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Ted Steele (bandleader)
Ted Steele (July 9, 1917 – October 15, 1985)[1] was an American bandleader and host of several radio and television programs. He also held administrative positions at radio stations and had his own media-related businesses. Early yearsSteele grew up on a dairy farm in Belmont, Massachusetts.[2] When he was 7 years old, he received a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music; three years later, he presented piano concerts. At 13, he was expelled because he formed a dance band. In an article in the March 24, 1946, issue of Radio Life, Steele recalled, "They tried to make a child prodigy out of me, but they didn't succeed. I didn't take it seriously — and how I hated to practice!"[3] Steele attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, paying his way with work in theaters and nightclubs.[4] RadioSteele was described in The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present as "a versatile young (31) musician who had a blossoming career on radio in the 1940s."[5] After first working as a page boy at NBC's New York City facilities, he moved up to sales promotion. His opportunity to work on the air came via his talent for playing a Novachord synthesizer, as he began to play themes and background music on up to 20 shows per week.[6] NetworksSteele had The Ted Steele Show on NBC in 1942 and Ted Steele's Novatones on NBC in 1939.[7]: 327 He directed the orchestra on the 1947-1948 version of The Chesterfield Supper Club.[7] He also was the host of Easy Does It, a 1946-1947 variety show on Mutual[7]: 106 and was the organist for Lora Lawton[7]: 206 and Society Girl.[8] In 1941, Steele played himself on Boy Meets Band on the Blue Network. An item in the trade publication Broadcasting described the program as the "[d]ramatization of the growth of a fictional jazz band ... the trials of its leader with some general home life scenes of its members."[9] In the mid-1950s, Steele had his own program on Mutual.[4] Later in his career, he returned to network radio as one of the hosts of NBC's Monitor weekend program.[10] TranscriptionsSteele and Grace Albert were co-hosts of one series of Time Out for Fun and Music, a transcribed 15-minute music program.[11] He directed the orchestra on The M-G-M Screen Test.[7]: 228 Local radioSteele joined KMPC in Los Angeles, California, as an announcer and producer in 1937.[12] On December 4, 1939, Steele began a 13-week series, Home Harmonies, on WMCA in New York City; the 15-minute programs featured Steele playing the Novachord.[13] In 1940, he had a program using just his own name as the title, Ted Steele, on WFIL in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[14] He was on WOR in New York City in 1943, playing the Novachord and leading his orchestra in tunes from the 1920s.[15] In 1947, Steele had a daily half-hour morning farm program on KYW in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show contained a mix of recorded music and farm news.[16] He was also KYW's farm director.[17] Beginning November 17, 1947, Steele had a six-day-a-week disc jockey program on WMCA.[18] He returned to WMCA in 1958, signing a three-year contract that allowed him to continue doing his television program on WOR-TV.[19] In a departure from his usual musically oriented programs, Steele co-starred on Hollywood Dreams, a dramatic serial, on WABC in New York City.[20] Beginning in 1949, he and his wife, Doris, were co-hosts of Mr. and Mrs. Music, a combination talk-disc jockey program, on WMCA.[14]: 332-333 On December 31, 1962, Steele returned to the airwaves in New York City as host of At Your Service, a daily afternoon "women's appeal" program on WCBS.[21] In 1967, he began working on WPEN in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a morning program.[10] In 1970, he had a morning show on WBAL in Baltimore, Maryland.[22] TelevisionNetworksOn network television, Steele was host of The Ted Steele Show, a variety program that was broadcast on NBC in 1948, on the DuMont Television Network in 1949 and on CBS in 1949-1950.[23][24] He was also one of four hosts on Cavalcade of Bands on DuMont in 1950-1951.[23]: 169 Local stationsSteele's first television program was the weekly Piano Patter in 1948 on WPTV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[25] In the 1950s, he had daytime programs on local television in New York City, first on WPIX-TV[26] and later on WOR-TV.[27] The WOR-TV program, which began July 5, 1954, was reported to include a contract with Steele for more than $1 million for five years.[28] In 1959, he was the host of Dance Party, described as "an adult version of the teenage record hop programs," on WNTA in Newark, New Jersey.[29] He also was host of Don't Call Us on WNTA.[30] Media administrationIn 1942, Steele was named director of programs for the Atlantic Coast Network, a group of 10 stations.[31] He also was music director at KPMC, beginning January 1, 1946.[32] During his tenure in that position, he was the focal point of a controversy related to the station's decision to ban Bebop music.[33] He resigned effective June 1, 1946, to go on tour with his orchestra.[34] Steele was executive producer at WPIX 1950-1954.[21] In 1955, he was named musical director at WOR-AM-TV in New York City.[35] In 1960, he became general manager of WNTA-AM-FM, in Newark, New Jersey,[36] and in 1961 he went to WINS, New York City, to be general manager.[37] BusinessSteele owned Ted Steele Radio Productions in New York City in 1941. The company, located in Rockefeller Plaza, produced programs and commercials.[38] From 1946 to 1948, He was director of the radio-television division of the John C. Dowd Advertising Agency in Boston, Massachusetts.[37] In 1957, he formed his own business, Ted Steele Radio & Television Station Representatives, in New York City. An article in Broadcasting said that Steele would continue his daily television program on WOR.[39] Personal lifeSteele married actress Marie Windsor on April 21, 1946, in Marysville, Utah.[40] Their marriage ended in an annulment in 1953.[41] He was also married to the former Doris Brooks; they had two daughters, Sally and Sue. The couple had a farm outside of New Hope, Pennsylvania, on which they raised Guernsey cattle.[6] In 1956 his third marriage was to Ceil Loman, who later changed her first name and became Alison Steele, "one of the first female disc jockeys on radio."[42] That marriage ended in divorce.[43] References
External linksTed Steele at IMDb |
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