RIP Soupy Sales, 83, comedian

[Wayback]

RIP comedian Soupy Sales, 83, who had a TV show in the 60's (kind of a pre-Pee Wee's Playhouse) and a novelty record in 1965 with "Do the Mouse."  He appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, once with the Beatles. Some may recall he was part of the power lineup of DJ's on WNBC Radio, NYC, in the '80's that included Don Imus, Howard Stern and Wolfman Jack.  I met him in 1983 when he happened to stop by a NJ shop where I worked.  His sons, Hunt and Tony, were musicians in David Bowie's Tin Machine.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/22/entertainment/e203010D47.DTL&tsp=1

Alice Cooper on Soupy's show 1979 (with White Fang too):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJfuWhMQ3Tc&feature=related

Sampling of Soupy's '60's TV show (with Pookie and White Fang):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNv3rVV1mfs&feature=fvw

Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr in a skit from his '60's TV show
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x33fj6_the-soupy-sales-show-frank-sinatra_fun

[urth]

Soupy's kids, Tony and Hunt appearing on unnamed TV show circa 1965, as Tony & the Tigers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-q0p_8QMns

Sporting their best Beatle 'dos and playing some pretty nice gee-tars.

(They would go on to back Todd Rundgren and Iggy Pop prior to joining Bowie in Tin Machine.)

[RGMike]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!     

another part of my childhood gone. Expect a Little Steven tribute to him in the near future.

Do the Mouse, yeah! You can do it in your house, yeah!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGEJuyBdxJA

[RGMike]

[Tinka Cat]

dang,  my heart just took a pie right in the face.

[RGMike]

dang,  my heart just took a pie right in the face.

Go to your dad's wallet... take out those nice green pictures of presidents... put them in an envelope and send 'em to me!

[urth]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!     

another part of my childhood gone. Expect a Little Steven tribute to him in the near future.

Do the Mouse, yeah! You can do it in your house, yeah!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGEJuyBdxJA

Check out this version. Looks like Soupy has to improv for about 3 minutes because someone forgot to cue up the recording.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP1_F9zEF7o

[RGMike]

Someone posted this on another message board. I remembered the "green pictures of presidents" story but I didn't recall this one:

Soupy tried to teach Fang the alphabet. Sales would hold up a card with a letter, Fang would make a grunt, and Sales would say, "that's right, Fang, that's an 'A'." And so on.

He got to "F." Fang makes a grunt. Sales, says, "no, Fang, that's an 'F', not a 'K." They argue a bit and finally Sales throws up his hands and says, "I don't get it, Fang. Every time I show you an F you see K!"

ah, innocent times!

[Wayback]

An AP writer's personal tribute:
Soupy Sales meant pie, dogs, silliness and laughs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_en_tv/us_tv_tribute_soupy_sales_1

[Tinka Cat]

An AP writer's personal tribute:
Soupy Sales meant pie, dogs, silliness and laughs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_en_tv/us_tv_tribute_soupy_sales_1

I can appreciate the sentiment, but that column title is pretty lame.   Kinda Readers' Digest-y. 

The writer ends with "I think, in Soupy's honor, I need a pie. Custard or banana cream?"

... I think those pies were usually shaving cream.  It held up better under the Kleig lights.

[ggould]

this hits very deeply on my childhood level.  I just have this strong, yet non-specific memory of really digging the hell out of him.  I always wished his show would come back.

[Wayback]

Try this link to a link to a tribute by LA Times' Robert Lloyd, better than that AP Writer's Reader's Digest-style article: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/afterword/2009/10/soupy-sales-.html

[Lightnin' Rod]

this hits very deeply on my childhood level.  I just have this strong, yet non-specific memory of really digging the hell out of him.  I always wished his show would come back.

Same here.  But I chalk it up to the same type of adulation I had for Jerry Lewis when I was young.  People making funny faces at the camera is enough when you are young.