Wednesday, Sept. 23, 1998 | 10:52 a.m.
Bob Glinski, who was living in Cleveland during World War II, wanted to somehow join the war effort after his beloved homeland of Poland was conquered by the German blitzkrieg in the fall of 1939.
The U.S. government sought Glinski's service as a spy because he spoke fluent German. He trained in 1941 to work in U.S. Intelligence, but a double hernia prevented him from parachuting behind enemy lines, and he was turned down.
Undaunted by that setback, Glinski, who came to the United States from Poland in early 1939 to spend just one year learning about exporting, made America his home and became a success story in the business and entertainment worlds.
Bogdan "Bob" Glinski, who from the mid-1950s to 1980 ran three Southern Nevada auto dealerships and became a household name for hosting local late night movies for a quarter of a century, has died. He was 81.
Glinski died Friday at his longtime Franklin Avenue home.
Visitation for the Southern Nevada resident of 44 years will be from noon to 3 p.m. today at Palm Mortuary on Eastern Avenue. A private graveside service will follow.
Glinski, who never lost his trademark heavy Polish accent, talked in a 1977 interview about his popularity that grew from his late night appearances starting on KLAS-TV in 1955: "I don't know why, but kids love me. They tell their families to be quiet when I come on. Maybe it's my voice."
His popular TV commercial signature line at first was: "Come see us r-r-r-right downtown in Boulder City," when he owned a Dodge-Plymouth dealership there in the late 1950s.
In the 1960s, the television slogan was shortened to "r-r-r-right downtown" to advertise his Mercedes Benz-Rolls Royce dealership at 1635 E. Fremont St. from 1960-64 and his Datsun dealership at 3055 E. Fremont St. from 1964-80.
The late Dan Rowan, of the comedy team of Rowan and (Dick) Martin, saw one of those commercials and hired Glinski for the pilot of his mid-1970s' "Rowan and Martin Report," which was similar to the duo's hit 1960s' TV show "Laugh In."
In a skit, Glinski portrayed a Polish man who was upset with then-popular Polish jokes. He did his bit in one take. Though the pilot was not picked up, Glinski for a brief period became a nationally recognized personality who was lampooned by stars including Johnny Carson on the "Tonight Show."
Born Dec. 18, 1916, in Cologne, Germany, Glinski was raised in Poland. His father was president of Prudential Life Insurance of Poland. His family's fortune was wiped out by the war.
In Poland, Glinski was a law student at Warsaw University and an officer in the cavalry reserves, but his first job in America was as a Cleveland meat wholesaler, earning $6 a week.
In 1943, he met Ruth Baird, of Holly, Mich., whom he married in 1943. She preceded him in death in 1982.
After brief stays in Arizona and California, the Glinskis moved to Boulder City in 1954. In the 1960s, he ran unsuccessfully for county treasurer and the Nevada Assembly and served on the Democratic Central Committee.
In 1961, Glinski returned to Poland for a visit and saw his parents and sisters for the first time in 22 years. He returned to visit them every year after that for many years. His father lived to be 97, his mother 95.
In 1964, then-Gov. Grant Sawyer named Glinski to a committee that toured Europe to attract industry and tourists to Las Vegas.
In 1967, Glinski was presented with the Americanism Medal by the Daughters of the American Revolution. He called it one of the proudest moments in his life.
For exercise, Glinski swam a half mile everyday well into his 70s.
Among his many civic accomplishments, Glinski was president of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Polish-American Club, Elks, Eagles and Kentucky Colonels. He long sponsored many youth sports teams.
Glinski is survived by two sons, Harvey Glinski and Edward Glinski, both of Las Vegas; two sisters, Bozena Niczko and Ludomira Szuman, both of Poland; and a granddaughter, Barbara Glinski, of Las Vegas.
DONATIONS: In Glinski's memory to St. Judes Ranch for Children or the Sun Camp Fund.
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