Bob Banner

In his youth, Bob Banner was an accomplished organist for his church and played in the high school band. After graduating from high school, he toured with Interstate Theater Production of College Capers, which is where he met his wife Alice. After three years in the Navy, he began his television career in 1948 while studying for his PhD at Northwestern University. He was a production assistant at WMAQ in Chicago for the children's show Kukla, Fran and Ollie Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947). In time, he became director of Garroway at Large Garroway at Large (1949) on NBC. In December 1949, bandleader Fred Waring asked Bob Banner to join him at CBS as a producer and director of his show The Fred Waring Show The Fred Waring Show (1949). With only a short time left to get his doctorate degree at Northwestern, he chucked it all for a television career. He moved to New York City, and was hired at CBS. He directed Alistair Cooke's weekly series Omnibus Omnibus (1952). In the early 1950's, he moved to Los Angeles to produce and direct The Dinah Shore Show The Dinah Shore Show (1951) (1951) and later The Dinah Shore Chevy Show The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956) (1956) which won him three Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and two Christopher Awards. In the 1960's, he opened Bob Banner Associates and his first production was The Garry Moore Show The Garry Moore Show (1958). It ran for 218 episodes and won several Emmys. Carol Burnett was a member of the ensemble cast. Bob Banner produced Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall (1962) which was broadcast on CBS on June 11, 1962. It won three Emmys. He also produced An Evening with Carol Burnett An Evening with Carol Burnett (1963) which was broadcast on CBS on February 24, 1963. His last production was the television series Real Kids, Real Adventures Real Kids, Real Adventures (1997) in 1997. Bob Banner died on June 15, 2011 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 89 years old.