Art James
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Art James (October 15, 1929 - March 27, 2004) was best known as the announcer on the classic game show Concentration.
He was born Artur Simeonvich Elimchik in Dearborn, Michigan to Russian immigrants (fluent in Russian, he taught English to Russian immigrants). He attended Wayne State University, where he studied engineering. He worked as an announcer for the Armed Forces Network while stationed in Germany after World War II.
A friend from his Army days, an executive with NBC, asked James to audition for a new game show, Concentration, with Hugh Downs, who needed an announcer. Concentration, ran from 1958 to 1973 and was NBC's longest-running game show. He went on to either announce or host over a dozen game shows, including Say When!, Temptation, The Joker's Wild, The Magnificent Marble Machine, Classic Concentration, Family Feud, Catchphrase and appeared in the Kevin Smith movie Mallrats. He started Art James Productions in the 1990s, which teaches public speaking and stages game shows that are designed to teach job skills.
He was living in Chaska, Minnesota, but died during a visit to Palm Springs, California. James is survived by a brother, a son, two daughters, and three grandchildren.
Source
- TwinCities.com (http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/8321756.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp&1c)