John Cameron Swayze

Bio: John Cameron Swayze was not a movie star, but a pioneering news commentator and a spokesperson for Timex watches whose "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking" became a popular catch phrase during the '60s and '70s. Swayze first entered the public eye in 1949 as a the host of the Camel News Caravan on NBC. Beginning with the line "hopscotching the world for… More Bio: John Cameron Swayze was not a movie star, but a pioneering news commentator and a spokesperson for Timex watches whose "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking" became a popular catch phrase during the '60s and '70s. Swayze first entered the public eye in 1949 as a the host of the Camel News Caravan on NBC. Beginning with the line "hopscotching the world for headlines" Swayze would perform on-air interviews with newsmakers, witness breaking stories and comment upon the days' events. Camel News Caravan replaced the newsreel and became a forerunner of the modern television newscast. The show became quite popular, and Swayze was one of television's first stars. In addition to hosting this show, Swayze appeared on other programs during the early '50s including the NBC quiz show Who Said That? and the kiddie show Watch the World. The news show ended in 1956. Swayze then began doing the Timex commercials. Though over the next 20 years their basic format never changed and Timex watches remained popular, a poker-faced Swayze would stand by, commenting upon some foolish situation or outrageous stunt, which while potentially fatal for the participants, and certainly bad for any average timepiece, would prove the durability of Timex watches. Born in Witchita, Swayze got his start reporting for the Kansas City Journal Post before switching to radio and television. Again, though Swazye was not an actor, he did occasionally make cameo appearances in films, beginning with A Face in the Crowd (1957). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi