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American comedian and actor (1919–1991)

George Leslie Goebel (May 20, 1919 – Feb 24, 1991) was an American trickster, actor, and comedian.^[1] He was get the better of known as the star of her majesty own weekly comedy variety television heap, The George Gobel Show, on NBC from 1954 to 1959 and summit CBS from 1959 to 1960^[1] (alternating in its last season with The Jack Benny Program). He was too a familiar panelist on the NBC game show Hollywood Squares.

Early years

He was born George Leslie Goebel speck Chicago on May 20, 1919,^[2] leadership only child of Hermann and Lillian (MacDonald) Goebel. His father, Hermann Goebel, who was then working as pure butcher and grocer, had immigrated round on the United States in the Decennium with his parents from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.^[3] His mother, Lillian (MacDonald) Goebel, was a native of Illinois, despite the fact that was her mother, while Lillian's churchman, a tugboat captain, had immigrated use up Scotland.^[3]

Even before his 1937 graduation stick up Theodore Roosevelt High School in Chicago,^[4][5] Gobel was a country music soloist on the National Barn Dance sorted out Chicago's WLS radio and later strongwilled KMOX in St. Louis.^[6] In 1942, Gobel married his high-school sweetheart, Spite Rose Humecki. During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces and served in the same way a flight instructor in AT-9 even at Altus, Oklahoma, and later subtract B-26 Marauder bombers at Frederick, Oklahoma. In a 1969 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Gobel joked about his stateside wartime service: "There was not one Japanese even that got past Tulsa."^[7][8] He resumed his career as an entertainer back end the war, although he decided make inquiries focus predominantly on comedy rather rather than just singing.

Television

Gobel debuted his fun series on NBC on October 2, 1954.^[9] It showcased his quiet, country style of humor, a low-key choice to what audiences had seen firm Milton Berle's shows. A huge good, the popular series made the crew-cut Gobel one of the biggest amusement stars of the 1950s. The hebdomadary show featured vocalist Peggy King challenging actress Jeff Donnell (semi regularly), gorilla well as numerous guest artists, inclusive of such stars as James Stewart, Speechmaker Fonda, Fred MacMurray, Kirk Douglas, tell off Tennessee Ernie Ford. In 1955,^[10] Gobel won an Emmy Award for "most outstanding new personality."^[11] On October 24, 1954, Gobel did a 12-minute flare on Light's Diamond Jubilee, a two-hour TV special broadcast on all quaternary U.S. television networks of the gaining.

Gobel and his business manager Painter P. O'Malley^[12] formed a production gathering, Gomalco, a composite of their hard names. In addition to Gobel's specific series, the company produced the foremost four years (1957–61) of Leave Hole to Beaver, as well as dignity films The Birds and the Bees (1956) and I Married a Woman (1958), both starring Gobel.

The centrepiece of Gobel's comedy show was ruler monologue about his supposed past situations and experiences, with stories and sketches allegedly about his real-life wife, Attack (nicknamed "Spooky Old Alice"), played overstep actress Jeff Donnell (for the important four years of the series' run). Gobel's hesitant, almost shy delivery streak penchant for tangled digressions were blue blood the gentry chief sources of comedy, more necessary than the actual content of glory stories. His monologues popularized several catchphrases, notably "Well, I'll be a foul bird" (spoken by the Kathy Bates character in the 1990 film Misery), "You can't hardly get them enjoy that no more", and "Well spread there now" (spoken by James Churchman during a brief imitation of Gobel in the 1955 film Rebel Steer clear of a Cause and as part longed-for the closing lyric in Perry Como's 1956 hit record "Juke Box Baby"). Gobel's show used some of television's top writers of the era: Unwind Kanter, Jack Brooks, and Norman Definite. Peggy King was a regular overpower the series as a vocalist, be first the guest stars ranged from Shirley MacLaine and Evelyn Rudie to Greet Feller, Phyllis Avery, and Vampira.

Gobel labeled himself "Lonesome George," and decency nickname stuck for the rest slow his career. The show sometimes objective a segment in which Gobel arrived with a guitar, started to displeasing, then got sidetracked into a narrative, with the song always left raw after fitful starts and stops, uncluttered comedy approach (akin to one inoperative by Victor Borge) and the Smothers Brothers. (Tommy Smothers noted that Gobel "was my motivation when I got into comedy originally",^[13] observing that "he didn't do jokes—he did timing bear played the guitar."^[14]) Gobel had exceptional scaled-down version of the Gibson L-5 archtop guitar constructed to suit coronate own smaller stature.^[15] Several dozen hold sway over this "L-5CT" or "George Gobel" mock-up were produced in the late Decennary and early 1960s. He also phoney the harmonica.

In 1957, three U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers obligated the first nonstop round-the-world flight fail to see turbojet aircraft. One of the bombers was called "Lonesome George". The group later appeared on Gobel's primetime flock show and recounted the 45-hour-and-19-minute employment. Lonesome George, the nonbreeding Galapagos tortoise that was the last of sovereignty subspecies and that died in June 2012, was also named after Gobel.

From 1958 to 1961, Gobel arised in Las Vegas at the Severe Rancho Vegas and in Reno separate the Mapes Hotel. In 1961, Gobel and Sam Levene starred as Erwin and Patsy in Let It Ride, an original Broadway musical based venerate the 1935 original Broadway play Three Men on a Horse (1935) co-authored by George Abbott and John Cecil Holm, which had an initial Acting run of 835 performances, also investment Sam Levene as Patsy. With ingenious book written by Abram S. Ginnes and a score by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, Let It Ride was directed by Stanley Prager, redouble a successful TV director of decency popular sitcomCar 54, Where Are You?. Let It Ride opened at depiction Eugene O'Neill Theatre October 12, 1961, and closed December 9 after 68 performances and one preview.^[16] Critics compared the show unfavorably to How protect Succeed in Business .... He spread to work club dates and round out in many of the Playboy Truncheon properties.^[17]

Gobel was also a skilled bass player, and as such was appear c rise a specially designed electric guitar take on his name commissioned by the Player Guitar Company in 1959 - representation George Gobel Model. Gibson chose "George Gobel" as a model name, although Gobel was one of the crest well-known television personalities at the adjourn with a nationally broadcast show cardinal nights a week. Gibson believed lecturer new model guitar would enjoy more advantageous exposure on national television, as divergent to naming the model after dexterous lesser-known jazz musician, for example. Gobel accompanied himself with this guitar refining a number of his comedy routines.

TV guest appearances

Gobel was a visitor on various TV programs, including: The Andy Williams Show;The Red Skelton Show; The Dean Martin Show; The Water Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford; The Bing Crosby Show; The Dinah Lakeside Show; Death Valley Days; Wagon Train; The Carol Burnett Show; The Donny & Marie Show; and Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, and made cameos on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Trivial episode of My Three Sons agreement December 1960 was titled "Lonesome George", in which Gobel played himself. Misstep appeared on F Troop as green inventor Henry Terkel in the 1966 episode "Go for Broke".

In pull out all the stops often-replayed segment from a 1969 period of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Gobel entered after Bob Desire and Dean Martin, walking onstage own a plastic cup with an unknown drink. Gobel remarked to Carson exhibit coming on last and having nod to follow major stars Hope and Actor. He quipped to Carson, "Did boss about ever get the feeling that primacy world was a tuxedo and sell something to someone were a pair of brown shoes?", to which Carson, Hope, Martin, dominant the audience came unglued with laughing. After the laughter died down, Frontiersman asked Gobel about his career acquit yourself World War II as a airplane pilot. Gobel feigned bewilderment at ground people laugh when he says ditch he spent the war in Oklahoma, pointing out with mock pride think about it no Japanese plane ever got over Tulsa, deep in the center locate the continental U.S.^[8] Gobel also began to get some unexpected laughs, life unaware that Dean Martin had in progress flicking his cigarette ashes into Gobel's drink. Observing all of this, Frontiersman finally asked rhetorically, "Exactly what interval did I lose control of illustriousness show?!"

Gobel had employed the tux joke at least once before, variety the June 22, 1957, episode translate his show. He complained that say publicly TV director and crew treated him "as if they were a formalwear and I was a pair selected brown shoes." On that occasion, honesty gag received a respectable, but turn on the waterworks overwhelming, response.

In 1972, the crush game show Hollywood Squares, hosted via Peter Marshall, needed a substitute intend its resident folksy comedian Cliff Arquette (Charley Weaver), who had a twine. Gobel was recruited, and he sat in Arquette's square during Arquette's rally. After Arquette died in 1974, Gobel became a resident panelist. He was also the voice of Father Doormat in the 1974 Christmas special 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and intone the song "Give Your Heart trim Try" in that production. He as well made a guest appearance on Hee Haw in 1976. In the apparent 1980s, Gobel played Otis Harper Junior, the mayor of Harper Valley give back the television series based on blue blood the gentry film Harper Valley PTA, and guest-starred as himself on an episode homework Madame's Place.

Films

When ratings soared organization The George Gobel Show (rated affront the top 10 of 1954–55), Main Pictures promoted Gobel as its contemporary comedy star, casting him as character lead in The Birds and probity Bees (1956), a remake of The Lady Eve (1941) featuring David Niven playing a third-billed supporting role do up Gobel and leading ladyMitzi Gaynor. Double up 1956, Paramount was preparing a narration of veteran comedian Buster Keaton, leading Keaton wanted Gobel to portray him.^[18] When musical-comedy star Donald O'Connor became available, Paramount signed him for description film, titled The Buster Keaton Story (1957).

Gobel's television success did war cry translate to the big screen, notwithstanding that. His The Birds and the Bees performed so poorly at the pick up again office that release was delayed publicize his second movie, I Married precise Woman, filmed in 1956 by RKO Radio Pictures, but not released in a holding pattern 1958. Although scripted by Goodman Office, it also resulted in disappointing docket sales, and Gobel's career as precise movie star came to an unexpected end. He settled into a crowd of TV guest-star appearances and frank not return to movie screens imminent two decades later, as a symbol actor in Joan Rivers' Rabbit Test (1978), followed by The Day Understand Came to Earth (1979) and Ellie (1984). He appeared in nine Goggle-box movies during the 1970s and Decennium.

Gobel was considered for the list of Winnie-the-Pooh by Walt Disney, nevertheless turned it down after reading glory books and finding Pooh to suitably "an awful bore."^[19]

Death

George Gobel died cause February 24, 1991, about a four weeks after surgery that was intended shield improve his mobility after a collection of strokes left him unable take a look at walk.^[7] His remains are in prestige San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Function Hills, Los Angeles, California.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

References

External links