Another to add to the sadly-growing list for the year...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33442972/ns/entertainment-celebrities/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33442972/ns/entertainment-celebrities/
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Obit: Soupy Sales, 83
- Thread starter easttxtv
- Start date
Another icon of my youth gone. <SIGH> Soupy's been ill for quite some time, though, so this is no big shock -- I've been expecting his imminent demise for several years.
As I've mentioned before, I grew up in suburban Joisey back when WNEW (now WNYW) produced dozens of hours of local kidvid every week. Guys like Soupy, Sandy Becker, Chuck McCann, and Sonny Fox were god-like figures to a grade school kid like me. I even remember bugging my mother until she put together an outfit like Soupy's for me (black v-neck sweater, white shirt, polka-dot bow-tie).
In later years, I was considerably less worshipful of the Prince of Pies, as age and maturity allowed me to see how corny a hack Soupy could be in his later non-kiddie career. A pleasant enough figure on game shows and the like, but hardly cutting-edge when it came to stand-up and such. And he had the annoying habit of reflexively laughing at his own jokes, which grated on me. (A trait he shared with Steve Allen, though in Steverino's case, his considerable other talents and obvious intellect ameliorated my discomfort.)
Never heard any of Soupy's radio work. I'll have to trawl the aircheck websites and see if I can hear a few samples of Soupy as a DJ. What an odd sandwich he must have made on WNBC-FM in the 80's, slotted between Stern and Imus.
As I've mentioned before, I grew up in suburban Joisey back when WNEW (now WNYW) produced dozens of hours of local kidvid every week. Guys like Soupy, Sandy Becker, Chuck McCann, and Sonny Fox were god-like figures to a grade school kid like me. I even remember bugging my mother until she put together an outfit like Soupy's for me (black v-neck sweater, white shirt, polka-dot bow-tie).
In later years, I was considerably less worshipful of the Prince of Pies, as age and maturity allowed me to see how corny a hack Soupy could be in his later non-kiddie career. A pleasant enough figure on game shows and the like, but hardly cutting-edge when it came to stand-up and such. And he had the annoying habit of reflexively laughing at his own jokes, which grated on me. (A trait he shared with Steve Allen, though in Steverino's case, his considerable other talents and obvious intellect ameliorated my discomfort.)
Never heard any of Soupy's radio work. I'll have to trawl the aircheck websites and see if I can hear a few samples of Soupy as a DJ. What an odd sandwich he must have made on WNBC-FM in the 80's, slotted between Stern and Imus.
Sonny Fox was head of kids' programming at NBC for a year
or two in the late '70s; since then he has organized seminars
on various aspects of television programming (IIRC, Susan Lucci
was a panelist on his soap seminar).
Don't know much about Chuck McCann except that he was the
neighbor who shared a medicine cabinet and mirror with Bill Fiore
in those Right Guard commercials circa late '60s/early '70s.
or two in the late '70s; since then he has organized seminars
on various aspects of television programming (IIRC, Susan Lucci
was a panelist on his soap seminar).
Don't know much about Chuck McCann except that he was the
neighbor who shared a medicine cabinet and mirror with Bill Fiore
in those Right Guard commercials circa late '60s/early '70s.
bpatrick said:
Chuck McCann has gone on to do many TV guest roles, but he is also a very busy cartoon voice-over artist.
Sandy Becker dropped out of his on-camera kidvid role in the late 60's, but continued to work behind the scenes in children's programming: writing, advising, creating puppets and props, etc. He also turned up in a few commercials in the 70's. Sadly, he is no longer with us, having passed away in 1996.
In addition to his WNBC daily radio show, "The Soup" also for a while had a syndicated program, "The Soupy Sales Mouldy Oldies Show."
I can remember Howard Stern ripping Soup on one of his Letterman visits in the 80's. But anyone who tells kids to send him Mommy and Daddy's little green pieces of paper is the mac daddy.
...by the time WNBC-AM hired Sales, the FM had been WYNY for at least a dozen years...KeithE4 said:
I never did get that postcard from Puerto Rico. RIP Soupy.
I haven't seen any but a passing mention of Soupy's appearances
on game shows, as a regular on syndicated "What's My Line?" and
a frequent guest on such shows as "To Tell The Truth" and "Pyramid."
Soupy showed that he was as intelligent as he was madcap on these
shows, and Gil Fates, in his book on "What's My Line?", talks about
the "show-me" lines that Soupy would use to end the show. For
example, Larry Blyden would say goodbye for Arlene Francis, the
guest male panelist, the guest female panelist, and "Soupy Sales,
who says...", and Soupy would say something like Fates' favorite:
"Show me a country where everyone drives a fuschia automobile
and I'll show you a pink car nation." My favorite is "Show me a girl
who eats lots of sweets and I'll show you a girl who takes up two
seats."
Fates also said that Soupy hated for anyone else to guess the Mystery
Guest. Figuring that the audience might get suspicious when Soupy
came up with the answer right away, he told Wally Bruner and Larry
Blyden to put Soupy on the spot, and he told Soupy to answer truthfully
no matter what. At one taping, one of the Mystery Guests was
comedian Morty Gunty, who yelped and growled like something from
a bad horror movie. Soupy got him right away, and Wally Bruner asked
him how. "I recognized his voice," Soupy replied without batting an
eyelash.
During the Blyden era, a way was found to keep Soupy from guessing
correctly so fast. It was called "Fates' Law," and it said that any panelist
who tried to identify the Mystery Guest and was wrong would be disqualified
for the remainder of the game. It did cut down the number of Soupy's
lightning deductions.
on game shows, as a regular on syndicated "What's My Line?" and
a frequent guest on such shows as "To Tell The Truth" and "Pyramid."
Soupy showed that he was as intelligent as he was madcap on these
shows, and Gil Fates, in his book on "What's My Line?", talks about
the "show-me" lines that Soupy would use to end the show. For
example, Larry Blyden would say goodbye for Arlene Francis, the
guest male panelist, the guest female panelist, and "Soupy Sales,
who says...", and Soupy would say something like Fates' favorite:
"Show me a country where everyone drives a fuschia automobile
and I'll show you a pink car nation." My favorite is "Show me a girl
who eats lots of sweets and I'll show you a girl who takes up two
seats."
Fates also said that Soupy hated for anyone else to guess the Mystery
Guest. Figuring that the audience might get suspicious when Soupy
came up with the answer right away, he told Wally Bruner and Larry
Blyden to put Soupy on the spot, and he told Soupy to answer truthfully
no matter what. At one taping, one of the Mystery Guests was
comedian Morty Gunty, who yelped and growled like something from
a bad horror movie. Soupy got him right away, and Wally Bruner asked
him how. "I recognized his voice," Soupy replied without batting an
eyelash.
During the Blyden era, a way was found to keep Soupy from guessing
correctly so fast. It was called "Fates' Law," and it said that any panelist
who tried to identify the Mystery Guest and was wrong would be disqualified
for the remainder of the game. It did cut down the number of Soupy's
lightning deductions.
K
kirkiefan
Guest
Remember a pop song (and dance) he recorded in 1965 called "The Mouse"?
Soupy's show was never seen in Dayton, Ohio when it only had WHIO, WLWD (now WDTN) and WKEF....however he made a cameo appearance on WKEF's "Clubhouse 22" when he pushed a pie backwards in the face of host Malcolm.
He was a bit too cheezy and corny for me when I was in my pre and early teens...but saw a You Tube of Alice Cooper appearing on his show,got pied...and laughed!
...good 'ol Alice...lover of bubblegum violence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phCKGxB5NZM&feature=related
Soupy's show was never seen in Dayton, Ohio when it only had WHIO, WLWD (now WDTN) and WKEF....however he made a cameo appearance on WKEF's "Clubhouse 22" when he pushed a pie backwards in the face of host Malcolm.
He was a bit too cheezy and corny for me when I was in my pre and early teens...but saw a You Tube of Alice Cooper appearing on his show,got pied...and laughed!
...good 'ol Alice...lover of bubblegum violence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phCKGxB5NZM&feature=related
I was checking out Soupy's IMDB page...seems this man had done just about everything. Comedy, drama, music,family films, adult NC-17 flicks ( though just one ), radio, game shows, music shows, cameos, hosting his own shows, appearing on Howard Stern's show...etc...
Looking at the list, I did find something interesting. Soupy Sales did the voice of Donkey Kong on the infamous cartoon show "Saturday Supercade" which was on CBS in the Fall of 83. Interesting since for many years Soupy himself would bash cartoons saying how Saturday morning TV would be better without them..yet he would do one. Soupy must've been paid very well to do Donkey Kong.
Come to think of it, I am pretty sure the late Shari Lewis was the same way. No fan of cartoons herself but despite the attitude, I am pretty sure she had done some cartoon work herself.
Looking at the list, I did find something interesting. Soupy Sales did the voice of Donkey Kong on the infamous cartoon show "Saturday Supercade" which was on CBS in the Fall of 83. Interesting since for many years Soupy himself would bash cartoons saying how Saturday morning TV would be better without them..yet he would do one. Soupy must've been paid very well to do Donkey Kong.
Come to think of it, I am pretty sure the late Shari Lewis was the same way. No fan of cartoons herself but despite the attitude, I am pretty sure she had done some cartoon work herself.
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