
Arthur Godfrey
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1903-08-31
Day of Death
1983-03-16 (79 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Arthur Godfrey
Biography
Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, "The Old Redhead". No television personality of the 1950s enjoyed more clout or fame than Godfrey until an on-camera incident undermined his folksy image and triggered a gradual decline; the then-ubiquitous Godfrey helmed two CBS-TV weekly series and a daily 90-minute television mid-morning show through most of the decade but by the early 1960s found himself reduced to hosting an occasional TV special.
Arguably the most prominent of the medium's early master commercial pitchmen, he was strongly identified with many of his many sponsors, especially Chesterfield cigarettes and Lipton Tea. After many years for Chesterfield (during which Godfrey came up with the idea and slogan "Buy 'em by the carton"), he severed the relationship during one of his television programs, when his doctors convinced him that his lung cancer was due to smoking. Subsequently, he became a prominent spokesman for anti-smoking education.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Arthur Godfrey, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Acting
(2011)
The World of Amateur Radio
as Self
(2003)
(1979)
Flatbed Annie & Sweetie Pie: Lady Truckers
as Uncle Wally
(1979)
Angels' Brigade
as Himself
(1978)
The Great Bank Hoax
as Maj. Bryer (Ret.)
(1977)
MacArthur
as Self (archive sound) (uncredited)
(1977)
Citizens Band
as Himself (voice)
(1975)
(1968)
The Movie Orgy
as Self (archive footage)
(1968)
Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows
as The Bishop: The 'In' Group
(1966)
The Glass Bottom Boat
as Axel Nordstrom
(1966)
The Ham's Wide World
as Narrator (voice)
(1966)
Catalina Island
as Self/Narrator
(1963)
4 for Texas
as Mr. Godfrey (uncredited)
(1953)
Flying with Arthur Godfrey
as Self
(1950)
Fifty Years Before Your Eyes
as Narrator