Biography
Wendell Niles (December 29, 1904 – March 28, 1994) was a prominent announcer during the American golden age of radio. He worked on shows such as The Charlotte Greenwood Show, Hedda Hopper's Hollywood, The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, The Man Called X, The Bob Hope Show, The Burns & Allen Show, The Milton Berle Show, and The Chase and Sanborn Hour. On February 15, 1950, Niles starred in the radio pilot for The Adventures of the Scarlet Cloak alongside Gerald Mohr.
Niles began his entertainment career in the 1920s, touring with his own orchestra and performing with the Dorsey Brothers and Bix Beiderbecke.
In 1935, he relocated to Los Angeles, California, to work with George Burns and Gracie Allen.
Together with his brother Ken, he created one of the first radio dramas, which later evolved into Theatre of the Mind.
According to Los Angeles Magazine, the intersection of Hollywood and Vine gained fame when, in May 1936, Wendell Niles from radio station KFWB set up a microphone there for a man-on-the-street program. Gary Owens, an L.A. vocal legend, noted that Niles was a major radio announcer for Bob Hope and George Burns. Niles’s promotion of the corner as a symbol for Hollywood was adopted by newspaper writers and gossip columnists and inspired the 1945 feature film Hollywood and Vine. Although the radio show no longer exists, celebrities can still be viewed through the glass at the online entertainment network BiteSize TV, located in the W Hotel.
During World War II, Niles toured with Bob Hope and narrated a 1936 Academy Award-winning short film about tennis star Bill Tilden.
His film work includes a role in Knute Rockne, All American, starring Ronald Reagan.
Niles was the announcer for "America's Show Of Surprises" titled It Could Be You, as well as the Hatos-Hall production Your First Impression. He was also the original announcer for Let's Make a Deal during its 1963-1964 first season before being succeeded by Jay Stewart.
Wendell and his brother Ken Niles were the first siblings to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He passed away from cancer at his home in Toluca Lake at age 89.
