Everett Mitchell

Radio Host Born March 15, 1898 in Austin, Ill.

Pioneer radio announcer Everett Mitchell was known throughout the U.S. in the 1930s, '40s and '50s as the host of the "National Farm and Home Hour" on NBC.

Mitchell's trademark opening line was, "It's a beautiful day in Chicago."

Mitchell started out as a singer on radio in 1925, but his long career spanned the beginnings of radio to the beginnings of television. Before his retirement in 1967, he was broadcasting his show on WMAQ radio and WMAQ-TV in Chicago.

In 1925, Mitchell auditioned to sing at a new Chicago radio station, WENR. The owner hired him to sing and also do announcing. In 1928 he began broadcasting a local "Farm and Home Hour" on WENR.

NBC bought the station, and by 1930 had plans to do a similar show on a nationwide network. Mitchell and 25 other announcers auditioned for the show. Mitchell got the job "because he was the only person in the 26 who could describe the difference between a strawstack and a haystack," said longtime friend and biographer Richard Crabb.

Mitchell did half of his shows from farm locations, and by 1953, he had traveled almost 2 million miles and had visited all of the then-48 states in the union and 44 countries.

— Jerry Crimmins in the Chicago Nov. 11, 1990