of his bigger finds, singer Julius LaRosa, was unceremoniously fired by a very gracious-sounding Godfrey ON THE AIR simply because the up-and-comer found himself an agent. Godfrey's popularity soon declined after the incident -- his "nice guy" public image irreparably damaged.
He was rated as a Naval Aviator in 1950 (his previous attempts to serve during the war were thwarted by a leg injury). He was certified to fly virtually every type of aircraft in existence during his lifetime (rotor, jet, multiple engine, helicopter, holding FAA type ratings from the DC-3 to the Constellation) and was an honorary pilot for Eastern Airlines. He appeared in a 1953 Eastern Airlines film with famed pilot Dick Merrill at the helm of a Constellation. His friend Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker gave him a customized DC-3 in 1947, which he more than returned in kind through plugs for the airline along with his endorsements about flying safety to his millions of flying-wary listeners during the 1940s.
Inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2001.
Is portrayed by Bruce Kirby in Sweet Dreams (1985).
Was an avid amateur (ham) radio operator with the call sign K4LIB. This call is now owned by the Arthur Godfrey Fan Club, which runs an annual ham event in honour of his memory.
Was thought to have been at least the partial inspiration for the character of Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes in Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd (1957). The character of Rhodes was that of a popular TV personality whose folksy image covered up the fact that he was a vicious, manipulative bully privately.