Education
Born in New York City, Wendell served in the United States Army Air Corps during World World War II and graduated from Fordham University with a degree in speech.
Born in New York City, Wendell served in the United States Army Air Corps during World World War II and graduated from Fordham University with a degree in speech.
He began his radio career in summer of 1947 at WHAM in Rochester, New New York He moved to WWJ Detroit where he worked in both radio and television Wendell returned to Manhattan in 1952 when he landed a job on the DuMont television network emceeing several shows before jumping to National Broadcasting Company in 1955. He was a regular on the 1955-1956 version of The Ernie Kovacs Show, serving as the show"s announcer, as well as a participant in sketches such as "Mr.
Question Manitoba" (a parody of The Answer Manitoba).
He also worked with Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Dave Garroway and other National Broadcasting Company personalities. He succeeded Johnny Olson as the announcer of the syndicated To Tell The Truth from 1972–1978, after Olson left New York City to assume the job on Columbia Broadcasting System"s game The New Price Is Right, based in Southern California.
Wendell was also announcer for several years on the Macy"s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In addition, during the years when the television networks didn"t broadcast 24 hours a day, Wendell anchored a five-minute summary of the day"s news—the last program National Broadcasting Company would air before local affiliates would sign off—on which he was heard but not seen as a network hand displayed still images or illustrations related to the brief news items.
His most notable stint on television was as the regular announcer for National Broadcasting Company"s Late Night with David Letterman, on which he appeared from 1982–1993, the entirety of the show"s National Broadcasting Company run.
He moved with Letterman to Columbia Broadcasting System in 1993, staying as announcer on the Late Show with David Letterman. He retired in mid-1995, with his last episode airing on August 18. Following a two-week hiatus, Alan Kalter succeeded him as announcer on September 4.
Before he announced for David Letterman"s Late Night he was announcer on Tom Snyder"s Tomorrow Show when Tom moved from Burbank, California to National Broadcasting Company in New New York
Letterman"s show replaced Snyder"s and kept Wendell as announcer. Wendell"s last major job was as the original voiceover announcer in Old Navy"s "fashion show" commercial campaign.
Wendell also appeared as a television announcer in the movie, Mr. Saturday Night, which starred Billy Crystal as comedian Buddy Young, Junior., a character Crystal originally created when he was a regular on Saturday Night Live.
He died of complications from cancer in 1999 in Boca Raton, Florida.