Tommy Hanlon, Jr.
| Tommy Hanlon Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Tommy Gene Thomason 14 August 1923 Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States |
| Died | 9 October 2003 (aged 80) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | TV Host, Circus ringmaster |
| Years active | 1927–2001 |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Gregory, Muriel |
| Children | Tommy Hanlon Thomason, April Thomason |
| Parent(s) | Homer Emmons Thomason, Ruth Dorothy Manning |
Tommy Hanlon Jr. (14 August 1923 – 9 October 2003) was an American-born actor, comedian, TV host and later circus ringmaster, notable for his career in Australia after emigrating there in 1959, where he became a Gold Logie-award winning media personality, notable for his early television appearances on daytime television and as host of the Australian version of game show It Could Be You
He was born Tommy Gene Thomason in Parkersburg, West Virginia in 1923 to vaudeville performers Homer Emmons Thomason (whose stage name was Tommy Hanlon) and Ruth Dorothy Manning. He appeared in his parents' act at the age of four. He later took the stage name Tommy Hanlon Jr. after his father's stage name.
Hanlon first appeared on his own as a magician as a teenager and was an entertainer for the rest of his life. After two years with Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre in Los Angeles in the 1940s, and appearing on stage alongside W.C. Fields, he came to Australia in 1959, first as a club act, then appearing on television.
Hanlon became a major TV celebrity in Australia in the early 1960s, especially as host of the popular daytime program It Could Be You on the Nine Network, operating out of the GTV-9 studios in Melbourne. The program was a mixture of game show, human interest and humour. It featured tearful reunions of long separated families or friends. He typically closed each program sitting on a stool with a social commentary presented as a Letter from Mom.
After GTV-9 purchased radio station 3AK in April 1961, all GTV-9 personalities were expected to present programs on the new acquisition. Hanlon hosted a Saturday morning show with Jack Little as his sidekick.
He won two Logie awards, including the Gold Logie in 1962, opposite Australian entertainer (Lorrae Desmond) and became one of the highest-paid entertainers in Australia.
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