Hal March, born Harold Mendelson, began his career in 1944 as half of the comedy duo Sweeney & March, alongside Bob Sweeney. They had their own radio program, "The Sweeney and March Show," on CBS radio from 1944 to 1948.
March later pursued various acting opportunities, taking small, uncredited roles in movies and appearing on TV shows such as "I Love Lucy" and "The Kate Smith Evening Hour." His breakthrough came when he was hired as one of the four Harry Mortons on "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show," but he lost the part to Fred Clark.
March then teamed up with comedian Tom D'Andrea, and together they made seven appearances on "The Colgate Comedy Hour." His biggest break came when he was hired to host "The $64,000 Question," a popular game show with astronomical prize money.
In 1955, Jack Benny appeared as a contestant on "The $64,000 Question," and in 1957, March was a guest on "The Jack Benny Program," where he tried to win his dollar back. March married Candy Toxton, with whom he had three children, in 1955.
However, "The $64,000 Question" was shut down due to the Quiz Show Scandals. March's career slowed down, but he continued to work, appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and acting in TV shows such as "The Schlitz Playhouse" and "The DuPont Show of the Week."
March also appeared on Broadway in "Two for the Seesaw" and "Come Blow Your Horn." In 1961, he starred in an unsold pilot for a comedy series called "I Married a Dog," which can be found on YouTube.
In the late 1960s, March made guest appearances on various TV shows, including "The Lucy Show" and "The Monkees." He also worked on "A Guide for the Married Man" and guest-hosted "The Tonight Show."
In 1969, March began hosting the game show "It's Your Bet," but after 13 weeks, he complained of exhaustion and was diagnosed with lung cancer. Hal March died on January 19, 1970, at the age of 49, and is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his work in radio and one for his work in television.
