John T. Ryan

John T. Ryan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 17, 1930, the oldest of eight children. In the 1950s, as a sergeant in Army Recruiting, Ryan embarked on a broadcast career. He hosted the Army's weekly Top 40/celebrity interview radio programs, "The Army Show" (1954-56) and "Dimensions in Music" (1956-57), both of which aired on KMPC-AM in Los Angeles. An inveterate ad-libber, Ryan frequently guested on local L.A. talk shows of the early TV era, including "The Jack Owens Show" on KABC-TV, and a Tom Frandsen-hosted afternoon movie show on what would one day be known as NBC4. Also in the 1950s, he spearheaded the recruiting campaign, "Operation Gyroscope," which featured a 16-year-old Jill St. John as its titular spokeswoman, Miss Gyroscope. Following his run in radio, Ryan focused on writing, poetry and multi-media art. He costarred in and executive produced the 1997 comedy, "Former Child Star." Ryan died on December 24, 2004, in Duarte, California.