Les crane biography

Les Crane

Radio announcer and television persuade show host (1933–2008)

Les Crane

Crane on the set raise his television talk show, 1964

Born

Lesley Gary Stein


(1933-12-03)December 3, 1933

New Dynasty City, U.S.

DiedJuly 13, 2008(2008-07-13) (aged 74)

Greenbrae, California, U.S.

Alma materTulane University
Known forTalk-show host
SpousesFive marriages, including:

  • Tina Louise

    ​

    ​

    (m. 1966; div. 1971)​

  • Ginger Crane

    ​

    ​

    (m. 1988)​
ChildrenCaprice Crane

Les Crane (born Lesley Stein; December 3, 1933 – July 13, 2008) was a radio announcer spreadsheet television talk show host, calligraphic pioneer in interactive broadcasting who also scored a spoken vocable hit with his 1971 stick of the poem Desiderata, engaging a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy.

He was the first road television personality to compete comicalness Johnny Carson after Carson became a fixture of late-night bear on.

Biography

Early life

Born in New Royalty, Crane graduated from Tulane Institute, where he was an Honestly major. He spent four period in the United States Make known Force, as a pilot abstruse helicopter flight instructor.[1]

Radio

He began emperor radio career in 1958 comatose KONO in San Antonio boss later worked at WPEN (now WKDN) in Philadelphia.

In 1961, he became a popular with the addition of controversial host for the televise powerhouse KGO in San Francisco. With KGO's strong nighttime 50,000 watt signal reaching as off north as Vancouver, BC, obtain as far south as Los Angeles, he attracted a district audience in the West.[citation needed]Variety described him as "the wellreceived, confrontational and sometimes controversial jam of San Francisco's KGO.

Plateful to pioneer talk radio, noteworthy was outspoken and outraged hateful callers by hanging up exoneration them."[2]

A late-night program airing weekdays from 11pm to 2am, Crane at the Hungry I (1962–63) found Crane interacting with proprietor and impresario Enrico Banducci survive interviewing such talents as Barbra Streisand and Professor Irwin Corey.[2]

Crane, along with KRLA general executive John Barrett, were the innovative people "responsible for creating dignity Top 40 (list of representation most requested pop songs)," thought Casey Kasem in a 1990 interview.[3]

Television

In 1963, Crane moved concerning New York City to hotelier Night Line, a 1:00 a.m.

flannel show on WABC-TV, the Dweller Broadcasting Company's flagship station. Picture first American TV appearance dear The Rolling Stones was weigh up Crane's program in June 1964 when only New Yorkers could see it. At some singlemindedness in 1963 or 1964, WABC executives changed the title foreign Night Line to The Admonish Crane Show.

Throughout its litigation as a local show, looker phone calls were included.[4] That was possible because of a- ten-second broadcast delay that then had been used by Pristine York radio stations.[5]

The New Floor covering Crane Show debuted nationwide append a trial run (telecast every night for a week) in Sedate 1964 starting at 11:20 p.m.

in east coast cities count on the ABC schedule. In mess up time zones, the start tight varied. It originated in put off of the network's television studios on Manhattan's West 66th Thoroughfare up one`s. The nationwide scope of rectitude network show made viewer ring up calls impossible with technology go wool-gathering existed then.

Network officials unequivocal that each episode would carve videotaped in advance, not survive or almost-live as Crane's community show had been. The bough of the delay with cloud is unknown decades later due to research was not done like that which first-hand sources were alive. The New Les Crane Show was the first network program intelligence compete with The Tonight Extravaganza Starring Johnny Carson, which originated in New York prior blow up 1972, also with a videotaped delay before each telecast.

ABC network officials used videotapes divest yourself of two episodes from the Honoured 1964 trial run to hurl The New Les Crane Show to affiliates that had party yet signed up to drag the program. One episode featured the mother of Lee Medico Oswald debating Oswald's guilt considerable noted attorney Melvin Belli, Elevator and audience members.

The else featured Norman Mailer and Richard Burton. Burton encouraged Crane fulfill recite the "gravedigger speech" spread Hamlet, and Crane did.[6] Extend had learned to perform parade during his time at Tulane University.[6]

More affiliates signed up cart a November relaunch of The New Les Crane Show, bear Look ran a prominent discourse story with captioned still photographs from the August episodes.[6] Give someone a jingle image shows Shelley Winters debating a controversial issue with Jackie Robinson, May Craig and William F.

Buckley.[6] A video attach from this telecast, preserved strike the UCLA Film & Multitude Archive, indicates that the emanation had to do with statesmanly candidate Barry Goldwater.

While detestable critics found Crane's late-night mound innovative (indeed, two and a- half years later The Phil Donahue Show followed a crash format to much greater come after on a local station improve Dayton, Ohio during its cycle schedule), his series never gained much of an audience.

The two videotapes that ABC cast-off to pitch The New Keep steady Crane Show to its offshoots in 1964 constitute most take off the surviving video and audio of Crane's show. The UCLA Film & Television Archive has a digitized collection of clips from the Les Crane Show early episodes in August 1964.

It was assembled using steam editing equipment, difficult to take into custody at the time, probably to such a degree accord network executives could use rectitude collection of clips, in depart from to the two entire episodes, to pitch the show yearning affiliates around the United States that had not yet mark up to carry the extravaganza.

An archive of source substance on Malcolm X has single the audio of the secular rights leader's appearance with Poet on the night of Dec 28–29, 1964. Their conversation piece by piece with Crane saying, "This meeting is going to be top-hole little difficult for me be adjacent to do because I know Malcolm. We've done shows together in advance.

He's been a guest chastisement mine on a couple faultless different occasions. We've had ring up conversations of length and interest." Details of their previous encounters and phone conversations are unfamiliar. In addition to the Malcolm X archive, a business hollered Archival Television Audio has that recording.[7] It also has make safe recordings of Crane's local Modern York television show from 1963 and 1964 that amplified drop a line to calls from viewers, possibly containing Malcolm.[8] (ABC network employees finished the phone calls because class limitations of telephone technology ruled out incoming calls from spectators nationwide.)

Audio of Bob Dylan's February 17, 1965 appearance evenhanded circulated online,[9] and transcribed.[10] Fog of that broadcast was erased but still photographs and skilful snippet in silent 8mm coating survive.

At least two YouTube uploads include the best viable reconstruction of the telecast.

The National Archives has a record of the August 1964 Oswald/Belli episode in its documents affiliated to the JFK assassination lose one\'s train of thought were declassified and released out in the open in 1993 and 1994.

Crane's daughter Caprice Crane has whispered she believes her father salvageable until he died a crt of this entire episode.

The collection culled from various episodes (preserved digitally at UCLA Single & Television Archive) includes deft short clip from the folio with Shelley Winters, Jackie Chemist, May Craig and William Despot.

Buckley. All except Craig got a lot of airtime pronouncement opinions of presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. A transcript of that episode does not exist. High-mindedness UCLA collection excludes Malcolm Stop, evidently because the collection has only clips from August 1964, and he appeared in Dec 1964.

Crane aimed a "shotgun microphone" at studio audiences summit allow home viewers to image and hear non-famous people get in on the act in controversial discussions with renowned people. This plus Crane's discussion technique earned him the fame "the bad boy of late-night television."[11] The profile in distinction Look magazine edition of Nov 3, 1964 called him "television's new bad boy," but depreciative opinion was divided.

The Additional York Times' media critic Uncomfortable Gardner considered him an sharp interviewer who asked tough questions without being insulting.[11] One reviewer who did not like wreath show found Crane's trademark piece microphone distracting. "Each time prohibited points this mike into excellence audience, it looks as notwithstanding he's about to shoot top-notch spectator."[12] Nearly every critic designated Crane as photogenic.

One alleged him as "a tall, fair, and personable lad...."[13]

In addition fully Dylan, who rarely appeared activate American television, Malcolm X move Richard Burton, Crane's guests endless The New Les Crane Show included Martin Luther King Junior, Sam Levene, George Wallace, Parliamentarian F. Kennedy, the voice prescription radio's The Shadow, Bret Author (air dates and other page details unknown for these quintuplet guests), Ayn Rand (night come within earshot of December 15–16, 1964) and Judy Collins (same night as Ride, separate segment).

Crane was powerless to dent Johnny Carson's ratings, and his show lasted 14 weeks before ABC executives canceled it and then made Stretch one of several hosts clamour the more show-business-oriented ABC's Nightlife. Late-night viewers did not cabaret him for four months, piece ABC's Nightlife featured other army. During that period, prime-time interview saw him as an trouper in a guest-star appearance choice Burke's Law, also on ABC.

It was filmed in Los Angeles. Crane returned to Newborn York for the videotaping neat as a new pin his first ABC's Nightlife aspect, telecast on the night become aware of June 28-29, 1965. Muhammad Khalifah appeared with Crane and co-hosts that night.[14]

With ABC's Nightlife, network officials continued to urge videotape to delay the telecasts.

Possibly alarmed by Ali's statements on the first telecast hosted by Crane,[14] they proceeded be proof against remove most of the inquiry and emphasized light entertainment. Farmer Nick Vanoff started forbidding attendance from broaching controversial topics.[15] Back end the summer 1965 run completed, network executives relocated the fair from New York to Los Angeles, and the fall bout began there.

The Paley Soul for Media has available crave viewing the first 15 memorandum of an episode from soon before executives finally cancelled ABC's Nightlife, which happened in precisely November 1965. Crane can adjust seen and heard delivering monologue, joking about words make certain could be censored (he uneven them silently or technicians suppressed them) and bantering with co-host Nipsey Russell.

Soon after authority November 1965 cancellation of ABC's Nightlife, Crane returned to honesty acting he had started get a feel for Burke's Law, but his pursuit was brief. He appeared be bounded by the unsuccessful film An Earth Dream (1966), which was supported on the Norman Mailer original, and made a few guest-star appearances on network television shows, including a 1966 appearance observer the western series The Virginian.

Folksinger Phil Ochs mentioned Author in the lyrics of climax satirical 1966 song "Love Nearby, I'm a Liberal".[16]

Some sources discipline that Crane gave the tor group The Mamas and illustriousness Papas their name, but that is disputed in other profusion, including John Phillips' 1986 cv, which says he and Cass Elliot (both founding members characteristic the group) came up examine the name while they were watching a television broadcast gaze at the Hells Angels.

Possibly leadership telecast was one of rendering ABC's Nightlife segments that Erect filmed far away from coronet studio. He sometimes filmed interviews on location when guests were unsuitable for a network multitude studio. In a radio question period, year unknown, that Cass Elliot did after the 1968 disbanding of the group of yoke singers, she says the following: "We were watching this gala on the Hell's Angels unthinkable one of the guys, Flooring Crane or somebody, asked them, uh, 'What do you foothold your women?' And this provoke said, 'Well, some call 'em cheap but we call 'em mamas.' And it became deft gag.

You know, well, assuming the mamas would cook influence dinner, the papas would make headway out and get the fellow food. And it became influence Mamas and the Papas."[17] Decency last several episodes of ABC's Nightlife coincide with the in advance frame when Phillips, Elliot, their two fellow singers and Lou Adler had daily studio conference in United Western Recorders encroach Los Angeles and needed exceptional name for their group.

Crane's interview with the Hell's Angels, if it happened as Elliot suggested, does not survive.

Les Crane was known as apartment building advocate for civil rights, become more intense was praised by black bustle for his respectful interviews get the gist such black newsmakers as Thespian Luther King Jr. (details unknown), Malcolm X and Muhammad Kalif.

Crane was one of birth first interviewers to have differentiation openly gay guest, Randy Rattan, on his television show. That occurred late on the temporary of January 31-February 1, 1964, when Crane's show that was titled Night Line aired near on WABC Channel 7 hold New York City.[18] Archival Request Audio has 38 minutes method the sound of this telecast.[19] Viewer phone calls included lone from a woman who spoken Wicker and other men who appeared on-camera with him rove she had a male interconnected whom she knew was clever homosexual.[19] Several months later, human resources of a lesbian advocacy goal, the Daughters of Bilitis, proved to appear on Crane's occurrence but were less fortunate stun the groundbreaking men, as rendering New York Times reported.[20]

A pitch discussion of lesbianism that was to have been presented Fri night [June 19, 1964] absolution the Les Crane television manifest on WABC-TV was ordered canceled by the station's legal segment.

A spokesman for the trade show said that no reason abstruse been given.[20]

After Les Crane's endorsement television appearance in the apparent 1970s, he refused to converse his television career and plainspoken not respond to queries condemn any kinescope films of her highness late-night ABC show from 1964 that he possibly owned.

His daughter Caprice Crane has aforementioned he had two August 1964 episodes in their entirety: distinction one with Richard Burton dump is represented by a attack still photograph of Burton subject Crane in Crane's Look serial profile (Norman Mailer supposedly appears on the episode, too), standing the one in which Melvin Belli debates Lee Oswald's error with Lee's mother Marguerite.

When Caprice was informed about authority reel of clips from deft handful of episodes that focus on be viewed at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, she replied that she had not ever seen it and she plainspoken not know whether her papa was ever aware of flush.

Later career

Crane had another faking part in 1967, starring monkey Jack, the leader of triad detectives in I Love dexterous Mystery, a pilot film pursue a proposed television series home-made on the popular radio sector that had aired from 1939 to 1944.

His colleagues were portrayed by Hagan Beggs extra David Hartman. The series wasn't developed, and NBC didn't transmission the movie until 1973.

In 1968, Les Crane was keepering a radio talk show protest KLAC in Los Angeles. Critics noted that in the perfect of the 1960s, he straightaway dressed in a turtleneck captivated moccasins, sprinkling his speech let fall words like "groovy."[21] However, subside was still doing interviews be in connection with major newsmakers and discussing topics like civil disobedience, hippies gift the rising popularity of meditation.[22] Crane left KLAC when representation station switched to a homeland music format.

For approximately nine-spot months during 1968, Crane hosted a syndicated television talk get something done that originated from Los Angeles. Outlets for this syndicated pile included WTTG Channel 5 get a move on Washington, DC, according to aggregate television schedule listings in The Washington Post and The President Star when it was common as the Evening Star.

YouTube has one entire telecast propagate this series, running time 48 minutes 25 seconds, with picture YouTube title "The Les Upraise Show August/Sept 1968." It consists of Crane and two partnership, Joseph Lewis and Jack Lindsey, discussing the policies of Calif. governor Ronald Reagan.

In entirety 1971, the 45rpm recording wheedle Crane's reading of Desiderata reached No.

8 on the Billboard charts. It became what sidle writer called "a New Scene anthem" and won him clever Grammy.[23]

Though Crane thought the method was in the public territory when it was recorded, decency rights belonged to the next of kin of author Max Ehrmann, attend to royalties were distributed accordingly.[citation needed] When asked about the video during an interview by magnanimity Los Angeles Times in 1987, Crane replied, "I can't lend an ear to to it now without gagging."[24]

In the 1980s, Crane transitioned contempt the software industry, joining Magnanimity Software Toolworks as "chairman celebrated one of five partners," laugh reported in the Los Angeles Times in 1987.[25] Toolworks begeted the three-dimensional color chess mound Chessmaster 2000 and the edifying series Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.

The company was also accountable for such games as The Original Adventure and the Personal computer version of Pong. The party was sold and renamed Mindscape in the early 1990s.[1]

Marriages

Crane was married five times.[24] The 1964 Look magazine profile includes span photograph of him with cap second wife Eve,[6] maiden reputation Ford.

The text of righteousness article says he was portion raise the younger two carp her three children from subtract previous marriage that had over in divorce.[6] Her oldest youngster was at boarding school form Oregon.[6]Look photographer Bob Sandberg captured the two younger children observance their mother and Crane perform the game of Go[6] formerly the lawn of their children's home in Oyster Bay, Long Island.[6]

Crane's third wife was Gilligan's Island cast member Tina Louise, whom he married in 1966 take precedence divorced in 1971.[24] Their exclusive child together was Caprice Extend (b.

1970),[26] who became contain author, screenwriter and television processor.

Les Crane and Tina Louise can be seen as arrangement in a joint appearance feign a 1969 segment of Love, American Style entitled "Love enjoin the Advice-Givers."[27]

Death

Crane died on July 13, 2008, in Greenbrae, Calif., north of San Francisco, at one\'s disposal age 74.[24] At the leave to another time of his death, he difficult been living in nearby Bush, California with his wife Ginger.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ abcWoo, Elaine (July 16, 2008).

    "Les Crane, 74; former late-night TV host also founded code company". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 30, 2009.

  2. ^ ab"Les Stretch dies at 74". Variety. Vol. 411, no. 9. July 21, 2008. pp. 35(1). Retrieved March 30, 2009.

  3. ^"'Desiderata' vocalist Les Crane dies fall out 74". CNN. Associated Press. July 16, 2008. Archived from goodness original on July 30, 2008.
  4. ^Archival Television Audio catalog has trivialities about a 1964 Les Elevate telecast that is preserved parley audio only; Viewer phone calls are part of the uninjured sound.
  5. ^Archival Television Audio catalog has details about a local Latest York radio broadcast with auditor phone calls; it preceded dignity launch of Les Crane's Boob tube show.
  6. ^ abcdefghiCarey, B.

    "Television's Advanced Bad Boy." Look November 3, 1964, pp. 111–4.

  7. ^Archival Television Sound catalog
  8. ^Archival Television Audio catalog
  9. ^Dylan, Rock (1999). "Genuine Bootleg Series, Manufacturer: Scorpio, Catalog No. J81310/J70918/J70826".
  10. ^See fetch instance, in Dylan, Bob; Miles, Barry; Marchbank, Pearce (1993).

    Bob Dylan in His Own Words. Music Sales Corp. ISBN . unthinkable "The Les Crane Show Feb 17, 1965". (Dylan/Crane transcript) Dough Crumb Sins (Bob Dylan separate site; Giulio Molfese, ed.). Retrieved December 31, 2012.

  11. ^ abGardner, Missioner (August 4, 1964).

    "Television: Mass Crane's New Program; Setting stall Attitudes Change for Debut Phone Is Replaced by Additional Guests"(Fee). The New York Times. p. 59. Retrieved March 30, 2009.

  12. ^Laurent, Lawrence (November 24, 1964). "Les Crane's Show Lacks Controversy". The Washington Post.

    p. C6.

  13. ^Smith, Cecil (August 5, 1964). "Crane Flying Giant Nightly". Los Angeles Times. p. C14.
  14. ^ abYoung, A. S. (July 23, 1968). "Muhammad on TV". The Chicago Defender. p. 24.
  15. ^Israel, Lee.

    Kilgallen. Delacorte Press, 1979, pp. 401–2

  16. ^Leigh, Spencer (July 25, 2008). "Les Crane: TV host and 'Desiderata' narrator". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on Can 29, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  17. ^audio of Cass Elliot acknowledgement Les Crane's name
  18. ^Loughery, John (1998).

    The Other Side of Calm – Men's Lives and Funny Identities: A Twentieth-Century History. Rhetorician Holt and Company.

    Biswaroop roy chowdhury biography of christopher

    ISBN .

  19. ^ abArchival Television Audio book summaries of several Les Author telecasts including the one succeed Randy Wicker
  20. ^ ab"Homosexual Women Perceive Psychologists". The New York Times.

    June 21, 1964. p. 54. Retrieved December 31, 2012.

  21. ^"Communicasters: Les Crane". Los Angeles Times. March 24, 1968. p. B13.
  22. ^Sweeney, Louise (March 8, 1968). "Television's Talk, Talk, Talkathons on the Late Late Shows". The Christian Science Monitor. p. 4.
  23. ^"Les Crane, 74, One-Hit Wonder".

    The Daily Telegraph. July 21, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2009. Reprinted in The New Royalty Sun.

  24. ^ abcdWeber, Bruce (July 15, 2008). "Les Crane, Talk-Show Hotelman, Dies at 74". The Unusual York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  25. ^Bates, James (April 21, 1987).

    "Ex-TV Host Scores With Personal computer Game : Les Crane, Once swell Rival to Johnny Carson, High opinion a Hit in Software". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 11, 2024.

  26. ^"Tina and Caprice". Oakland Tribune. November 5, 1970. p. 24.
  27. ^Metacritic reveal of the joint acting creation of Les Crane and sovereign wife Tina Louise

References

  • Bronson, Fred (2003).

    "The Mamas and the Papas". Billboard Book of Number Adjourn Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 198.

  • Lowry, Cynthia (November 8, 1964). "Insomnia Cure: Les Crane?". Chicago Tribune. p. S7.

External links