Voting Station

Les Crane

Please vote to return to collections.

TV Personality

The Resume

    (December 3, 1933-July 13, 2008)
    Born in Long Beach, New York
    Birth name was Leslie Stein
    Hosted the radio show 'Crane at the hungy i' (1962-63)
    Hosted the late-night talk show 'Night Line with Les Crane,' re-named 'The Les Crane Show' (1963-65)
    Won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording for 'Desiderata' (1971)

Why he might be annoying:

    There is debate about whether he was born on Long Island or in San Francisco.
    The New York Times called him 'the bad boy of late night television' for his confrontational style.
    When his show was moved from 1 AM to 11:30 PM, he became the first of a long list of contenders to take on Johnny Carson and come up short.
    He was married five times and divorced four.
    He later said of the New-Agey 'Desiderata,' 'I can't listen to it now without gagging.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    After spending four years in the Air Force as a jet pilot and helicopter instructor, he wore a bracelet with his Air Force wings as a reminder that 'whatever I'm doing is safer than what I used to do.'
    Highlights of his talk show included the American debut of the Rolling Stones, a rare appearance by Bob Dylan and the first TV interview of an openly gay person, Randy Wicker.
    After leaving show biz, he became chairman of Software Toolworks, which created the successful programs 'Chessmaster' and 'Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 15 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 12 Votes: 41.67% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 27 Votes: 62.96% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 18 Votes: 61.11% Annoying