Bob Courtney (31 October 1922 – 24 October 2010) was a British-born South African actor and broadcaster. He appeared in more than twenty film roles and worked as an on-air presenter and broadcaster on Springbok Radio.[1] Additionally, Courtney co-founded Radio Today in 1996.[1]
Courtney was born Christopher Robert Courtney Leaver on 31 October 1922, in Dorset, England, UK.[1] He trained as an accountant. A self-taught pianist, he was drafted into the Royal Air Force's entertainment corps as an entertainer during World War II.[2] [1] Courtney served as an RAF entertainer in North Africa, Greece and Italy.[1] He met two South African entertainers, Siegfried Mynhardt and Uys Krige, in Rome, Italy, near the end of World War II. Krige and Mynhardt persuaded Courtney to move to South Africa.[1]
Courtney emigrated to South Africa in 1946 and began working at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in 1947, using the shortened name Bob Courtney.[1] He hosted many of the SABC's most well-known radio shows during the 1940s.[1]
In 1950, Courtney began hosting the Welcome Little Stranger children's show on the now defunct Springbok Radio.[1] His radio name on the show was "Uncle Bob."[1] However, his most famous job at Springbok Radio was hosting the hugely popular quiz show Pick a Box, which aired for fourteen years from 1960 until 1974.[1] Courtney toured South Africa with the show throughout its airing, attracting large crowds of fans.[1] In one instance, the Mayor of East London sent a limousine to meet Courtney at the East London Airport, where he had arrived to host Pick a Box in the city.[1] Courtney broadcast Pick a Box from a variety of unusual locations including Antarctica, the Cango Caves, the Union-Castle Line and a mine shaft.[1] The popular radio show ended in 1974. Pick a Box was briefly resurrected as a television quiz show in the 1980s with Courtney once again as its host. However, the TV version was not a hit and was quickly cancelled.[1]
Courtney's other shows on Springbok Radio included the Eyegene Jackpot game show, which aired from the 1950s until the 1970s, and Stop the Music, which aired for ten years.[1] He also launched the Springbok show Greet the Bride, which would air for five days per week for twenty years on the radio.[1] He attempted to reopen Springbok Radio after the station was closed in 1985.[1] However, the South African Broadcasting Corporation decided against the relaunch of Springbok Radio in 1994, citing financial concerns.[1]
Courtney also co-founded a radio station, Radio Today, in 1996 with former Springbok Radio broadcaster Peter Lotis.[2] The station's targeted audience were listeners in their 50s and older.[1] The station attracted more than 70,000 listeners, but did not attract advertisers.[1] Courtney hired a financial adviser, who saved Radio Today, though Courtney disagreed with some of the station's new financial and creative directions.[1] He retired from Radio Today in 2008.[1]
Courtney's acting career spanned several decades and included more than twenty film credits.[1] His film roles included Lord Oom Piet in 1962, Kruger Millions, All the Way to Paris, Dingaka and Hans en die Rooinek.[2] He was also a founding member of the South Africa National Theatre. In the 1980s, he ran a steakhouse in Johannesburg.
Bob Courtney died in Johannesburg at the age of 87 on 24 October 2010, just one week before what would have been his eighty-eighth birthday.[2] [1] His funeral was held at the St. Martin's-in-the-Veld Anglican Church in Dunkeld, Gauteng.[2] Courtney was survived by his wife, Yvonne, and their two children.[1]