Art James (October 15,
1929 - March 27,
2004) was best known as the announcer on the classic game show
Concentration.He was born
Artur Simeonvich Elimchik in Dearborn, Michigan to
Russian immigrants (fluent in Russian, he taught English to Russian immigrants). He attended Wayne State University in nearby Detroit, where he studied engineering. He worked as an announcer for the Armed Forces Network while stationed in
Germany after World War II.
An old Army friend, who was an executive with
NBC, asked James to audition for a new game show,
Concentration, hosted by Hugh Downs, which needed an announcer.
Concentration ran from 1958 to 1973 and was NBC's longest-running game show. He went on to either announce or host over a dozen game shows, including
Say When!,
Fractured Phrases,
The Who, What, Or Where Game,
Super Pay Cards,
Temptation,
The Joker's Wild,
The Magnificent Marble Machine,
Classic Concentration,
Family Feud,
Catchphrase and appeared in the Kevin Smith movie
Mallrats. He started Art James Productions in the 1990s, which teaches public speaking and stages game shows specially designed to teach job skills.
One episode of
Say When! included a classic blooper by James, in which he is forced to deal with a peanut butter jar gone awry, when the bottom falls right out when James puts a knife in. As the show was recorded live, there was no room for retakes.
He was living in Chaska, Minnesota, but died during a visit to Palm Springs, California. James is survived by a brother, a son, two daughters, and three grandchildren.
Source
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TwinCities.com External link
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Art James at Find-A-Grave James, Art
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