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Ronnie Mansfield

Ronnie Mansfield, (born Ronald Thomas Mansfield, Jan, 16, 1909-Died 1974 ) was an American radio personality (of Irish decent) whose career spanned from 1925-through the early 1950's. Mansfield was a regular tenor on Fibber McGee and Molly and a star on the National weekly NBC radio show "The House by the Side of the Road". Mansfield was tenor in Herbie Kay's Orchestra and headlined at the World Fair in 1939 with his group "The Bachelors" and George Olsen and his Orchestra. Mansfield toured with and was the featured tenor in George Olsen's Orchestra, also touring Europe with Ethel Shutta just before World War ll. Among the station's Ronnie was featured talent on were NBC, NBC/KFI Los Angeles, KHJ Los Angeles, WLW Cincinnati, KLZ Denver and WEEL Boston.

Early Career

Ronnie Mansfield was discovered in the spring of 1925, while delivering milk in his hometown of Reading, Massachusetts. Young girls began to call the local radio stations to report a young teenage milkman who was singing door to door.

Mansfield soon moved to Boston. It was there he teamed up with Inglis Van Budkirk, known as “Van” and the two became known as “Ronnie and Van, the music hall boys”, who combined comedic sketches, songs and rich harmonies to create an act that would propel them to national fame. They would work together and independently for many years.

Mansfield was vocally trained by Vittorio Trevisan, famous coach of operatic stars and was the host/tenor on a program series emanating from WEEL. Representatives of Bababan and Katz, then hired Ronnie to perform for Chicago theater-goers, for a series of appearances at B and K cinemansions and he also played at The Drake, Stevens, and Edgewater Beach Hotel. It was in Cincinnati that Mansfield met the popular young baton-maestro, Herbie Kay, who conducted his orchestra nightly in the Marine dining room. Mansfield met the love of his life Harriett Bowker, who was also featured in the show Mansfield was starring in at Drake Hotel (Chicago) . Harriet, a chorus line dancer was touring with Olsen and Johnson and the couple were married at The Drake before the show engagement was over.

The spring of 1936 found the contracts of Kay and Mansfield near their end. Scheduled to fill an engagement in Denver, Kay asked Mansfield to join his band to share lyric honors with petite Shirley Lloyd. His acceptance brought Mansfield to Denver that June.

When Fibber McGee and Molly were casting about for a suitable voice to round out the musical portion of a new series of programs, Mansfield was chosen from dozens who auditioned. This highly successful program was followed by “The House by the Side of the Road,”, a Coast-to-Coast presentation of the tremendously popular Tony Wons.

Mansfield was then hired by Radio City Music Hall for a contract that was supplanted by a contract to appear in RKO theaters throughout New England, New Jersey and New York.

Mansfield followed his Radio City contract with a run at Park Central in New York City, where the popular Ozzie Nelson and his band were featured. Engagements followed at the New Yorker, in a show headed by Clyde Lucas and his California Dons, and at the Village Barn, popular night-time rendezvous in the Big City. Then he left New York to move to Denver to host his own show on KLZ.

Following his KLZ contract, Mansfield had a show on WLW in Cincinnati where he and Harriett had their first child Maureen in 1943. Maureen was named after Maureen O'Hara who was a friend and guest of Ronnie Mansfield and was present and stood with the couple at Maureen Mansfield's christening.

Family Life

Mansfield was drafted to serve in World War ll in 1943 and left Cincinnati for CA to be trained and while on route suffered a bleeding stomach ulcer and almost died. Released from the army, the family settled in North Hollywood and Ronnie took a job with NBC/KFI radio. Ronnie and Harriett had another child Ronald Daniel Mansfield (Danny) and the family remained in Southern Ca. Ronnie Mansfield died of stomach cancer in 1974. His wife Harriett died in 2005 at the age of 90.

Legacy

Ronnie and Harriett Mansfield's legacy continues through their two children, five grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and six great great grandchildren. Daughter Maureen Mansfield Carlson died in 1998 and Ronald Mansfield (Danny) is retired from telecommunications. Ronnie Mansfield's musical legacy continues through his grandaughter recording artist Christina Duane and his grandchildren.

References

{{Boston Young Men's News May 29th 1930, Radio City Music Hall Week Ending November 9th 1933, Radio Guide the National Weekly Week Ending December 6th 1936, Billboard Magazine November 7, 1942, Denver Post Novemember 18, and 20, 1936, Radio Life March 17, 1946, and October 1, 1946, Life in Boston by Fred Emery 1943, Riviting Riffs Magazine, Mail Tribune December 4th 2009, Variety, February 8,1939, Radio and Television Mirror, June 1942, Cincinnati Time Star RadaOpinions August 1943}}

External links

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