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IMDbPro

Elmer Davis(1890-1958)

  • Writer
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
American writer, commentator and journalist Elmer Davis was born in Aurora, IN, in 1890. He was a Rhodes Scholar to Queen's College in Oxford, England, graduating with an M.A. in 1911. He taught high school in Franklin, IN, for a year. In 1913 he joined the staff of "Adventure" magazine, then got a job with the "New York Times". He left the Times in 1924 to become a freelance writer. In 1939 he was asked by officials at CBS Radio to temporarily take over for radio commentator H.V. Kaltenborn on his broadcast analyzing the war in Europe. His calmness, steadiness, knowledge of the subject and humorous and pithy commentary was a refreshing change for listeners who had tired of the bombastic, excitable, sometimes boorish and usually unctuous behavior of many of the radio commentators of the day, and Davis soon was drawing millions of listeners to the show, making him among the most popular broadcasters on radio.

On June 13, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Davis to head the newly formed Office of War Information (OWI), which was the government's "clearinghouse" regarding all information, official statements and propaganda about the war.
BornJune 13, 1890
DiedMay 18, 1958(67)
BornJune 13, 1890
DiedMay 18, 1958(67)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Awards
    • 1 win total

Known for

Francis Lederer, Grant Mitchell, Ann Sothern, and Fred Stone in My American Wife (1936)
My American Wife
6.3
  • Writer
  • 1936
Charles Ruggles in Friends of Mr. Sweeney (1934)
Friends of Mr. Sweeney
6.3
  • Writer
  • 1934
Times Have Changed (1923)
Times Have Changed
  • Writer(as Elmer Holmes Davis)
  • 1923
Johnny Hines in White Pants Willie (1927)
White Pants Willie
  • Writer
  • 1927

Credits

IMDbPro

Writer



  • Marsha Hunt and John Rodney in Studio One (1948)
    Studio One
    7.6
    TV Series
    • story
    • 1950
  • Francis Lederer, Grant Mitchell, Ann Sothern, and Fred Stone in My American Wife (1936)
    My American Wife
    6.3
    • story
    • 1936
  • Charles Ruggles in Friends of Mr. Sweeney (1934)
    Friends of Mr. Sweeney
    6.3
    • novel
    • 1934
  • Johnny Hines in White Pants Willie (1927)
    White Pants Willie
    • serial
    • 1927
  • Reginald Denny and Marian Nixon in I'll Show You the Town (1925)
    I'll Show You the Town
    7.4
    • novel (as Elmer Holmes Davis)
    • 1925
  • Times Have Changed (1923)
    Times Have Changed
    • novel (as Elmer Holmes Davis)
    • 1923

Actor



  • The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
    The Day the Earth Stood Still
    7.7
    • Elmer Davis - Commentator (uncredited)
    • 1951
  • Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (1950)
    Pulitzer Prize Playhouse
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Narrator
    • 1950

Personal details

  • Alternative name
    • Elmer Holmes Davis
  • Born
    • June 13, 1890
    • Aurora, Indiana, USA
  • Died
    • May 18, 1958
    • Washington, District of Columbia, USA
  • Spouse
    • Florence MacMillianFebruary 5, 1917 - ? (2 children)
  • Other works
    Book: "But We Were Born Free". Reprint edition. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0837157846.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Article
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

  • Trivia
    News commentator for CBS (1939-41) and ABC Radio (1945-53).
  • Nickname
    • Hoosier Daddy

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