Legendary announcer Don Pardo may finally have his Saturday nights back.
It's believed that Pardo is looking at stepping down after 35 years as the voice of "Saturday Night Live."
Pardo, of course, first retired in 2004, but was convinced to come back. He also announced his retirement in 2009, only to return to announce the show's 2009-2010 season. Until next week's 35th season premiere of "Saturday Night Live," anything's possible.
But for now, many believe that Pardo, at age 92, is ready to call it a good night.
Pardo travels each week to New York from his Arizona home to announce the show. Should Pardo once again decide to return to "SNL," his other options include cutting the plane ride and instead doing voiceovers via a home studio (something he tried briefly in 2006).
Pardo has served as a good luck charm of sorts to "Saturday Night Live" exec producer Lorne Michaels. Pardo was there from the first show, and other than a brief period in the early 1980s (when Michaels had departed as well), he has been the show's announcer ever since.
Pardo became the first announcer to be inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame, an honor he received earlier this year. His credits also include shows from the early days of television, such as "The Jonathan Winters Show," on to game shows like the original versions of "The Price is Right" and "Jeopardy."
Pardo has also been seen occasionally on screen on "SNL" (participating in a famous 1976 Frank Zappa music performance, for example). Recently, he was seen in an episode of "30 Rock."
Pardo first joined NBC as an in-house announcer in 1944.
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