Ernest Chappell

Ernest E. Chappell (June 10, 1903 - July 4, 1983)[1] was an American radio announcer and actor, best remembered for his featured role in the late 1940s radio program Quiet, Please. The show ran from 1947 to 1949, and Quiet, Please was Chappell's major acting credit. His signature line was: "And so, until next week at this same time, I am quietly yours, Ernest Chappell."

Ernest Chappell
Born
Ernest E. Chappell

June 10, 1903
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 4, 1983, age 80
North Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSyracuse University
OccupationAnnouncer, actor

Early years

Chappell graduated from Syracuse University in 1925, planning to be a singer.[2]

Early professional work

Before he began his career on radio, Chappell was "a concert baritone, a song-and-dance man in musical comedy, a lecturer and a stock company actor."[3]

Radio

On February 10, 1925, Chappell was the announcer, as well as the director of the first radio station in Syracuse, New York, WFBL (which stood for First Broadcast License). He worked in Syracuse 1925-1927 and went to Rochester, New York, in 1928 to work at WHAM.[4] On Monday, November 9, 1925, Chappell began writing for the Syracuse Herald. His column, "Riding the Waves With Chap", included promotion for the broadcasting industry and the local station.

In the 1930s, Chappell was master of ceremonies for Phil Spitalny's radio program.[5] For several years on each program, Chappell also served as the announcer for The Campbell Playhouse (the sponsored continuation of The Mercury Theatre on the Air) and for The Adventures of Ellery Queen.[6]

Television

Chappell was also "the voice of Pall Mall" in American Tobacco's television cigarette commercials from the mid-1950s into the mid-'60s. His famous tag line: "Buy Pall Mall famous cigarettes...'OUTSTANDING! and they are mild!'".

Recording

In 1941, Chappell narrated A Christmas Carol on an RCA Victor album containing four 12-inch records.[7]

References
  1. DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 53.
  2. Cox, Jim (2007). Radio Speakers: Narrators, News Junkies, Sports Jockeys, Tattletales, Tipsters, Toastmasters and Coffee Klatch Couples Who Verbalized the Jargon of the Aural Ether from the 1920s to the 1980s--A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6086-1. P. 58.
  3. "(untitled brief)". Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. The Evening News. April 22, 1939. p. 12. Retrieved January 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 125.
  5. "Around the Radio Clock". Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre. The Wilkes-Barre Record. May 18, 1934. p. 28. Retrieved January 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press; ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. pp. 8-9.
  7. "Toscanini Reconsiders Retirement, Takes Up Baton for Another Season". Tennessee, Kingsport. Kingsport Times. November 2, 1941. p. 19. Retrieved January 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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