25 Facts About Dennis James

Dennis James was born to Demetrio Ernest Sposa and Teresa Amorosi, both of Italian descent.

Dennis James was hosting a morning show called Breakfast With Bamberger's Basement.

Dennis James went into television, appearing in 1943 on the first anniversary program of W2XVW, which eventually became WABD, the flagship station of the DuMont Television Network in 1946.

Dennis James became the host of many game shows; his first was WABD's DuMont Beepstakes on May 29,1946, followed on June 20 with the more successful Cash and Carry from the same program packager, Carr and Stark.

Dennis James hosted the DuMont daytime variety show Okay, Mother with Julia Meade.

Dennis James often addressed the TV audience as "Mother", a practice he had begun when discussing the finer points of wrestling during his sports broadcasts.

Dennis James feared the men in the audience would be insulted by the implication that they didn't already know the rules, but would accept that James was merely explaining things for the benefit of women watching.

Dennis James started his game show hosting career with the first network game show, Cash and Carry, on the DuMont network from 1946 to 1947.

In 1956, Dennis James emceed High Finance on CBS in which contestants answered current events questions to build up a jackpot for prizes.

Dennis James's game show hosting duties spanned four decades, as he presided over shows such as The Name's the Same, Haggis Baggis, People Will Talk, and PDQ, and the talent shows Chance of a Lifetime and Your All-American College Show.

Dennis James was the official commercial presenter of the one-episode You're in the Picture, and appeared on the subsequent "apology" episode as well.

Dennis James was a regular substitute host for Monty Hall on Let's Make a Deal beginning in January 1972, when he caught the attention of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, who were putting together The New Price Is Right for syndication; the new format would incorporate the original format from 1956 to 1965 with elements from Let's Make a Deal.

Barker took the daytime show, which he hosted until 2007, while Dennis James hosted a weekly version for the syndicated market, which usually aired on local stations in the "access period" leading into prime time and was thus known as "the nighttime Price Is Right".

Dennis James hosted the weekly show from 1972 to 1977; he filled in for Barker during four daytime episodes in December 1974, becoming the first substitute host of the CBS version.

Outside of sports and game shows, Dennis James was held in high esteem as a commercial spokesman.

Dennis James's clients included Old Gold cigarettes, Kellogg's cereals and, through his own production company, local and regional companies and businesses around the country.

Dennis James was the spokesman for Physicians Mutual Insurance Company from 1971 to 1997.

Dennis James hosted the first telethon using the then-new television medium to raise money for charity.

Dennis James was the emcee of the United Cerebral Palsy Association's telethons.

Dennis James hosted telethons in major cities all over the United States on a monthly basis from 1950 until 1979.

When Dennis James died in 1997, Brad and Florence Henderson came back to host the telethon for the last time in January 1998.

Dennis James bought a home in Palm Springs, California, in 1980.

Dennis James was then called on to host dozens of charity events a year in the Palm Springs area, including events for Childhelp International, the Frank Sinatra Golf Classic, and the Bob Hope Desert Classic.

Dennis James died on June 3,1997, from lung cancer at his home in Palm Springs.

Dennis James's remains were interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.