Lou Steele

Last updated
Louis J. (Lou) Steele
BornLouis Ferraioli
(1928-03-07)March 7, 1928
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died February 25, 2001(2001-02-25) (aged 72)
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Years active 1952-1990

Louis J. "Lou" Steele [1] (March 7, 1928 – February 25, 2001) was an American actor, radio, and television announcer.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Actor person who acts in a dramatic or comic production and works in film, television, theatre, or radio

An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is ὑποκριτής (hupokritḗs), literally "one who answers". The actor's interpretation of their role—the art of acting—pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is "playing themselves", as in some forms of experimental performance art.

Radio technology of using radio waves to carry information

Radio is the technology of signalling or communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to an antenna which radiates the waves, and received by a radio receiver connected to another antenna. Radio is very widely used in modern technology, in radio communication, radar, radio navigation, remote control, remote sensing and other applications. In radio communication, used in radio and television broadcasting, cell phones, two-way radios, wireless networking and satellite communication among numerous other uses, radio waves are used to carry information across space from a transmitter to a receiver, by modulating the radio signal in the transmitter. In radar, used to locate and track objects like aircraft, ships, spacecraft and missiles, a beam of radio waves emitted by a radar transmitter reflects off the target object, and the reflected waves reveal the object's location. In radio navigation systems such as GPS and VOR, a mobile receiver receives radio signals from navigational radio beacons whose position is known, and by precisely measuring the arrival time of the radio waves the receiver can calculate its position on Earth. In wireless remote control devices like drones, garage door openers, and keyless entry systems, radio signals transmitted from a controller device control the actions of a remote device.

Contents

Career

Born Louis Ferraioli in 1928, he was an announcer on Armed Forces Radio during the Korean War, and was the voice who informed the troops that their commander, General Douglas MacArthur, had been recalled by President Harry S Truman. Beginning in the 1950s, Lou was an announcer on WNEW-TV Channel 5 out of New York City.

American Forces Network broadcast service operated by the US Armed Forces for US servicemembers, Department of Defense and other US government civilians and their families stationed at bases overseas

The American Forces Network (AFN) is the broadcast service operated by the United States Armed Forces' American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide. The AFN worldwide radio and television broadcast network serves American servicemembers, Department of Defense and other U.S. government civilians and their families stationed at bases overseas, as well as U.S. Navy ships at sea. AFN broadcasts popular American radio and television programs from the major U.S. networks. It is sometimes referred to as the Armed Forces Network. AFRTS, American Forces Network and AFN are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Defense. It is based at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland and is part of the Defense Media Activity.

Korean War 1950–1953 war between North Korea and South Korea

The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border.

Douglas MacArthur U.S. Army general of the army, field marshal of the Army of the Philippines

Douglas MacArthur was an American five-star general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines Campaign, which made him and his father Arthur MacArthur Jr. the first father and son to be awarded the medal. He was one of only five to rise to the rank of General of the Army in the US Army, and the only one conferred the rank of field marshal in the Philippine Army.

Prior to this, he was a staff announcer on radio station WPAT in Paterson, New Jersey. In the late 1980s, Steele was an anchor of a nightly newscast on a low-power television station in New York.

Steele voiced the catch phrase, coined by his announcer-booth colleague Tom Gregory: "It's 10 P.M. Do you know where your children are?" In addition, in the early 1980s Steele voiced another brief public service announcement for the station, "It's 7 P.M. Did you hug your child today?"

Thomas R. (Tom) Gregory was an American radio and television announcer and news anchor.

A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated without charge, with the objective of raising awareness of, and changing public attitudes and behavior towards, a social issue. In the UK, they are generally called 'public information films' (PIFs); in Hong Kong, they are known as 'announcements in the public interest' ('APIs').

While on at WNEW-TV Lou was also the host for the local horror show Creature Features (1969–1973). Known as "The Creep," Lou would appear without the normal make-up or costume typical of horror hosts of the day. He wore sunglasses and a tuxedo and appeared on a plain studio set with harsh lighting. At various times, Lou would conduct contests that involved coming up with trivia questions, made-up quotes spoofing notable horror film titles, or flashing parts of a title at select times throughout that night’s movie. Contest winners were announced on air. [ citation needed ]

Death

Steele died on February 25, 2001, in his home in Paterson, New Jersey, of a heart attack, aged 72.

Filmography

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References

  1. Security Death Index - based on this entry, by the time of his death he had legally changed his surname.