 In early 1950, he had his first major television exposure as announcer and spokesman for Pabst Blue Ribbon beer on Jackie Gleason's "The Life of Riley".In September 1951, at the beginning of the second television season of "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show", he replaced the first season's announcer Bill Goodwin, who had also announced for the Burns & Allen radio show for many years.Appearing under his own name (as Goodwin had), Harry von Zell continued to play the befuddled friend of the Burns family, and the show-within-a-show's announcer, until 1958, the year of Gracie Allen's retirement and the series' conclusion.