1. Irwin "Sonny" Fox was an American television host and broadcaster who was the host of the children's television program, Wonderama.
19 Facts About Sonny Fox
1. 2.
Sonny Fox served as the chairman of Populations Communication International, a non profit advocating for a change in attitudes toward family planning.
3.
Irwin Fox was born on June 17,1925, to a Jewish family in the Parkville section of Brooklyn, New York, to parents Gertrude and Julius A Fox.
4.
Sonny Fox's father was in the textile business and his mother was a theater ticket broker.
5.
Sonny Fox attended James Madison High School in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York.
6.
Sonny Fox joined the army in 1943 and served in World War II in England and France.
7.
Sonny Fox was taken a prisoner of war by the German forces in the Battle of the Bulge.
8.
Sonny Fox's life was saved by Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds saying, "We are all Jews here" when the Nazi officers demanded that all Jewish prisoners of war be pointed out.
9.
Sonny Fox returned to the United States after the war and graduated with a bachelor's degree in television and radio production from New York University in 1947.
10.
Sonny Fox started his career as a producer for The Candid Microphone with Allen Funt, a radio show that would later become Candid Camera.
11.
Sonny Fox later worked for Voice of America for three years as a reporter and later as a war correspondent during the Korean War.
12.
In 1956, Sonny Fox became the first host of the game show The $64,000 Challenge, a spinoff of The $64,000 Question.
13.
Sonny Fox's version of the program was a mixture of slapstick and serious content, with the marathon Wonderama including Shakespearean dramatizations, guest celebrities including John Lindsay and Robert Kennedy, magic demonstrations, art instruction, spelling bees, Simon Says, learning games, or other elements.
14.
Sonny Fox forfeited another opportunity to host a talk show, The New Yorkers, because it would mean leaving Wonderama.
15.
In 1960, Sonny Fox hosted ABC's first original Saturday morning show, On Your Mark, a game show in which children answered questions about various professions.
16.
In 1966, Sonny Fox appeared in the film The Christmas That Almost Wasn't.
17.
In 1976, Sonny Fox hosted the California-based Way Out Games, and during 1977 he ran children's programming for NBC.
18.
Sonny Fox married his wife Gloria Fox and had three sons and one daughter.
19.
Sonny Fox died from COVID-19 in Encino, California, on January 24,2021.