#36 "THIS IS LAMONT TILDEN, SPEAKING"

 

                                                                   LAMONT TILDEN

“This is Lamont Tilden, speaking.” For 40 years, that voice ended thousands of CBC radio broadcasts, art and entertainment programmes, and live broadcasts of state events on both radio and television  He was the longest-serving CBC broadcaster from an era when formality and precision in language and personal presentation was the hallmark of the public broadcaster.

Neil Lamont (Monty) Tilden was born into a large family that moved to a farm outside Harriston in 1917 when Lamont was three years old.   In 1929, Harriston was large enough to accommodate a 75.watt AM radio transmitter that a resident had built principally for his own amusement and anyone nearby who chose to listen. (The station only broadcast on Saturday.)  In his teens, Monty worked for a barber across the street in downtown Harriston, and he would never turn down an invitation to play his guitar and sing on the radio. He had a beautiful singing voice, was interested in drama and along with singing in the church choir, he acted in, and produced church, high school and amateur plays. 

A 1946 interview stated that "Monty is very fond of poetry, particularly Shakespeare which he can recite at a moment's notice. As a youngster on his father's farm, he used to sing and recite poetry to the team of horses dragging the plough. That may have had some influence on his voice, but what the horses thought about it, nobody knows."

He was also a fine catcher for the local ball team.

Monty graduated from high school at age 17, but stayed on the family farm until he was 22. At that point, his older brother Bill, recognizing his sibling's talents and potential returned to the farm so Lamont could follow his dreams.

A new job as a spice miller’s apprentice took Lamont to Hamilton which boasted two conventional radio stations—CKOC and CHML. In the early ‘30s, CKOC distinguished itself in producing two dramatic programmes written and performed by Hamilton-area talent—Black Horse Tavern (sponsored by Molson’s), which was succeeded by What Price Loyalty, both networked to stations in Toronto, Montreal and London. Monty set aside his guitar and became a radio actor for both programmes; as a fledgling announcer on CKOC, he began a successful career in radio.

In Hamilton at a local drama group, he met Lilian Williams, a librarian.  He and Lilian married in Montreal on April 4, 1939 and had four children. Lilian, who wrote timely columns for women in The Globe and Mail and Family Herald, died unexpectedly in the 1960s.

                                                                   Monty & Lilian

                                                    Riverside Cemetery, Etobicoke

Later, Monty married Margaret Heap Sangster, a performing pianist.

With the creation of the CBC network in 1936, CKOC began to carry several CBC programmes and from time to time was called upon to originate special programmes for the network. It was while announcing one of these programmes that Monty was “discovered” by T.O.Wicklund, the CBC’s national director of outside broadcasts. Hired on the spot, Monty joined the English-announcing staff of CBM in Montreal on February 12, 1939; he remained there until 1951, working his way up from Junior Announcer to Supervisor of English Language Announcers. These were exciting times, especially during the war years. Monty was the person who first announced to Canadians the outbreak of WW2; his was a steady, informative voice relating both good and bad news.  When Winston Churchill made his famous address to Canadians from the Citadel in Quebec City, Monty and the French-language announcer were the only two people with him.

In Montreal, Monty shared with Toronto announcers the unique role of replacing American commercial announcers on NBC’s top shows imported into Canada. CBC regulations required that all food and drug advertising had to be approved by the Department of National Health and Welfare. This meant that advertising agencies handling these products had to submit commercials often weeks in advance of the broadcasting date for the stamp of approval. Since the American agencies could not meet these deadlines and because the standards in the States were not identical to Canada’s, Canadian-approved commercials had to be inserted in place of the US announcer as he “performed” live on the American network. Exact timing here was essential, and Monty became adept in the art.  Thus, while Ken Carpenter read the Kraft commercials on Bing Crosby’s Thursday show, Monty Tilden was his simultaneous counterpart in Canada. Similarly, Monty was chosen for other US programmes routed through Montreal. Monty’s voice was heard by Canadians on the Texas Star Theatre, the Sunday Chase and Sanborn Hour (Charlie McCarthy), and the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports. In 1938, when Imperial Tobacco’s Light Up and Listen became a Canadian network show, Monty replaced American actor, Peter Donald, as Master of Ceremonies.

In 1946, Lamont was awarded the LaFleche Trophy--bestowed for important contribution to Canadian radio.

In 1951, Monty moved to Toronto and along with other CBC announcers, read the National News on radio. He also was on TV, and in the 60s did the evening TV news; in 1967 he moved to the National Late News.

It is difficult to exaggerate the extent of Lamont’s broadcasting career. He reported on public events, ranging from royal tours, the openings of Parliament and state funerals, to Santa Claus parades. In a time before television, when cooking shows had to be scripted as dramatic performances he could be found in radio kitchens helping create culinary treats. He was also in broadcast studios presenting the country’s great artists such as Glen Gould. Whether a state occasion, a cookery programme or an arts presentation, Lamont’s on-air presentation involved a greater or lesser degree of a dignified voice. The formality might stray a bit, when for example, broadcasting a Santa Claus parade. “And there he is now, the old gentleman himself, with his great white beard and red suit, greeting all the children with a hearty “Merry Christmas” and then rhyming off the names of children who might be listening, including the names of his four children who indeed would be listening.

His presentation on television was both on and off screen. As lead news presenter, he anchored the national news. But he was also heard on “cutaway” Canadian ads on shows originating in the US. In addition, to regular programming, Tilden also anchored hastily arranged news programmes, now styled “Breaking News”; the most notable was the CBC’s lengthy television broadcast a few hours following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. In the later years of Tilden’s career, he presented two major radio music programmes; the weekly “Folk Sounds” devoted to important Canadian folk music and a late-afternoon week-day music programme that was a boon to listeners stuck in congested “after work” traffic.

                                          Tilden announcing the death of President Kennedy

Monty rarely “flubbed” a scripted line. But if he did, he quickly recovered with an apology. One example was expressed on another “breaking news” item: the launching of Sputnik, the first man-made item sent into orbit around the Earth. Having said that the satellite was in “an electric orbit”, he quickly corrected himself with his usual aplomb and an apology to the listener. “I’m sorry. That’s an elliptical orbit.” Perhaps he was apologizing or covering up for the news writer.

Both on and off radio, he continued his love of music. In 1958, Folkways Radio produced an album of Folk Songs of Ontario where Lamont provided his rendition of The Murder of F.C.Benwell, a ballad about a man who wrote of his own execution.

                                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk2LrObmEpw

Though Monty retired from broadcasting in the 1970s, he continued to work with the CBC as a language counsellor, not only instructing “newcomers” on the proper use of the Queen’s English, but also giving important lessons on breathing, how to do it and when to do it without impeding the flow of speech. One of his students, Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson, went on to use his counsel in reading The Speech from the Throne. Among papers retained by his family are scripts that contain his pencilled markings on emphasis and breathing. "Some might say he was Old School, except the values he taught aren't dated. Write clearly. Speak clearly. And practice."

Monty Tilden retired from the CBC with hundreds of happy memories, certainly the highlight of which was being presented a number of times to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.  Not bad for a smalltown boy!

Monty died on August 8^th, 2011 in Toronto, shortly after celebrating his 98^th birthday.

                                       Monty (left) with his 100 year old brother,  Bill Tilden 

                                            

Monty's daughter, Linda later wrote: "It is timely that you talk of Monty in this year of celebration of the CBC. To me he embodied many of the Goals and Aspirations of the Organization. His beautiful voice and excellent English came into Canadian homes, first over Radio and then delivering the News on Television  for many  years. He was a part of many families. He was the one who delivered the news, whatever it may be, in a clear way. We could always count on it being accurate and unbiased. It was a pleasure too to listen to his beautiful choice of music in the programmes he produced and presented over the years. And he was there when the major events of our lives over 40years occurred -WW2, Royal Visits, The Death of Kennedy, and many, many others. Always, he was the voice of the CBC. We could count on it to be the best. Those are still the goals of the Organization, I should imagine."

 

NEIL LAMONT TILDEN

                b. Aug. 3, 1913 in Oxford North, Ontario

                m. Lilian Williams (1910-1966) on April 4, 1939 in Montreal

                m. Margaret Heap Sangster

                d. Aug 8, 2011 in Toronto

brother-in-law of 1st cousin 1X removed (Kelly-Homuth line)

Thanks to Mike Reidt and Willa Wick.