Art James
| Art James | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Arthur Simeonovich Efimchick October 15, 1929 Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | March 28, 2004 (aged 74) Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Game show presenter, host, announcer |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 2 |
Art James (born Arthur Simeonovich Efimchick; October 15, 1929 – March 28, 2004) was an American game show host, best known for shows such as The Who, What, or Where Game; It's Academic; and Pay Cards!. He was also the announcer on the game show Concentration.
James was born 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 1958-73, and was NBC's longest-running game show. He went on to either announce or host over a dozen game shows, including Say When!!; It's Academic; The Who, What, or Where Game; Pay Cards!; Temptation; The Joker's Wild; Blank Check; The Magnificent Marble Machine; Classic Concentration; Family Feud; Catchphrase; and Tic-Tac-Dough. He made an appearance in Kevin Smith's movie Mallrats.
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