The recent death of James Earl Jones set me thinking about epic voices gracing the airwaves with sonorous tones that resonate deeply within our collective consciousness, evoking emotions and memories with their powerful and unforgettable delivery. Voices so distinctive that they create a memory marker in one’s mind. The deep, gravelly voice of Sam Elliott, the soothing and authoritative voice of Sir David Attenborough, the chilling voice of Vincent Price, and the legendary “Voice of God”, Don LaFontaine, who voiced thousands of movie trailers, all are etched in my mind.
Those remarkable voices include that of Paul Harvey. Paul was special in another way – – he could unfold a spellbinding story. His technique of introducing an element of the story and weaving interesting, often unknown, details around that element, then adding another element building on the suspense while holding the protagonist’s identity until the very end, was epic. His daily newscasts on ABC Radio, Chicago, and, later, his series, Now You Know The Rest Of The Story, made him rich. In November 2000, Harvey signed a 10-year $100 million contract with ABC Radio Networks.
If you have never experienced one of the 600 or so episodes, I urge you to take a moment to listen now. See if you can figure out who these stories are about before Paul reaches the end of the story.
The Rest Of The Story is found here.
The Rest of the Story premiered on ABC Radio on May 10, 1976. The series quickly grew to six broadcasts a week and continued until Harvey’s death in 2009. From its outset and for its 33-year duration, it was written and produced by his son, Paul Harvey, Jr. Harvey, and his radio network stated that the stories in that series, although entertaining, were completely true.
His success with sponsors stemmed from the seamlessness with which he segued from his monologue into reading commercial messages. He explained his relationship with them: “I am fiercely loyal to those willing to put their money where my mouth is.”
From 1951 to 2008, his programs reached as many as 24 million people weekly. Paul Harvey News was carried on 1,200 radio stations, 400 American Forces Network stations, and 300 newspapers.
Paul was a likable, positive fellow. He was well-respected and often quoted. Some of my favorites are:
“Growth is the process of responding positively to change.”
“If ‘pro’ is the opposite of ‘con,’ what is the opposite of ‘progress’?”
“Like what you do. If you don’t like it, do something else.”
“I’ve never seen a monument erected to a pessimist.”
Harvey was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1918, the son of a policeman who was killed by robbers in 1921. As a young boy, he made radio receivers and attended Tulsa Central High School, where he was two years ahead of future actor Tony Randall. Teacher Isabelle Ronan was “impressed by his voice.” On her recommendation, he started working at KVOO in Tulsa in 1933, helping to clean up when he was 14. Harvey died in 2009. His wonderful voice lives on.
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