Jim Healy

Jim Healy (1923-July 22, 1994) was a longtime Los Angeles, California, sports commentator (KLAC, 1961-65; KFWB, 1969; KABC-TV, 1969-84; KLAC, 1973-82; KMPC, 1984-94), whose daily solo radio show featured a number of sound effects and audio clips of famous sports personalities, which he played repeatedly to affect an acerbically humorous tone.

Excerpting from his entry on the [http://www.laradio.com/whereh.htm "L.A. Radio: Where Are They Now?" list] :

"A one-of-a-kind sportscaster in Los Angeles for 43 years, Jim died July 22, 1994, at age 70 from complications of liver cancer. He began at KMPC in 1950, fresh out of UCLA, writing for broadcaster Bob Kelley. Jim wrote for Bob for 11 years. He hosted "Here's Healy" on KBIG and also worked at KFWB, KABC-TV and KLAC. Jim was the nightly sports reporter on KABC-TV/Channel 7... ..."Is... it... true?" became one of his trademark lines. His headstone at Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn reads: "Jim Healy, 1923-94, IT IS TRUE.” ... In 1997 he was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame."

Healy's shows (at least those from the late 1970s onward) took the form of him reading headlines, with the clicking sound effect of a teleprinter in the background. In response to his own headlines or comments, Healy would then play one of his many favorite audio clips, such as "That's a bunch of bull," "That's just plain poppycock," or "Jim Healy, you've got a weak show." (Howard Cosell) Among his sound effects was a silly laughtrack, sounding like, "Hee-hee-hee-hee..." (Norm Sherry, then manager of the California Angels).Perhaps the most notorious -- and among the most frequently played -- clip in Healy's collection was a post-game tirade by then-Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, after Dave Kingman, playing for the Chicago Cubs, hit three home runs to beat the Dodgers. Lasorda's rant, which is fully transcribed on the above-linked Kingman Wikipedia page starts out: "What's my opinion of Kingman's performance!? What the &@*$% do you think is my opinion of it?"

Among other Healy-isms:

*He used the term "zops" as slang for dollars.
*He referred to fellow L.A. sports broadcasting personality Stu Nahan (both appeared in "Rocky III") as "Silver-tipped Stu."
*He called Bill Dwyre, sports editor of the Los Angeles Times, "Journalist Bill."
*Ever dismissive of his arch-rivals, UCLA alum Healy referred to the USC Trojans as the "Brain Surgeons."
*He called Chick Hearn, the late announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers, "Chickieburger."

His KMPC show was famous for going over its 30-minute time limit. Healy would stay on the air as the top of the hour approached, then warn his listeners about the impending "dreaded six o'clock tone," and continue his program.

During his late career, one of Healy's favorite clips came from then-University of Miami defensive end Jerome Brown, captured on tape when Brown led his fellow Hurricanes out of a pre-1987 Fiesta Bowl dinner with opponent Penn State, saying: "Did the Japanese go and sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor before they bombed 'em?" Any reference to Japan or the Japanese on Healy's show would result in a replay of Brown's remark. When Brown died tragically in a car accident on June 25, 1992, Healy announced Brown's death during his 5:30 p.m. PDT broadcast — and never played the "Pearl Harbor" clip again.

External links

* [http://www.johnspeedie.com/healy/healy.swf Jim Healy Tribute Page]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372331/ Jim Healy page on the Internet Movie Database]