As a longtime member of the clubhouse–a devotee who still has her vinyl 45 of ”Do the Mouse” and “Pachalafaka”–I join my colleague Ken Tucker in saluting the late Soupy Sales, TV innovator.
As a movie critic, meanwhile, I toss a cream pie in the air with gratitude that Soupy knew his medium and stuck to it. Today, most any comic who finds fame on television at some point feels driven to extending that (ugh) brand in a movie. And too often, the results aren’t pretty. Or funny. (Hola, Chris Kattan!) I’m not a Salesologist enough to know whether Soupy ever tried to develop his private eye character Philo Kvetch, for instance, into a feature film, and thought better of it. But I’m glad that we’ll remember the original hipster doofus as a TV guy born and bred–a personality bigger than any movie could contain.
Oh, and if you need to see Soupy on the big screen, look for him among the cameo appearances in Eddie Murphy’s 1998 muddle Holy Man. Or maybe, don’t.
Update: Soupy-ologist and ew.com colleague Steve Korn draws our attention to the 1966 feature-film novelty Birds Do It, in which our hero plays a guy who can fly.
This guy was way ahead of his time. Remember the go into mommy and daddy’s bedroom and sent me a dollar? And he predated Dean Martin’s ‘open the door for a surprise guest’ routine. He should have had many more years in the spotlight but will be appreciated for the time he had.
Soupy was really funny and tried clever ways to beat the censors. I was just a kid, but his adult humour always got him an instant black-out on NY’S channel 5. I will never forget the chalk board bit where he said at the end “Everytime I write F you say K”..This really happened LOL
Concerning the open the door for a surprise guest, a practicle joke was played on Soupy, he went to open the door and there was a naked woman. Soupy was flabbergasted. The show was being shown live (the naked woman was off camera). Soupy did not know what to say and was bearly able to stand!!!!
The on and off-screen laughing by cast and crew pre-dated the Carol Burnett & Red Skelton shows where it was also hysterical. Obviously as a kid, I missed the point of all of the gags & humor – does anyone know if his original shows are out on DVD???
I was President of The Soupy Sales Fan Club when Soupy did his series in Los Angeles. I was only in high school but it was a thrill to be able to be on Soupy’s closed set 2 days a week (I would take the bus to the studio) to watch Soupy and Clyde Adler (Clyde played Black Tooth, White Fang and Pookie) in those days. There was no audience so it was just Soupy, the laughing behind the scenes crew and 17 year old Rowby Goren enjoying the show. Soupy was on 5 days week, but would do those shows on Tuesday and Wednesdy at the KABC-TV studios in Hollywood. On Tuesday and Wednesday, in addition to the 3 taped shows, Soupy would do his live show at 5PM. I am putting up a photo of Soupy and me on my site http://www.rowby.com from backstage at KABC, Studio “C” — the same studio where Ernie Kovacs did his classic shows. And, yes,Harry much of the fun was the lauging off-camera crew –it was unhead of in those early TV days. Over the weekend and next week I will add some items from The Soupy Sales Fan Club — including a couple of newsletters that folks can download. (I have to dig the up form my boxes of ancient history). One newsletter has the headline “NEWS FLASH — Pookie Stolen” — yes the Pookie puppet was actually stolen for a few weeks — but was finally returned. I could go on and on — I will add more in my blog over the next few days. Soupy was always supportive of me as I later became a comedy writer. Rest in Peace Soupo!
….Rowby Goren
Hi Everyone, Can anyone out there tell me the date or year The soupy Sales Fan club started. Please e-mail me with your best guess. Thank You, MARK (silverstreamscents@hotmail.com)
The Los Angeles Fan Club started in 1960, right after Soupy started doing his show in Hollywood.
I have added some items from the Los Angeles fan club to my Soupy Sales photo gallery at http://rowby.com/component/option,com_phocagallery/Itemid,117/id,1/view,category/ Over the next week I will add a few more items.
…Rowby
Soupie’s bio is wrong. he temporarily banned for an ad lib: he said ” My girl fiend can’t cook, but boy can she make my banana cream.” Ha-ha-ha!
I absolutely remember the “banana cream” bit. I was a kid & didn’t totally get the humor. Anyone remember what year that was?
Also, fond memories of Soupy on WICC (AM 600) Bridgeport, CT
I had the pleasure of interviewing Soupy twice on my radio program. Once by himself, once with the great Freddie Roman. My first interview with Soupy, he was tired just got back in from California. I set him up with this line: Soupy, I heard you just did 3 weeks in The Rivera, he didn’t miss a beat, and replied, yeah now I’ve gotta get new tires for the Riviera. I am sure Soupy will be going back to Huntington West Virginia. His beloved hometown, for his final resting place. He sure was funny, and an extremely nice man.
Sadly I have read that most of Soupy’s amazing New York shows were erased. I hope this is wrong and some will yet be uncovered. There is a black and white DVD for sale, however, which contains many great routines. Does “Birds Do It” exist anywhere? I never saw it. We did have the LP of “Spy with a Pie” however, I wish I still had it – what a cover with Soupy in that trench coat and Pookie at his side. Rest in Peace Soupy!
I AM HERE TO TELL THE WORLD THAT THE NUDE LADY PRANK, THE FIRST TIME IT RAN ON TV they really did show the nude lady FOR REAL I REMEMBER THIS AS IS IT WAS YESTERDAY.every TIME IT WAS RE RUN IT WAS CHANGED.THE ORIGINAL AIRING SHOWED A FULL BODY SHOT OF A NUDE WOMEN HER BODY LOOKED LIKE JELLO .so SOMEONE IS NOT TELLING YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED . i REMEMBER SCREAMING MOM THERE IS A NAKED LADY ON SOUPY SALES OF COURSE MY MOM WAS LIKE A SNAIL AND BY THE TIME SHE GOT TO THE TV IT WAS OVER. I WAS A KID BACK THEN AND I REMEMBER THEY REALLY BROADCASTED A FULLY NUDE WOMEN .
The first Time the NAKED LADY WAS DONE I saw her. she was not off camera I was a KID AND STARTED SCREAMING TO MY MOTHER, ABOUT THE NAKED LADY ON TV.After the first aired naked lady. When they reran it they never showed the lady again. BUT I SAW IT THE FIRST LADY DID NOT WEAR A HAT HER BODY WAS LIKE JELLO ALL JIGGLEY
I have just found this site. I used to assist my friend, Ellen, who ran the Soupy Sales Fan Club in L.A. I joined the club in 1961 and it developed from there. I knew Rowby Goren. Hey, Rowby, contact me. I am writing a book about my time with the Club and friendship with Soupy and would love to know if his fans would be interested in reading about what went on behind the scenes with Soupy and the Club.