Pearce, Al, 1898-1961

Albert Walter Pearce was born July 25, 1898 in San Jose, Calif. Pearce worked as a door-to-door insurance salesman for a time, but eventually went into the real estate business in San Francisco, Calif. with his brother Cal Pearce. In the late 1920s, Pearce got a position as a singer at a local radio station, KFRC. At KFRC, he was introduced to Jack Hasty who asked Pearce to play the lead role in a skit he had written, as Elmer Blurp (later changed to Elmer Blurt). Elmer Blurp was a character that Pearce easily identified with: a self-conscious salesman. In 1929, KFRC featured Pearce in The Happy-Go-Lucky Hour, which ran for four years. Pearce was joined on air by his brother Cal Pearce, Abe Bloom, Charles Carter, Jean Clarimoux, Edna Fischer, Tommy Harris, Norman Nielsen, Monroe Upton, Hazel Warner, and Cecil Wright. The radio program changed names and stations in 1933, becoming Al Pearce and His Gang, and was broadcast on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Blue Network. The comedy-variety program was broadcast from 1933 through 1946 on Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and NBC. The show had many prominent sponsors including: Pepsodent, Ford Motors, Grape Nuts, Dole Pineapple, and Camel Cigarettes. During the show's tenure, Pearce's gang included Arlene Harris, Bill Comstock, Jennison Parker, Bill Wright, Monroe Upton, Artie Auerbach, Kitty O'Neil, and Harry Stewart. Al Pearce and His Gang is most memorable for the skits of Elmer Blurt selling insurance door-to-door with his distinct knock followed by the famous tagline, "Nobody home, I hope-I hope-I hope". In 1943 the Elmer skit was turned into a feature length film titled, Here comes Elmer, starring Pearce as Elmer Blurt. Pearce had another radio show, Fun Valley, which was broadcast for one season on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Blue Network from 1943 through 1944. The program was a comedic variety show that included short skits and musical numbers. Pearce was joined on the show by regulars Arlene Harris, Wendell Niles, and Ivan Ditmars. In addition to his radio projects, Pearce made several film and television appearances, including other motion pictures, Hitchhike to happiness (1945), One exciting week (1946), and The Main Street kid (1948). His public career seems to have disappeared during the 1950s. Pearce died on June 2, 1961 in Newport Beach, Calif. due to heart disease (a copy of his Certificate of Death can be found in the collection).

From the description of Papers, 1938-1946. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 351936338

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