Morton Downey Jr.

Morton Downey Jr. (born Sean Morton Downey; December 9, 1932 – March 12, 2001) was an American television talk show host and actor who pioneered the "trash TV" format in the late 1980s on his program The Morton Downey Jr. Show.

Early life

Downey's roots were in show business; his father, Morton Downey, was a popular singer, and his mother, Barbara Bennett, was a stage and film actress and singer and dancer. His aunts included Hollywood film stars Constance and Joan Bennett, and his maternal grandfather was matinée idol Richard Bennett. His wealthy family spent their summers next door to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Downey attended New York University.

Career

Downey worked as a program director and announcer at radio station WPOP in Hartford, Connecticut, in the 1950s. He went on to work as a disc jockey, sometimes using the moniker "Doc" Downey, in various markets around the U.S., including Phoenix (KRIZ), Miami (WFUN), Kansas City (KUDL), San Diego (KDEO) and Seattle (KJR). He had to resign from WFUN after drawing ire from the FCC for announcing a competing disc jockey's home phone number on the air and insulting his wife. Like his father, Downey pursued a career in music, recording in both pop and country styles. He sang on a few records and then began to write songs, several of which were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1958, he recorded "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", which he sang on national television on a set that resembled a dark street with one street light. In 1981, "Green Eyed Girl" charted on the Billboard country chart, peaking at No. 95.