Growing up, Bert Convy’s only love was baseball.
Bert Convy was amiable, affable, friendly, and just a nice guy to talk to. He was also an athlete for a brief time in his teenage years. Though many remember him as a widely known game show host, Convy was a minor league baseball player for just about a year. This month, let’s remember Bert Convy on what would’ve been his 93rd birthday.
Born Bernard Whalen Convy in St. Louis, Missouri, he moved to Los Angeles with his family at age 7. He spent his formative years at North Hollywood High School, where he excelled in baseball. “My only love at that time was baseball,” Convy said while growing up in the San Fernando Valley.
After graduating from high school, the Philadelphia Phillies offered him a contract, and he played two years of Minor League Baseball in 1951 and 1952. Convy played with three minor league teams, including the Klamath Falls Gems, the Miami Eagles, and the Salina Blue Jays.
Although Convy played as well as he could, he didn’t post eye-popping stats. Overall, Convy played in 38 games, posted a .225 batting average with 31 hits, and totaled 11 RBIs in 138 at-bats. Years after playing baseball, Convy realized that baseball was no walk in the park. “I had a lot of fun, but I learned it was a very tough business. Show business is a picnic compared to pro baseball.”
Although Convy struck out as a minor league baseball player, he hit a grand slam as an entertainer. In the 1950s, Convy joined a vocal trio called The Cheers. They had two top 40 hits, thanks to the famous writing duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Their first hit, I Need Your Lovin went to number 15 on the pop charts in 1954.
The following year, they had a bigger hit with Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots, which reached number 6 on the pop charts. In 1964, Convy made his Broadway debut, appearing in the original cast of Fiddler on the Roof. The following year, he starred in the comedy play The Impossible Years. In 1966, Convy helped introduce the musical Cabaret, where he originated the role of Cliff Bradshaw.
Convy also showed his versatility in television and movies. On television, he appeared on many popular shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, Bewitched, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-0, The Partridge Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Murder, She Wrote. He also had a short-lived variety series titled The Late Summer Early Fall Bert Convy Show, which aired in 1976. In movies, he appeared in several titles, including A Bucket of Blood (1959), Susan Slade (1961), The Man in the Santa Claus Suit (1979), and Hero at Large (1980).
He also appeared in a few sports-related movies, including Semi-Tough (1977), starring Burt Reynolds and Paul Hornung. In 1979, he starred in the TV movie Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which starred Bucky Dent. That same year, he starred in Racquet, which starred real-life tennis champions Bobby Riggs and Bjorn Borg. He also appeared in The Cannonball Run (1981), which starred Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder.
Television viewers may remember Convy as a game show panelist and host. During the 1960s and 1970s, Convy was a semi-regular panelist on numerous game shows, including What’s My Line? Match Game, and Password Plus. As a game show host in the 1970s and 1980s, Convy hosted Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose, or Draw. In 1977, as the host of Tattletales, Convy won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host. He also produced Win, Lose, or Draw with his good friend Burt Reynolds through their production company, Burt and Bert Productions.
In the early 1990s, Convy’s health took a turn for the worse. In April of 1990, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and extremely deadly brain cancer. Bert Convy died in 1991, eight days shy of his 58th birthday. He was only 57.
The subject of baseball came up during Convy’s entertainment career, but it was no more memorable than an episode of What’s My Line in 1969. Jackie Robinson was the mystery guest, and after the round was over, Convy tried to dismiss any comparisons. “More than that, don’t put me in the league with Jackie Robinson. Please.”
The host, Wally Bruner, replied, “I’m not putting you in that league. Bert is a great baseball nut and the biggest sports nut in show business.”
