HALL, MONTY

HALL, MONTY (Maurice Halperin; 1924– ), Canadian game-show host, producer. The son of a poor butcher, Hall was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Receiving a loan from a local businessman, he was able to attend the University of Manitoba, where he exhibited talent in both musical and dramatic productions and was elected president of the student body. After earning his B.S. in 1945, Hall served in the Canadian Army during World War II, where he emceed a number of army shows. In 1955, he moved to New York, where he worked as an anchor on NBC's radio and television program Monitor. In 1960, CBS brought Hall to Hollywood to become the emcee of their show Video Village and in 1963 Hall partnered with writer-producer Stefan Hatos to create Let's Make a Deal. The show turned out to be a wild success and ran for the next 23 years on all three major American networks, evolving into a pop-culture phenomenon and rendering Hall one of the most famous persons of his era. Throughout the 1970s, Hall emceed his own variety show specials and appeared as a guest on countless television shows such as The Odd Couple and Love Boat. On August 24th, 1973, Hall was immortalized when he received his own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Beyond his television career, Hall's work in philanthropy has earned him over 500 awards, the most prestigious being the Order of Canada Award (the highest award Canada offers) bestowed upon him in 1988 for his humanitarian endeavors. For years, Hall was among the most, if not the most, prominent Hollywood entertainer to be directly involved in the organized Jewish community, contributing generously to the Jewish Federation and participating in synagogue life. Many attributed   his unique participation to the education he had received in the close-knit Jewish community of Manitoba. (Max Joseph (2nd ed.)