Tex Antoine

Infobox Person | name =Tex Antoine |
| image_size = | caption =
birth_name = Herbert Jon Antoine, Jr. | birth_date = April 21, 1923 | birth_place =Illinois | death_date = January 12, 1983 | death_place =Manhattan | education = | occupation =Weatherman | title = | spouse = Suzanne | parents =Herbert Jon Antoine, Sr. (1894-1970)
Bertha Campbell| children = Nancy Antoine Shaffin| nationality = | website =

Herbert Jon Antoine, Jr. (April 21, 1923 – January 12, 1983), known professionally as Tex Antoine, was an American weatherman on New York City television for nearly three decades.

Biography and early career

He was born as Herbert Jon Antoine, Jr., in Illinois, and was raised in California and Texas. His father was Herbert Jon Antoine, Sr. (1894-1972), an auto supply salesman. [ Herbert Jon Antoine, Sr. (1894-1972) was born in Alabama and he died in Texas according to the Texas Death Index] His mother was Bertha Campbell, and by 1930 the family was living in Los Angeles. : Herbert Antoine 36; Bertha E. Antoine 36; Patricia H. Antoine 9 and Herbert Antoine, Jr. 6. ]

Antoine (whose nickname "Tex" came from his growing up in Texas) first joined NBC in New York as a page in 1943, and a year later became a staff announcer for the network. He was the first announcer, beginning in 1944, for the long-running religious drama, "The Eternal Light". His run with the program ended in 1945. [ [http://www.spartaotr.com/Research-Logs/ShowDescriptions/E/Eternal%20Light,%20The%20-%20Show%20Descriptions.html Eternal Light, The ] ] His other radio announcing credits include "The Adventures of Archie Andrews" and "The Adventures of Frank Merriwell". [cite web |url=http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p3.cgi?ArtistName=Antoine,+Tex&ArtistNumber=36715 |title=Tex Antoine |accessdate=2008-09-17 |quote= |publisher=Radio Gold ]

The WNBT / WRCA-TV / WNBC years (1949-1966)

He started out his weather career in 1949 on WNBT (later WRCA-TV, now WNBC), working with a wooden sidekick known as "Uncle Wetherbee." His theme music was "Fine and Dandy." According to Bob Tilden, who wrote a column reminiscing, "His nightly weather report was a wonderful mix of weather, cartoon art, and storytelling. He would start his weather segment standing next to an easel covered by blank papers, and he would proceed to draw the weather systems that were pertinent to the nation and the area. As his hands drew in the lows, highs, and fronts, his voice would narrate their past and expected movements, and what their effects would be. As he filled page after page of the easel, building the map as he described each feature, he engaged his audience. He instructed the viewers about their weather, rather than just informing them of a forecast."

Antoine also entertained viewers young and old alike during each report by writing the temperature in large numerals on his big blank pad of paper and then adding further strokes of his marker as he proceeded with a narrative about the weather until the numeral was finally all but concealed in a simple cartoon representing some aspect of the day's weather or forecast. It was a unique and fascinating talent and it was a draw to many viewers regardless of their interest, or lack thereof, of weather information.

To WABC-TV

In 1966, Tex Antoine moved from WNBC to WABC-TV. He was not allowed to plug his new home on his last channel 4 broadcast. So, with Uncle Wethbee's Magic Marker in hand, he said and wrote something to the effect of: "Remember that 4 plus 3 equals 7, and that's as easy as ABC."

Two years later, in 1968, WABC revamped all its newscasts under the banner of "Eyewitness News" under a new news director, Al Primo, who decreed that all their on-camera talent would wear matching blue blazers with a "circle 7" crest displayed on their jacket pockets. When Antoine, who up to that point wore smocks on the air, protested that it would affect his image, Primo retorted, "Either we all wear jackets, or we all wear smocks." Tex would wear jackets on the air thereafter.

Rape quip and final years

On November 24, 1976, his weather spot came up just after a report of a violent rape of a five year old girl. Tex thereupon quipped: "With rape so predominant in the news lately, it is well to remember the words of Confucius: 'If rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it.'" (The same joke later helped derail Texas gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams' 1990 election bid and got Indiana University Basketball coach Bob Knight in trouble during an interview with Connie Chung in 1988). Roger Grimsby led the 11 p.m. newscast that night with the official apology from WABC. Five days later Grimsby would introduce Antoine's replacement, Storm Field with "Lie back, relax and enjoy the weather with Storm Field." Antoine closed out his career with a brief stint as weatherman for WNEW-TV in 1977.

He had married Suzanne around 1964, and he died in Manhattan in 1983, at age 59, under the name "H. Jon Antoine". cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |title=Tex Antoine, 59, Dies; TV Weather Forecaster |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20C14FF3B5C0C708DDDA80894DB484D81&scp=1&sq=Tex+Antoine%2C+59%2C+Dies&st=nyt |work= |publisher=New York Times |date=January 13, 1983 |accessdate=2007-06-06|quote=Tex Antoine, a weather forecaster for New York television stations for more than 25 years, died yesterday in his Park Avenue apartment. He was 59 years old. Mr. Antoine, who had no formal meteorological training, became a television weatherman in 1949 with WNBC-TV, where he had worked as a ... ] [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=They Can Always Talk Weather. |url=|publisher=UPI in Mansfield News Journal |date=December 31, 1964|quote=If Tex Antoine and his bride-to-be can't think what else to do, they can talk about the weather ... |accessdate=2007-06-21 ]

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0031160|name=Tex Antoine
* [http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p3.cgi?ArtistName=Antoine,+Tex&ArtistNumber=36715 A partial list of Tex Antoine's radio announcing credits]