The name Tommy Bartlett is synonymous with Wisconsin Dells, water skiing, and family entertainment. Each summer for sixty-seven years, the Tommy Bartlett Show on Lake Delton thrilled visitors three times daily with a ninety-minute production consisting of high-speed boats, water ski stunts, and themed stage and sky performances. In addition to performing in the Dells, the show traveled across the country and abroad to appear at expositions and world’s fairs. In total, an estimated 18,700 water ski shows entertained about thirty million visitors from 1952 to 2019.1
Thomson “Tommy” Bartlett was born July 11, 1914, in Milwaukee, the son of Ferdinand Bartlett, an insurance agent, and Elizabeth Thomson Bartlett, who owned a linen shop on North Downer Avenue. Fascinated with technology from an early age, Bartlett began By 1931, Bartlett had been drawn to WBBM in Chicago, where he worked as a staff announcer for CBS Radio. Bartlett found fame in hosting radio programs such as and , during which he interviewed homemakers and promoted household products. By 1941, Bartlett was an established Chicago media personality. He announced multiple radio soap operas daily as well as the signature radio and television show .
