James Edward Narz (February 26, 1927 – October 7, 2020), known professionally as Tom Kennedy, was an American television host best known for his work in game shows.
Kennedy attended the University of Missouri and the University of Kentucky.
Kennedy did TV commercial spots for Regal Beer on Ozark Jubilee (later Jubilee USA), an ABC series which ran from 1955 to 1960. He introduced himself as Jim Narz in the commercials.
Radio
While attending the University of Missouri, Kennedy worked at KFRU in Columbia, Missouri. While in Lexington, Kentucky, he worked at WKLX. After moving to Los Angeles, he worked for five years at KPOL and had a part-time job at KGIL. He briefly hosted a talk show, The Real Tom Kennedy Show, in the early 1970s, and appeared as a guest panelist on To Tell the Truth, Hollywood Squares, Liar's Club and other game shows.
As an actor, he made guest appearances on such shows as The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Cannon, That Girl, and Hardcastle and McCormick.
Retirement and death
Kennedy retired in 1989 after several game show pilots produced by his production company failed to sell. In 2003, he appeared on Hollywood Squares during "Game Show Week Part 2".
After a period of ill health, Kennedy died at his home in Oxnard, California, on October 7, 2020, at the age of 93.
Awards
In July 2005, Kennedy and his brother Jack Narz were co-recipients of the Game Show Congress's Bill Cullen Award for Lifetime Achievement. Cullen was a brother-in-law of Narz and Kennedy.
See also
- List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area