To Speak Kindly Does Not Hurt The TongueTV Weekly, 1952 That's the Axiom Todd Russell Lives By
Todd Russell uses an ancient proverb for his personal axiom: "To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue." This is not just a theory, either, but an actual practice with the quizmaster of Wheel of Fortune and the emcee of Rootie Kazootie. For big, jovial Todd Russell could easily qualify for the medal of honor in the Dale Carnegie course on how to win friends and influence people. Few masters of ceremonies have acquired his dexterity in handling studio participants on radio and television shows. Of all the persons he has interviewed, and they run into the thousands, not one has ever walked away with feelings hurt or even slightly bruised.
He says he has two missions in life: Raising the status of emcees by having them follow a strict code of behavior and bringing about an era of good-will in teevee. These things are close to Todd's heart and he preaches them with a missionary's zeal to his fellow-workers.
Although born in anchester, England, Russell emigrated to Canada with his family in 1920. He studied the concert piano as a boy, switched to jazz in his teens and joined a dance band after graduating from Delta Collegiate in Toronto. Todd was discovered as a singer while with his first orchestra and was well on his way to becoming the Bing Crosby of the Dominion when he decided to switch to emceeing in 1945.
Radio paid him $15 a week at the very beginning. He augmented his income by selling insurance on the side. One evening Todd began crooning into the microphone. His renditions of Minnie the Mermaid and My Blue Heaven were hailed from Vancouver to Quebec, and his salary skyrocketed to-$25. At this point in his career, Russell decided it was now or never to try the other side of the border. Shortly after his arrival in New York, he appeared on a program with John Reed King and the two became fast friends. King recommended him as a quizmaster to an agent who was looking for an m.c. on Double 0r Nothing. When D. O. N. moved to the West Coast, Russell remained in New York, taking over the radio version of Strike It Rich. Russell often pinch-hits for fellow quizmasters, having subbed at one time or another for King, Bill Cullen, Dan Seymour, Warren Hull and many more. Not so long ago when he asked his agent about a vacation, the 10-percenter told him: "Wait a couple of months, you'll only be on 12 times a week then and may be able to get away for a couple of days." In private life, Todd is married and lives with his wife in an apartment house overlooking the East River in mid-town Manhattan. Next to his work, he likes sports best, and takes in all the boxing bouts, horse racing and baseball games he can pack into a back-breaking schedule.
Hard work doesn't bother Todd, however. He thrives on it. There's another reason why the friendly fellow likes to be on as many shows as possible. That way he can better and more often put into practice his serious-minded theories about teevee as a medium for spreading good-will, now on a national basis, before very long, he hopes, on an international one.
Somehow it seems fitting and proper for Todd Russell to be the emcee of Wheel of Fortune. For this is a show in which grateful beneficiaries reward their good Samaritans, and the gospel of the program is only another variation on the gospel of fellowship that he practices so diligently. On Pud's Prize Party and Rootie Kazootie, he has impressed many a youngster with the rewards of kindness and friendliness. Todd Russell doesn't make a show of his feelings; they are reflected in the things he does, the way he acts and the goodness he displays. "To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue" is more than just Todd Russell's personal axiom, it's also his religion. All pictures on this site
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