allDAY

For 30 years, irrepressible Willard Scott has brightened America's morning on TODAY. Here's a look at his long career, from radio to Ronald McDonald, weatherman to well-wisher to centenarians.

A smile was his umbrella

For 30 years, irrepressible Willard Scott has brightened America's morning on TODAY. Here's a look at his long career, from radio to Ronald McDonald, weatherman to well-wisher to centenarians.

Willard Scott began working as a TV weatherman in 1970 on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. He became the TODAY show weatherman a decade later.

— Gallery

75 years young

Willard displays the cake marking his 75th birthday on TODAY in March 2009.

— Heidi Gutman / Episodic

Plaza sweet

Willard greets TODAY fans on the Plaza in July 2007. In 1983, Willard began giving on-air birthday greetings to centenarians, a tradition that continues today.

•Ask Willard Scott to celebrate your loved ones live on TODAY! Here’s everything you need to know to submit a birthday request.

— Heidi Gutman / Episodic

...and hello to Meredith

Matt Lauer (at left edge of photo), Willard Scott and Gene Shalit welcome Meredith Vieira on her first day as a TODAY co-anchor, Sept. 13, 2006.

— Virginia Sherwood / Episodic

Bye to Bryant...

Standing from left, Al Roker, Katie Couric, Bryant Gumbel, Matt Lauer and Willard Scott applaud the seated Bryant Gumbel during Gumbel's last TODAY show on Jan. 3, 1997. Gumbel had been a TODAY anchor for 15 years.

— Behind the Scenes

Sporty at 40

From left, Gene Shalit, Bryant Gumbel, Deborah Norville, Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs, Jane Pauley, Katie Couric, Willard Scott and Tom Brokaw toast the 40th anniversary of TODAY in 1992.

— Ken Regan / Event

Willard Scott flips his wig, in this promotional photo from about 1992.
(It didn't really matter... he only wore the thing about half the time anyway.)

Flipping his wig

During the 1980s Willard would wear a hairpiece when appearing on TODAY in New York, but he often dispensed with it while on the road. This promotional photo from about 1992 spoofs the practice.

—

Willard Scott meets General Norman Schwarzkopf. This photo is obviously from the 1991 Persian Gulf War era, during Operation Desert Storm. Judging by the smiles, it was taken after the struggle was clearly going our way.

In the Army now

Willard salutes General Norman Schwarzkopf during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

—

In 1990, Arnold Schwarzenegger was appointed chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Here we see Willard Scott discussing fitness tips with Arnold.

Going to waist

Arnold Schwarzenegger assesses the state of Willard's waistline in 1990, when the future governor of California was chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

—

Willard posed for a Florida grapefruit promotional piece in 1988, celebrating the 100th year of Florida baseball spring training. This photo appeared on a leaflet containing the spring training schedule, plus recipies for Grapefruit Surprise and Tampa Grapefruit Pie. \"Watch carefully to avoid burning,\" it says! Photo by Jerry Perkins.

Willard posed for a Florida grapefruit promotional piece in 1988, celebrating the 100th year of Florida baseball spring training. This photo appeared on a leaflet containing the spring training schedule, plus recipies for Grapefruit Surprise and Tampa Grapefruit Pie. \"Watch carefully to avoid burning,\" it says!

Play ball -- er, grapefruit

Willard Scott poses for a Florida grapefruit promotion in 1988, celebrating the 100th year of Florida baseball spring training.

—

Jane Pauley, Willard Scott and Bryant Gumbel celebrated the program's 35th anniversary on Saturday, January 31 1987. The program made its debut in January 1952.

Happy 35th

On Jan. 31, 1987, Willard joined TODAY anchors Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel to celebrate the show's 35th anniversary.

—

Care to join us?

Willard shared the spotlight with the Care Bears during the 1983 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

— Alan Singer / Event

Willard Scott, the weatherman of the NBC TV Today Show, performs a Carmen Miranda impersonation during the show on Monday, August 20, 1983, in New York City, in exchange for a $1000 donation to the USO. (AP Photo)

What a drag

In exchange for a $1,000 contribution to the USO, Willard agreed to perform an impersonation of samba singer Carmen Miranda on TODAY in August 1983.

— David Pickoff / AP

Happy Thanksgiving

In addition to being the TODAY show weatherman, Willard also contributed to NBC's long-running TV coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here he interviews the musical Pointer Sisters during the event in 1982.

— Event

Willard Scott poses with Smokey the Bear in this poster from the Virginia Department of Forestry, circa 1982.

An interesting side note: Smokey's radio and TV voice was provided by Jackson Weaver, half of the WMAL radio team Harden and Weaver. As the Joy Boys entertained Washington DC at night on WRC, Harden and Weaver provided comic relief during morning hours on WMAL. You can read their story in On The Radio, published in 1983 by William Morrow and Company, with a foreword written by Willard Scott.

Grin and bear

Willard Scott poses with Smokey Bear in this poster from the Virginia Department of Forestry, circa 1982.

—

NBC \"Today Show\" weatherman Willard Scott., left, makes his singing debut on the television show \"Hee Haw\" with country star Roy Clark during taping of the show in Nashville, Oct. 18, 1982. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Country crooner

Willard guest-starred on long-running country-music TV show Hee Haw in 1982, singing a number accompanied by Roy Clark on guitar.

— Mark Humphrey / AP

Tom and Willard

Tom Brokaw co-anchored TODAY during Willard's early days on the show. Brokaw left TODAY for NBC Nightly News in April 1982.

— Behind the Scenes

First lady Nancy Reagan autographs a leg cast worn by Tony Taylor, 17, a motorcycle accident victim, during a visit to Children's Hospital in Washington Friday, Dec. 18, 1981. Accompanying Mrs. Reagan on her rounds was Santa Claus, better known as Willard Scott, popular weatherman on NBC's \"Today\" show. (AP Photo)

Jolly old St. Willard

Nancy Reagan autographs a cast worn by a young accident victim during a December 1981 visit to Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. Accompanying the then-first lady was TODAY weatherman Willard Scott, costumed as Santa Claus.

— J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Black & white photo of Willard Scott as the first Ronald McDonald.

Burger meister

Having played Bozo the Clown on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., from 1959 to 1962, Willard Scott then appeared in three 1963 McDonald's TV commercials that were the first TV ads to feature Ronald McDonald. In his book Joy of Living, Scott says he created the character.

—

Every Christmas, the Joy Boys show moved upstairs to the WRC lobby to raise money for the station's charity fund, the Doll House. Here are a couple of pictures from one Christmas season. You can also listen to this sound clip from the 1966 Doll House shows. More on our Audio page.

http://www.thejoyboys.com/sound/d304t5.mp3

Radio active

From 1955 to 1972, Willard co-hosted "Joy Boys," a highly popular nightly radio show on WRC-AM, NBC's radio station in Washington, D.C.

•Listen to a sound clip from the 1966 Doll House shows.

—

Here are two long-lost pictures, given to your webmaster by Willard around 1969 (but taken much earlier). It's a very small world... the dining-room photo was taken at our next-door neighbor's house in Arlington Virginia. Willard used to visit her there, many years before my family lived next door to her, and long before we met the Joy Boys.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Even his early photos show that Willard was destined for great things -- and also destined, unfortunately, to lose his handsome head of hair.

—

1/21