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Raymond "Ray" Siller (born April 8, 1939 in Brooklyn, NY) is an American television writer and political consultant. He was nominated for four Emmy Awards as long-time head writer on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He has written for four U.S. presidents and contributed articles to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in New York City.
Early
[edit]Siller was born and raised in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York. He attended Fordham University, wrote for the student newspaper, The Ram, and was a chief announcer on Fordham’s FM station, WFUV. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960.
Career
[edit]His professional career began in New York as an ABC Television Network page, and he was later employed as a radio director at ABC’s flagship rock station, WABC[1]. He subsequently gained a staff director position at the ABC Radio Network, working with Charles Osgood, Ted Koppel, Peter Jennings, and Howard Cosell.
Siller moved over to ABC-TV in 1968 as an associate director on The Dick Cavett Show where he transitioned to Cavett’s writing staff.[2] During the 1970 congressional elections, President Richard M. Nixon[3]invited Siller to be a consultant at The White House. He assumed that post and at the same time consulted for Vice President Spiro Agnew.[4] On the wedding day of Nixon’s daughter, Tricia, attended by both Agnew and comedian Bob Hope, Agnew appeared in Los Angeles at an Army Ball honoring Hope. In his introduction to Hope, Agnew peppered his speech with many of Siller’s one-liners. They included jokes about the wedding. Hope, following Agnew on the dais, had to cross out from his own monologue the topical references that Agnew had just delivered. Hope asked his nephew, Peter Malatesta, at the time Agnew’s aide, “Who the hell wrote those jokes?” When Malatesta informed him it was Ray Siller, Hope said, “Tell him he’s hired”.[5]
The following year, Siller relocated to California to begin a three year stint at NBC Burbank on Hope’s writing staff for The Bob Hope Specials[6]. In 1972, he accompanied Hope on his final Christmas tour to Vietnam.[7]
In 1974, Siller left Hope to write for another NBC program, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He remained with Carson for fifteen years, the last twelve of those as Carson’s head writer.
Siller has consulted for four Presidents: Richard M Nixon, [8]Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush,[9] and George W. Bush[10]. This included writing Gridiron[11][12], Alfalfa Club[13], Radio-TV Correspondents, White House Press Correspondents, and Al Smith [11]dinners. He contributed material for campaigns and televised debates. He’s written for Vice President Agnew, 1996 Presidential nominee, Senator Bob Dole, and California Governor George Deukmejian. He consulted for New York Governor, and later Vice President, Nelson Rockefeller.[14]
Siller currently lives in Manhattan and is working on a memoir.
Television Credits
[edit]The Dick Cavett Show
The Bob Hope Specials
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Laverne and Shirley
Welcome Back, Kotter[15]
Newspaper Contributions
[edit]The Wall Street Journal - He-e-e-e-re's the Johnny I Wrote For
The New York Times- Local Heroes by Raymond Siller p 47, 10/22/1995
Emmy Nominations
[edit]1980-81: Head Writer, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program)
1985-86: Head Writer, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program)
1987: Head Writer, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program)
1988: Head Writer, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program)
Influences
[edit]Robert Benchley
Laurel and Hardy
Jack Benny
SJ Perlman
Ernie Kovacs
Bob Hope
Bob and Ray
Honors
[edit]1977-78: Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honors Ray Siller, Head Writer, for contributions to the Emmy Award-winning program, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Special Classification of Outstanding Program Achievement.
1972: The Department of Defense Certificate of Esteem for Patriotic Service in providing Entertainment to Members of the Armed Forces in the Pacific.
1972: Eighth Air Force Certificate of Appreciation In Special Recognition for the Outstanding Contribution to the Morale and Holiday Spirit of Military Personnel at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam as a Member of The 1972 Bob Hope Christmas Show.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Buxton, Frank (1966). Radio's Golden Age: The Programs and the Personalities. Easton Valley Press. pp. v. ISBN 1299554857.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Paley Center for Media". Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ Nixon, Richard. "Presidential Daily Diary". pp. 10–16–30 1970. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ Agnew, Spiro T. "Spiro T. Agnew Papers". Series: 3.14 Vice President of the United States. Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries. hdl:1903.1/1744. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ Malatesta, Peter (1982). Party Politics. Prentice-Hall. p. 37. ISBN 0136525520, 9780136525523.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help) - ^ "Library of Congress: Bob Hope and American Variety". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Internet Movie Data Base". IMDb. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ [www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/textual/smof/prhwcall.htm "1981=1989"]. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Bush, George (5 October 1999). All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings. Scribner. pp. 17–18. ISBN 9780684839585.
- ^ "CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY ON COMEDY AND POLITICIANS". ANCHORS: TERRY GROSS. November 1, 2000. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ a b ANDERSEN, KURT (Aug. 15, 1983). "Working Hard for the Last Laugh". Time Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "Ray Siller" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ "The Prez's Caped Caper; As 'Tarmac the Magnificent,' Bush Wows the Gridiron Crowd, Donnie Radcliffe, Robin Groom". The Washington Post. March 30, 1992. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Conroy, Sarah Booth (January 30, 1989). "Bentsen & Quayle, Trading Graces;At the Alfalfa Club". The Washington Post. pp. STYLE, PAGE B1. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ Persico, Joseph (1982). The Imperial Rockefeller. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 268. ISBN 0671254189.
- ^ Eisner, Joel (1984). Television Comedy Series: An Episode Guide to 153 TV Sitcoms in SyndicationM. McFarland. p. 770. ISBN 0899500889, 9780899500881.
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