Episode 16 Guest Star: Ken Murray

- July 07, 2017

Ken Murray (July 14, 1903 – October 12, 1988) was an American comedian, actor, radio and television personality and author. Murray got his start in show business on the stage in 1920s as a stand-up comedian. He performed his comedy act on the vaudeville circuit and in burlesque. He found success as a stage performer after appearing in Earl Carroll's Vanities on Broadway in 1935. Murray made his film debut in the 1929 romantic drama Half Marriage, followed by a role in Leathernecking in 1930. During World War II, Murray was one of the many celebrities to volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen. He later was the original host (1945–57) of Queen for a Day, on the Mutual Broadcasting System radio broadcast. In 1947, he produced Bill and Coo, a feature film using trained birds and other animals as actors. Bill and Coo won a special Academy Award for "novel and entertaining use of the medium of motion picture" and "artistry and patience" .He was also the host of The Ken Murray Show, a weekly music and comedy show on CBS Television that ran from 1950 and 1953. In 1965 Murray played a THRUSH financier and owner of a caribbean casino in The Man from U.N.C.L.E..Murray was married three times and had four children. Ken Murray died on October 12, 1988 at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, aged 85. For his contribution to the radio industry, Murray has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street.