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Johnny Olson
Johnny Olson on The Price Is Right
Born	May 22, 1910 Windom, Minnesota
Died	October 12, 1985 Santa Monica, California

John Leonard "Johnny" Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer, most notable for announcing 32 game shows from Mark Goodson-Bill Todman productions, from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s.

Born in Windom, Minnesota, while landing jobs at WIBA and KGDA in and nearby Madison, Wisconsin after 1928, Olson enrolled in pharmacy classes at the University of Minnesota. He also worked a string of odd jobs, from soda jerk to singer. His first network job on radio was in 1944, announcing the immensely-popular musical-game show, Ladies Be Seated.

His first TV announcing job was on Name That Tune in 1958. His next TV announcing assignment was on Mark Goodson and Bill Todman's Play Your Hunch, a show emceed by future talk show host Merv Griffin. That same year he also landed a contract working for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, announcing on 30 more games until his death in 1985.

In addition to his work for Goodson-Todman, he was also the announcer on the variety series, The Jackie Gleason Show which succeeded Gleason's 1955 hit sitcom, The Honeymooners from 1962-1970. The first few seasons were recorded in New York City, while the last few seasons were produced in Miami Beach, Florida, or as Olson would say at the beginning of each show, "The sun and fun capital of the world.".

Throughout the 1960s in New York City, Olson announced game and panel shows including To Tell The Truth (on which he greeted each team of challengers with the question, "What is your name, please?"). His longest-running announcing job aside from The Price is Right was What's My Line?, a game in which a panel of four celebrities tried to determine the occupations of the show's contestants. Olson also announced Snap Judgment with Ed McMahon and The Match Game with Gene Rayburn, when those shows were airing on NBC. Olson continued to announce What's My Line? and To Tell the Truth when both shows moved from CBS to syndication in the late 1960s. His stint on both shows ended when he was designated announcer of the 1972 revivals of The Price is Right and I've Got a Secret, production of which had moved from New York to Hollywood. He later returned to Match Game, another show transplanted from New York to California when the CBS version premiered in 1973.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, while going strong with his announcing duties on Price, he announced nine other game shows. He announced the pilot of Family Feud with host Richard Dawson (fellow Goodson-Todman announcer Gene Wood assumed the job when the show went to series in 1976). Olson announced such shows as, Now You See It, Mindreaders, Double Dare, the revival of Tattletales in 1982, and Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1983-84. Olson spent his off time on his spacious farm located at Buckingham Acres in Lewisburg, West Virginia.

Olson was best known for his work on the CBS and syndicated versions of The Price Is Right beginning with its debut on September 4, 1972, until his untimely passing in October 1985. The staff and crew of Price learned of Olson's condition as CBS Studio 33 was being prepared for that day's taping. Production was cancelled for the rest of the week (shows were recorded several weeks in advance of broadcast). There was no on-air mention of Olson's passing until October 29, 1985. At the end of that day's show, Barker paid tribute to a "wonderful announcer". Olson was a beloved and valued member of the cast. More than just an announcer of prize copy, Olson appeared on camera as various characters in many of the show's Showcases and made the words "Come on down!" a catch phrase.

His last announcing position aside from "Price" was, Body Language. On one memorable episode, comedienne Betty White correctly solved the puzzle of the legendary announcer instead of actor Ed Begley Jr., admitting that he didn't watch The Price is Right, at all, after learning from the show's popular catch phrase, "Come on Down!" Begley apologized to Olson and realized that it wasn't his fault for guessing the puzzle incorrectly, and on another episode, host Tom Kennedy chastised him on saying Bawdy Language, instead of Body Language, and he apologized to Olson for not listening correctly.

Olson died on October 12, 1985 from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 75 in Santa Monica, California. He was survived by his wife Penny, who died at a nursing center in Ronceverte on August 17, 2000.

• Internet Movie Database: Johnny Olson
• A Tribute to Johnny Olson, written by fellow announcer Randy West
• http://70.84.119.226/~evemag/media_tpir/nighttimeTPIR.htm audio of Johnny Olson announcing '70s nighttime episodes of The Price Is Right