Biography
Randy West is an American radio and television personality, as well as an author and lecturer on broadcast history, best known for his association with television game shows. In addition to his on-air credits, he established the role of announcer and warm-up for FremantleMedia's The Price is Right-Live stage production for Bally's Las Vegas and Harrah's Atlantic City Showboat resort showrooms, as well as traveled with the national tour (2004-2016). He performed a similar role for Sony's Wheel of Fortune-Live which began touring in 2022.
Randy began his broadcast career with the encouragement and mentoring by first-generation television announcer Johnny Olson. The two first met in NBC's New York Studio 8H on the set of Mark Goodson-Bill Todman game show Snap Judgment in 1967, when Randy was 14. Over the subsequent years he continued to visit Johnny at the various studios where he worked, most frequently at the syndicated What's My Line? which taped at NBC's Studios 6A and 8H. Johnny shared his scripts and advice, also arranging with producer Dick DeBartolo for Randy to appear as a contestant on the show in 1970 when he was a college radio disc jockey.
Randy followed his mentor's encouragement to pursue his desire for a similar career announcing for television. He was directed to continue with his work in radio, which had progressed in 1972 to afternoons at WRNW, Mt Kisco, New York, He remained with the station through a format switch from top-40 to album oriented rock, and a move to nearby Briarcliff Manor. In 1974, Randy was fired and ultimately replaced by future shock jock Howard Stern. That year Randy advanced to WALL, Middletown, New York, then WHVW, Poughkeepsie in 1975, followed by WFIF, Milford, Connecticut in 1976 where he served as program director through 1979.
Randy later continued his radio career, advancing to production director at KMGG "Magic 106" in Los Angeles in 1984, after a brief detour into the record industry. In that pursuit, he was national promotion director for Wayne Newton's Aries II Records working under label president, well known 1960s-1970s radio personality Joey Reynolds. Additional record promotion work for artist manager Don Kelley's RPM was followed by a radio syndication sales position in 1981. Randy was named director of affiliate relations for Jim Hampton and Ken Draper's radio production company, Creative Factor. There, among the programs he sold was a weekly countdown show, 20:20 Musicworld, which was hosted by future employer, TV game show personality Wink Martindale.
Randy again established contact with Johnny Olson soon after his 1979 arrival in Los Angeles. Olson had moved west in 1972 to announce CBS' The New Price is Right. Further encouraged to pursue television announcing, Randy sought opportunities to be in that milieu by again appearing as a contestant. He competed on Face The Music, Hit Man (final champion) and All Star Blitz. After a three-day run as champion on episodes 9, 10 and 11 of Press Your Luck, Randy was retired from the show after exceeding CBS' maximum winnings threshold of $25,000.
Later competitions included Sweethearts in 1989, and a 1990 role as an imposter on episode five of the revived To Tell The Truth, on which his team stumped the panel. He was in the contestant pool backstage for appearances on both Card Sharks and Concentration, but never called to play on either. The experiences created opportunities for employment with some of the shows' producers that led to work on pilots, as both a contestant and announcer.
Randy's first ongoing work as a television announcer and audience warm-up personality came in 1988 for Group W, Westinghouse Broadcasting's daily syndicated Hour Magazine starring Gary Collins, which taped at KTLA/Sunset Bronson Studios' Stage 1. Subsequent programs included Group W's "The Chuck Woolery Show" on that lot's Stage 9 in 1991, then Wink Martindale and Bill Hillier's syndicated Why Didn't I Think of That which taped in 1992 at CBS' recently constructed Television City Studio 42 (later 56) which had been built specifically for Pat Sajak's short-lived late night talk show.
Wink and Bill brought Randy aboard for their innovative "interactive" game shows that featured play-along via telephone by home viewers. Trivia Pursuit Interactive and Trivial Pursuit Classic debuted on The Family Channel on June 7, 1993. Boggle, Jumble and Shuffle followed, the last of which ran until July of 1995. All were produced at Glendale Studios. Next, producer Woody Fraser teamed Randy with newcomer Ryan Seacrest to serve as announcer and host, respectively, for his 1995 Wild Animal Games for the Family Channel, which taped at that same lot. Randy also substituted for Gene Wood as announcer and warm-up for the company's companion show Family Challenge. Randy was featured on the last episode of that season, which turned out to be the final hour of television ever hosted by former Family Feud emcee Ray Combs before his death.
In 1999 and 2000, Randy served as announcer and warm-up for producer Phil Gurin's remake of an earlier Chuck Barris original, All New 3's a Crowd hosted by Alan Thicke, which taped at Raleigh Studios for Game Show Network. Randy followed Gurin and producing partner Fred Silverman to NBC where he performed warm-up in Bob Hope and Johnny Carson's former home, Studio 1, for two of the network's prime-time game shows. Twenty One was revived with great fanfare for 19 episodes in 2000 with host Maury Povich. The following April, taping began with Anne Robinson for the prime time network Weakest Link. With the show's success, several pilots were taped that August and September with different emcees for a syndicated run of the series. George Gray won the hosting duties for that half-hour version which started taping in November. Randy performed warm-up for the total of 258 episodes that were produced during 2001 and 2002 for the two runs.
Also in 1999, Randy was teamed with host Todd Newton for announcing and warm-up on Sony's Wheel of Fortune stage for 165 episodes of Hollywood Showdown for Game Show Network and PAX-TV. The series was created and produced by Sande Stewart, son of legendary game show pioneer Bob Stewart. Among Randy's other notable series was the California lottery show Big Spin for another second-generation producer, Mark Goodson's son Jonathan Goodson. Randy was occasionally featured on-camera between 2004 and 2008 during his announce and warm-up work on the weekly big money giveaway hosted by Pat Finn and Maiquel Alejo which taped at KCET.
In 2009 and 2010 Randy worked alongside Carnie Wilson for Game Show Network and Embassy Row's Newlywed Game. Notable during both of those seasons were returns by the series' original emcee, Bob Eubanks, to host special episodes. The latter one featured a competition between three "oldie-wed" couples beloved by television audiences - Monty and Marilyn Hall, Wink and Sandy Martindale along with Laurie Stewart and Peter Marshall. Wink and Sandy won the game.
It was during the 2003-2004 season of The Price is Right that Randy performed as the announcer and warm-up, subbing for his friend from their radio days, Rod Roddy. In 2001, during an emergency room visit for tests following a fall, Rod was diagnosed with an advanced case of colon cancer that had begun to metastasize. Randy was tapped by producer Roger Dobkowitz in early 2003 to be among the announcers covering as Rod's health declined. As production for the season was wrapping in 2004, there were several in competition to succeed Rod permanently. FremantleMedia presented Randy the opportunity to continue his association with the show by performing the same role in The Price is Right-Live stage show that was about to launch.
Randy was back at Television City again in March, 2005, in Studio 36, to provide the voice of Mr. Game Show on five Game Show Moments Gone Bananas specials starring Ben Stein produced by FremantleMedia for VH1. That November, in the adjacent Studio 46, he lent his talents to the first two premiere episodes of NBC's Deal or No Deal starring Howie Mandel. The following April he returned to Studio 46 to work FremantleMedia's Game Show Marathon for CBS. Starting in 2016 and continuing through 2022, Randy voiced numerous challenges for head of household and veto competitions on CBS' Big Brother that were played at CBS' Radford facility. One, the "Weather Challenge" that was re-staged for a subsequent Celebrity Big Brother episode won an American Reality TV Award.
Game show pilots on which Randy appeared as a contestant include Hot Numbers and On a Roll. He later announced pilots that included Card Sharks (2000), Divorce Court (1998), Now or Never (original pilot for Fear Factor), Sweethearts, Ransacked, That's The Spirit, Hit The Deck, The Lovely Carol, Perfect Match, Call-in Café. Shoot for Love, Slingo, What The Blank, Starface and American Bible Challenge.
Throughout his career Randy has lent his voice to countless commercials, infomercials and awards shows. The latter includes 10 consecutive annual Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and the network's annual Big Help marathons, as well as numerous annual Daytime Emmy Awards programs for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Randy narrated the Court TV series Hollywood and Crime, and contributed comedy bits to both ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live and MTV's The Andy Dick Show.
During the 1990s, Randy was featured in small roles on sitcoms including Universal's The Munsters Today and What a Dummy, as well as Disney's Smart Guy, NBC's Hang Time and Showtime's It's Garry Shandling's Show. He substituted as announcer and/or warm-up on Game Show Network's Russian Roulette, Group W's Couch Potatoes and Richard Kline/Worldvision's Pictionary.
Randy voiced numerous NATPE presentations, sales demos and "sizzle" reels for programs including Hollywood Squares. $100,000 Pyramid, Family Feud, VIP and other series, most produced by Hollywood promotion firm Another Large Production. Among other projects, in the realm of gaming, Randy has voiced several video games for FremantleMedia's The Price is Right and Hole in the Wall.
Randy was on stage in thousands of performances of The Price is Right-Live over the course of his dozen years in the long-running traveling stage presentation. He also helped inaugurate Sony's touring Wheel of Fortune-Live in 2022. Additionally, Randy co-hosts casino showroom game events for Game Show America. During 2022 the company's Game Show Extravaganza was performed in Milwaukee and Atlanta.
After his mentor, Johnny Olson's death in 1985, and his widow Penny's retirement to a nursing home in 1999, the surviving family sought out Randy based on the letters Johnny had kept from their correspondence over the years. Upon closing the Olson house in West Virginia, they were looking for a respectful home for the keepsakes, memorabilia and ephemera that the broadcaster had saved from his 58 year career.
Among those items Randy found an outline and two sample chapters from a long-planned but unwritten autobiography. In the years that followed, Randy completed the book Johnny had intended to write about the history of broadcasting as he had lived it. Johnny Olson: A Voice in Time was published in 2009 by BearManor Media. In 2022 the publisher released Randy's latest work, a 500 page compendium of little-known outrageous stories from behind the scenes titled TV Inside-Out: Flukes, Flakes, Feuds and Felonies. He describes it as a collection of "the backstage blunders, bloopers and blasphemy of celebrities in search of success."
With a move to Burbank, California in 2018, Randy re-dedicated himself to service to his industry, joining the Television Academy's Performers peer group and taking a position on the Board of Directors of Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters and Hollywood Media Professionals. He earned the credentials for teaching at California post-secondary schools, and has taught various broadcasting classes at The LAB - Los Angeles Broadcasting. He periodically speaks to college and high school classes as well as at community groups.
As The National Archives of Game Show History was being established in 2022 at The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, Randy took an early role in supporting the effort. He donated props and set pieces, including the electronic flip-disc "Fast Money" display from the original ABC series Family Feud, as well as shared his experiences in an extensive multi-hour interview for the archives' oral history.
Randy West's father, Harold, was an inspector for the New York Fire Department with responsibility for public assembly venues in Manhattan's theater district, which included midtown's Broadway theaters and television facilities. He regularly inspected the various studios in NBC's Rockefeller Plaza facility as well as CBS' converted theaters which included Studio 50 (later The Ed Sullivan Theater) and Studio 52 (later the Studio 54 disco) for compliance with fire codes. He was responsible for attending rehearsals of the Sullivan show to approve the safety measures and to issue permits during the weeks that the program included variety acts and jugglers that featured open flames or operated gas-powered motor vehicles. In later life, Harold turned pro with his avocation, golf, and taught the game at Manhattan's Galvano Golf Academy. He also served as the golf pro aboard the various cruise ships operated by the Italian Line.
Randy's mother, Roselyn, was a high school math teacher for the New York Board of Education. While in her 20s during World War II, she served as a physicist for the U.S. Army at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey working on classified projects for the war effort. They included developing the technology for field artillery locators that used sound waves to locate the precise direction from which enemy firing was detected.
