Posted on 07/19/2018 8:55:16 AM PDT by 11th_VA
Adrian Cronauer, a disc jockey, actor and Pentagon adviser whose story as a radio host during the Vietnam War inspired the 1987 film “Good Morning, Vietnam,” helping make its star Robin Williams a household name, died Wednesday in Troutville. He was 79.
His death was confirmed by Jeff Hunt, a longtime Roanoke radio announcer who hired Cronauer at Roanoke FM station WPVR. He said Cronauer had been in a nursing home.
“Goooooooood morning Vietnam,” was the signature sign-on Cronauer used hosting “Dawn Buster” from 1965-6 in Saigon. Williams’ portrayal of the fictional Cronauer cemented the line in American culture, associating it with the host’s radio high jinks and irreverent view toward military hierarchy and censorship, and earning Williams an Academy Award nomination in 1987.
The line’s origins, as Cronauer recalled it, were more humble.
“That was something he did to buy him some time when he was running late in the morning,” said Pat Garrett, who worked with Cronauer at WVWR (now WVTF) in Roanoke. As the last record was playing, Cronauer would take up time setting up the next one by lengthening the “Good” until it became almost manic.
(Excerpt) Read more at roanoke.com ...
I used to listen to a lot of AFRTS while on Okinawa. I even recorded a reel to reel tape off the radio. Wish I still had it.
I knew Cronauer after he became a communications lawyer in Washington, DC. Very nice guy. Sorry to hear this.
That wouldn’t have altered his getting Lewy body dementia.
I remember FEN/Tokyo...
I Wish you still had those tapes too ...
yep! Something a lot of folks do not know.
I look all over the Internet for old shortwave archives. Old AFRTS broadcasts would be a goldmine.
Ahhhh...Robin Williams had some serious mental conditions that most likely altered his mind to the point of madness.
Thanks for the trip back to the 50s/early 60s...
One thing that clicked in me immediately when Williams died was that Jonathan Winters had just died the previous year and the two of them were very close.
See post 20.
Williams didn’t want to go through dying from Parkinson’s disease alone.
I thought it was much worse than just Parkinsons.
Great links. Thanks!
Jonathan Winters had a severe case of Parkinson’s.
As far as Williams knew, his own would be as bad.
By the time information on the Parkinson’s disease diagnosis was released, a lot of speculations had been made. Those weren’t necessarily accurate.
Hasn’t Michael J. Fox had Parkinson’s for years?
I listened to AFVN-FM in Vietnam. AFVN-AM was all rock & roll, but AFVN-FM played easy listening during the day, and classical at night. Still have some cassettes of easy listening which my Dad recorded.
Adrian Cronauer had quite a life after Vietnam helping vets. RIP.
As I recall part of that was also based on others who were there at the time including Pat Sajack.
He has. But it took Jonathan Winters out in a shorter time, and it can be a miserable way to die.
"Eddie Kirk here, and Ray Conniff jubilee coming up in just a few moments. I call it a jubilee. Actually, it's a Ray Conniff featurette. Three, maybe four, back-to-back Ray Conniff classics."
As a kid who had to endure my Dad playing Ray Conniff albums ad nauseum, I could relate.
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