The Voice of Saturday Night Live: How Don Pardo Defined American Television Announcing
In short: For seven decades, Don Pardo was the unmistakable voice of American broadcasting. From announcing the assassination of John F. Kennedy to becoming the iconic, booming presence behind Saturday Night Live, Pardo’s career spanned the evolution of television. Yet, his path to becoming a cultural institution was anything but conventional.
Born in 1918 to Polish immigrants in Massachusetts, Dominick George Pardo Jr. began his broadcasting journey at a local radio station in 1938. By 1944, he had joined NBC as a full-time staff announcer, a position he would hold for 60 years. During World War II, he served as a war reporter, but his true legacy was built in the studio. Pardo became a fixture of the golden age of game shows, lending his voice to programs like The Price Is Right and the original run of Jeopardy! from 1964 to 1975.
Pardo’s most enduring contribution arrived in 1975 with the debut of Saturday Night Live. His voice became synonymous with the show’s opening, where he introduced cast members and musical guests. Interestingly, his booth in Studio 8H was located near the spot where Arturo Toscanini once conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Despite a brief absence during the 1981–1982 season, Pardo remained the show's announcer for 38 seasons, even continuing to record his segments from his home in Arizona in his later years.
Beyond his standard announcing duties, Pardo was a frequent collaborator in pop culture. He provided narration for Frank Zappa’s music, including the track 'I'm the Slime,' and made a cameo in 'Weird Al' Yankovic’s 'I Lost on Jeopardy' video. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2010, cementing his status as a broadcasting legend. Pardo died in 2014 at age 96, leaving behind a career that bridged the gap between the early days of radio and the modern era of live television.
His influence extended to historical moments as well. On November 22, 1963, Pardo was the on-duty announcer when he became the first person to inform NBC viewers of the shooting of President John F. Kennedy. Whether through his work on game shows, news, or comedy, Pardo’s presence was a constant, reliable anchor for the network, defining the sound of NBC for generations of viewers.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Don Pardo
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