Dominick George “Don” Pardo Jr. (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenure with NBC, working as the announcer for early incarnations of such notable shows as The Price Is Right, Jackpot, Jeopardy!, Three on a Match, Winning Streak and NBC Nightly News. His longest, and best-known, announcing job was for NBC’s Saturday Night Live, a job he held for 38 seasons, from the show’s debut in 1975 until his death in 2014. Early life Pardo was born in Westfield, Massachusetts. His parents, Dominick George Sr. and Valeria “Viola” Rominak-Pardo, were immigrants from Poland who owned a bakery. He spent his childhood in Norwich, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Emerson College in 1942…
They wanted him on SNL because the target audience had grown up hearing his voice. It was supposed to be funny, having someone associated with the blandest shows announcing for the degenerate antics of stoners like Belushi and ignorant sluts like Jane Curtain.