Well, it was on this date 85 years ago that Bob Clayton, former announcer-host
of "Concentration" and announcer of "Pyramid", was
born on August 17, 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was basically raised and
educated in that city's schools, and then went on to become
a student at Georgia Tech.

However, Bob Clayton left Georgia Tech, before he graduated, to join the Air
Force during World War II. He became an aerial gunner,
who saw plenty action in the Pacific Ocean. One legendary story has it that Bob
was forced to "ditch" his plane, and was left stranded
and drifted in the Pacific for two days before he was resuced by a Naval ship.

Following his discharge from the Air Force, Bob Clayton came to New York City,
and enrolled at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art.
About two years later in 1947 (after graduation), he appeared in summer stock in
such plays as "The Time of Your Life", "Stage Door",
"Rebecca" and "Kiss and Tell".

Bob's next career move was as an Arthur Murray Dance School instructor, but was
quoted by him as "the worst teacher they ever
had". There must have been truth into that statement, because he never appeared
on the Arthur Murray TV show.

Luckily, Bob Clayton then pursured a broadcasting career, first as a staff
announcer and disc jockey at a radio station in Bergen
County, New Jersey. He later moved to Florida in the mid-1950's, where he was
to be heard on various stations (radio and TV) up and
down the Citrus State, including actually hosting a late afternoon movie program
on a Miami station.

Bob's popularity in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area led him to a role as the
frustrated bell captain in the Jerry Lewis 1960 film, "The
Bellboy" which was shot on location there. He also became good friends with
Hugh Downs, whom he met at a Mrs. America Pageant
televised ceremony in 1959, and reportedly Bob was able to pinch-hit for Hugh on
Jack Paar's TV shows.

Bob Clayton would get his real first national exposure in the game show world,
when he began hosting the ABC-TV daytime game
show "Make A Face". He was suggested to be the emcee of the program by an agent
named Joan Scott, whose mother lived in the
Miami area where she watched Bob in action on TV, and Bob made the constant
auditions flying between Miami and New York City.

But bigger things would be in place for Bob's career, because after the
cancellation of "Make A Face" and his eventual resignation from
his afternoon TV show in Miami (he commuted back and forth to/from New York
City), NBC-TV hired him in 1963 to be the announcer
of the ever-popular TV game show "Concentration" with host Hugh Downs. There,
it was a great business relationship and friendship
that endured between Hugh and Bob, and when there were times that Bob knew the
rhythm and format of the game so well, he was a
great fill-in host during the times Hugh was away on vacation or a NBC News
assignment.

In January 1969, Bob Clayton took over the reigns as full-time host of
"Concentration", and it looked like it was going to be a great
long run with him as emcee on the show. The NBC-TV network executives at the
time had other ideas, and Bob was terminated and let go two months afterward.

His replacement was the announcer of "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson", Ed
McMahon, and there began a fallout amongst the
fans and long-time viewers of "Concentration" feeling betrayed and outraged.
Letters were sent to NBC-TV, with some of them said to
be accusing the network of back stabbing and unfair tactics. It also did not
help matters at the Nielsen ratings then started to decline.

Bob Clayton himself was quoted in a February 17, 1972 interview to the
Louisville (Kentucky) Courier Journal & Times, "Of course, I
was upset and thought about leaving, but I liked the show, and I liked a steady
job. Anyway, after six months [September 1969], I
was moved back." It was said that NBC-TV was getting antsy, and had actually
contacted Hugh Downs as to where they could be able
to reach Bob. Hugh claimed he did not want to appear smug to the network when
he gave his reply.

"Concentration" continued on the airwaves with Bob Clayton as host, until the
NBC-TV network issued its cancellation notice sometime
during February 1973. The show was finally beaten in the ratings opposite "The
New Price Is Right" on CBS-TV in the same 10:30am
Eastern time slot. At first, NBC-TV announced to the Hollywood Reporter
magazine that the final episode of "Concentration" was to
have been Friday, March 30, 1973, but was later moved a week earlier to March
23.

But Bob Clayton would still be employed though after the demise of the rebus
solving game. After the last puzzle, "You've Been More
Than Kind" was solved, and the customary goodbyes, Bob was immediately hired by
Bob Stewart Productions as the announcer of the
new game show "The $10,000 Pyramid". That program would debut on the following
Monday, March 26, 1973 on CBS-TV in the same
10:30am Eastern slot as "Concentration" was on NBC-TV.

Bob would enjoy another long lasting relationship with "Pyramid" and most of the
other Bob Stewart produced shows, on the air and
even unsold pilots too. Even on "Pyramid", the friendship between Bob and
network daytime host Dick Clark was quite evident, even
as I had witnessed between them during the tapings of the show. Also, Bob was a
great friendly, cordial, classy gentleman who loved
the audience during the commercial breaks and warmups...he also a very funny and
folksy sense of humor.

Alas, Bob's health condition, which including ulcer and stomach problems going
back to the 1960's, as well as being a smoker as well,
was starting to catch up with him. Starting with the 1978-79 season, Bob was
starting to miss a lot of tapings of the network daytime
"$20,000 Pyramid", and I heard from some relayed news that he got sick on two
separate taping days to the point he had to leave
ABC Studio TV-15 to seek medical attention. His temporary replacements were
Fred Foy, Alan Kalter, or anyone from the ABC
network announcers' pool that was available.

The end to his life came on Thursday, November 1, 1979, when Bob Clayton
suffered a cardiac arrest in his New York home. The
news of this was reported in the weekly Variety news tradepaper, and he was just
only 57 years old at his passing. As far as I know,
he was single, and he left behind a brother and sister. Bob's mother, Mary
Paxton, had earlier passed away in December 1971 in
Hilton Head, Georgia, and also of a heart attack.

The staff at Bob Stewart Productions and at the "Pyramid" staff took this news
as deep and personal. While I was not there at the
taping when the announcement was made, I heard from one "Pyramid" fan who was
present there that the production staff was in a
state of grief. Eventually later, the full-time replacement for Bob Clayton
would be hired in 1980, and it was veteran New York City
radio on-air personality Steve O'Brien.

Finally, Bob Clayton is certainly indeed missed by yours truly, and he was an
important factor to the two all-time favorite TV game
shows in my lifetime, "Pyramid" (#1) and "Concentration" (#2). I still think of
him as one of the influential "cogs" that held the glue
and machine of those iconic programs running smoothly. His deep warmth and
friendliness is best remembered to this fan, and from
the generation where I was able to witness him on TV and in person, I glad he
did came into the lives to his legion of adoring fans.

Sincerely,
William A. Padron
wapadron@...
wapadron@...

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