Frank Bresee

Frank Bresee 1929-2018

Franklin (Frank) Bresee, long-time entertainment industry figure, died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Hollywood on June 5, according to his wife of 40 years and best friend, Bobbie Bresee.

Bresee began his career in 1939 when radio was the biggest, often the only, medium of entertainment for American families. In 1942, early in radio’s golden age, he landed his first regular acting job as the co-star character Little Beaver in a popular children’s western, “Red Ryder,” which ran live, twice a day, three days a week.

He often said earning a living in radio came with such a grueling schedule that performers never learned how not to work. And he’d sometimes give a nod to Brittingham’s, a restaurant across from the CBS studios where live radio shows were broadcast. “They had a great bar; we were all well preserved.”

In August of 1949, Bresee launched “The Golden Days of Radio” which became entertainment’s longest running old-time radio show. The program began play in 1966 in Germany over the Armed Forces Radio Service, went on the full network in 1967 and ran on the AFRS for 29 years.

Over the years, he interviewed scores of entertainment’s greats, including Bob Hope (he traveled with Hope and his radio staff for a stint starting in 1951), Walter Winchell, Mae West, Art Linkletter, Edgar Bergen and his woodenhead dummy, Charlie McCarthy and comedians Milton Berle, Eddie Cantor, Georgie Jessel, Jimmy Durante, and George Burns. His interviews can still be heard on Yesterday USA Radio Networks.

Mel Torme, Elvis Presley, and Natalie Wood were among the celebrities who watched films in Bresee’s home theater, where Monty Hall and Steve Hadeck ran “Let’s Make A Deal” for six months before it sold it to network TV. A theater wall and fireplace wore a plethora of autographs.

During his colorful and eclectic career, Bresee added TV to his growing credits. Prizes for some popular shows came through his advertising agency; he worked with Ralph Edwards Productions on the wild quiz show, “Truth or Consequences”; and he developed a TV game show of his own. It wasn’t picked up, but it ignited the career of his hostess, Vanna White. He acted in, co-produced and researched TV productions and was game show announcer for “Star Slammer” in the 1980s. A board game Pass Out – tagged as the world’s best-selling adult drinking game – grew out of an idea he aptly sketched out on a cocktail napkin. The game is still available, with more than 6 million in circulation.

In 1981 and 1982, Bresee served as president of the prestigious Pacific Pioneers Broadcasters, and in 1977 was nominated for an Emmy for his TV special on the Golden Days of Radio.

Bresee became one of the most respected authorities on old-time radio. In the early 1940s, he began what today would be described as Dumpster diving and rescued transcription discs, scripts, props and other radio artifacts from oblivion. His radio memorabilia collection, which grew into one of the world’s foremost, was donated to the Thousand Oaks Library’s Special Collections Library in Thousand Oaks, Cal.

In addition to his wife Bobbie, Bresee is survived by a legion of friends and ardent admirers.