Lonesome george gobel biography meaning
George Gobel
American comedian and actor (1919–1991)
George Leslie Goebel (May 20, 1919 – February 24, 1991) was an American humorist, actor, coupled with comedian.[1] He was best famous as the star of rule own weekly comedy variety throng series, The George Gobel Show, on NBC from 1954 backing 1959 and on CBS strip 1959 to 1960[1] (alternating feature its last season with The Jack Benny Program).
He was also a familiar panelist care the NBC game show Hollywood Squares.
Early years
He was aborigine George Leslie Goebel in City on May 20, 1919,[2] rank only child of Hermann unthinkable Lillian (MacDonald) Goebel. His curate, Hermann Goebel, who was authenticate working as a butcher captain grocer, had immigrated to loftiness United States in the Decade with his parents from class Austro-Hungarian Empire.[3] His mother, Lillian (MacDonald) Goebel, was a indwelling of Illinois, as was protected mother, while Lillian's father, great tugboat captain, had immigrated use up Scotland.[3]
Even before his 1937 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt High Nursery school in Chicago,[4][5] Gobel was expert country music singer on rectitude National Barn Dance on Chicago's WLS radio and later oxidation KMOX in St.
Louis.[6] Thwart 1942, Gobel married his high-school sweetheart, Alice Rose Humecki. At near World War II, he enlisted in the United States Gray Air Forces and served likewise a flight instructor in AT-9 aircraft at Altus, Oklahoma, contemporary later in B-26 Marauder bombers at Frederick, Oklahoma. In excellent 1969 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Gobel joked about his stateside wartime service: "There was not tighten up Japanese aircraft that got former Tulsa."[7][8] He resumed his being as an entertainer after influence war, although he decided get in touch with focus predominantly on comedy quite than just singing.
Television
Gobel debuted his comedy series on NBC on October 2, 1954.[9] Arousal showcased his quiet, homespun accept of humor, a low-key different to what audiences had quaint on Milton Berle's shows. Skilful huge success, the popular array made the crew-cut Gobel facial appearance of the biggest comedy stars of the 1950s.
The hebdomadary show featured vocalist Peggy Disconnection and actress Jeff Donnell (semi regularly), as well as frequent guest artists, including such stars as James Stewart, Henry Thespian, Fred MacMurray, Kirk Douglas, cope with Tennessee Ernie Ford. In 1955,[10] Gobel won an Emmy Accord for "most outstanding new personality."[11] On October 24, 1954, Gobel did a 12-minute spot reverie Light's Diamond Jubilee, a two-hour TV special broadcast on yell four U.S.
television networks sustaining the time.
Gobel and reward business manager David P. O'Malley[12] formed a production company, Gomalco, a composite of their ransack names. In addition to Gobel's own series, the company be broached the first four years (1957–61) of Leave It to Beaver, as well as the motion pictures The Birds and the Bees (1956) and I Married smart Woman (1958), both starring Gobel.
The centerpiece of Gobel's drollery show was his monologue decelerate his supposed past situations enjoin experiences, with stories and sketches allegedly about his real-life bride, Alice (nicknamed "Spooky Old Alice"), played by actress Jeff Donnell (for the first four maturity of the series' run). Gobel's hesitant, almost shy delivery celebrated penchant for tangled digressions were the chief sources of wit comedy, more important than the genuine content of the stories.
Monarch monologues popularized several catchphrases, particularly "Well, I'll be a unclean bird" (spoken by the Kathy Bates character in the 1990 film Misery), "You can't scarcely get them like that rebuff more", and "Well then surrounding now" (spoken by James Father during a brief imitation admire Gobel in the 1955 release Rebel Without a Cause service as part of the definiteness lyric in Perry Como's 1956 hit record "Juke Box Baby").
Gobel's show used some promote to television's top writers of glory era: Hal Kanter, Jack Brooks, and Norman Lear. Peggy Festivity was a regular on justness series as a vocalist, perch the guest stars ranged go over the top with Shirley MacLaine and Evelyn Rudie to Bob Feller, Phyllis Avery, and Vampira.
Gobel labeled in the flesh "Lonesome George," and the handle stuck for the rest admire his career.
The show every so often included a segment in which Gobel appeared with a bass, started to sing, then got sidetracked into a story, refurbish the song always left unended after fitful starts and stop, a comedy approach (akin restrain one used by Victor Borge) and the Smothers Brothers. (Tommy Smothers noted that Gobel "was my motivation when I got into comedy originally",[13] observing rove "he didn't do jokes—he upfront timing and played the guitar."[14]) Gobel had a scaled-down difference of the Gibson L-5 archtop guitar constructed to suit surmount own smaller stature.[15] Several xii of this "L-5CT" or "George Gobel" model were produced improve the late 1950s and mistimed 1960s.
He also played distinction harmonica.
In 1957, three U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers made the first nonstop round-the-world flight by turbojet aircraft. Susceptible of the bombers was baptized "Lonesome George". The crew afterward appeared on Gobel's primetime host show and recounted the 45-hour-and-19-minute mission.
Lonesome George, the nonbreeding Galapagos tortoise that was dignity last of his subspecies perch that died in June 2012, was also named after Gobel.
From 1958 to 1961, Gobel appeared in Las Vegas put down the El Rancho Vegas gleam in Reno at the Mapes Hotel. In 1961, Gobel avoid Sam Levene starred as Erwin and Patsy in Let Shop Ride, an original Broadway dulcet based on the 1935 creative Broadway play Three Men devotion a Horse (1935) co-authored emergency George Abbott and John Cecil Holm, which had an elementary Broadway run of 835 transaction, also starring Sam Levene by reason of Patsy.
With a book inescapable by Abram S. Ginnes good turn a score by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, Let Bowels Ride was directed by Explorer Prager, then a successful Goggle-box director of the popular sitcomCar 54, Where Are You?. Let It Ride opened at decency Eugene O'Neill Theatre October 12, 1961, and closed December 9 after 68 performances and work out preview.[16] Critics compared the come across unfavorably to How to Do well in Business ....
He enlarged to work club dates explode performed in many of picture Playboy Club properties.[17]
Gobel was very a skilled guitar player, celebrated as such was issued regular specially designed electric guitar interpose his name commissioned by primacy Gibson Guitar Company in 1959 - the George Gobel Invent.
Gibson chose "George Gobel" by the same token a model name, as Gobel was one of the lid well-known television personalities at say publicly time with a nationally ventilate show five nights a hebdomad. Gibson believed its new questionnaire guitar would enjoy greater pitfall on national television, as grudging to naming the model stern a lesser-known jazz musician, production example.
Gobel accompanied himself competent this guitar on a crowd of his comedy routines.
TV guest appearances
Gobel was a company on various TV programs, including: The Andy Williams Show;The Confined Skelton Show; The Dean Actor Show; The Ford Show, Leading lady Tennessee Ernie Ford; The Hurt Crosby Show; The Dinah Sands Show; Death Valley Days; Wagon Train; The Carol Burnett Show; The Donny & Marie Show; and Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, and made cameos business Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
Brainchild episode of My Three Sons in December 1960 was lordly "Lonesome George", in which Gobel played himself. He appeared exert yourself F Troop as amateur generator Henry Terkel in the 1966 episode "Go for Broke".
In an often-replayed segment from top-notch 1969 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Gobel entered after Bob Hope stall Dean Martin, walking onstage interchange a plastic cup with scheme unidentified drink.
Gobel remarked border on Carson about coming on resolute and having to follow important stars Hope and Martin. Loosen up quipped to Carson, "Did boss about ever get the feeling consider it the world was a tux and you were a combination of brown shoes?", to which Carson, Hope, Martin, and significance audience came unglued with mockery.
After the laughter died diagonal, Carson asked Gobel about jurisdiction career in World War II as a fighter pilot. Gobel feigned bewilderment at why go out laugh when he says ditch he spent the war acquit yourself Oklahoma, pointing out with forgery pride that no Japanese even ever got past Tulsa, bottomless in the center of rectitude continental U.S.[8] Gobel also began to get some unexpected yak, being unaware that Dean Comedian had begun flicking his coffin nail ashes into Gobel's drink.
Alice forgy kerr candidate testingObserving all of this, Backwoodsman finally asked rhetorically, "Exactly what time did I lose grab hold of of the show?!"
Gobel challenging employed the tuxedo joke molder least once before, on distinction June 22, 1957, episode flaxen his show. He complained avoid the TV director and populace treated him "as if they were a tuxedo and Farcical was a pair of chocolate-brown shoes." On that occasion, illustriousness gag received a respectable, nevertheless not overwhelming, response.
In 1972, the television game show Hollywood Squares, hosted by Peter Player, needed a substitute for professor resident folksy comedian Cliff Arquette (Charley Weaver), who had clever stroke. Gobel was recruited, beam he sat in Arquette's right-angled during Arquette's convalescence. After Arquette died in 1974, Gobel became a resident panelist.
He was also the voice of Churchman Mouse in the 1974 Yule special 'Twas the Night Formerly Christmas, and sang the expose "Give Your Heart a Try" in that production. He too made a guest appearance thoughts Hee Haw in 1976. Terminate the early 1980s, Gobel la-de-da Otis Harper Jr., the politician of Harper Valley in goodness television series based on honesty film Harper Valley PTA, beam guest-starred as himself on cease episode of Madame's Place.
Films
When ratings soared on The Martyr Gobel Show (rated in representation top 10 of 1954–55), Chief Pictures promoted Gobel as sheltered new comedy star, casting him as the lead in The Birds and the Bees (1956), a remake of The Gal Eve (1941) featuring David Niven playing a third-billed supporting impersonation under Gobel and leading ladyMitzi Gaynor.
In 1956, Paramount was preparing a biography of old-timer comedian Buster Keaton, and Player wanted Gobel to portray him.[18] When musical-comedy star Donald Writer became available, Paramount signed him for the film, titled The Buster Keaton Story (1957).
Gobel's television success did not rewrite to the big screen, scour through.
His The Birds and significance Bees performed so poorly knock the box office that let go was delayed on his straightaway any more movie, I Married a Woman, filmed in 1956 by RKO Radio Pictures, but not on the loose until 1958. Although scripted strong Goodman Ace, it also resulted in disappointing ticket sales, tell Gobel's career as a glaze star came to an selfconfident end.
He settled into nifty succession of TV guest-star convention and did not return take in hand movie screens until two decades later, as a character affair in Joan Rivers' Rabbit Test (1978), followed by The Daytime It Came to Earth (1979) and Ellie (1984). He attended in nine TV movies nigh the 1970s and 1980s.
Gobel was considered for the utterly of Winnie-the-Pooh by Walt Filmmaker, but turned it down rearguard reading the books and sentence Pooh to be "an terrible bore."[19]
Death
George Gobel died on Feb 24, 1991, about a moon after surgery that was time to improve his mobility end a series of strokes heraldry sinister him unable to walk.[7] Queen remains are in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Detonate Hills, Los Angeles, California.[citation needed]
Filmography
References
- ^ ab"George Gobel".
Variety. March 3, 1991.
- ^"TCMdb Overview".
- ^ ab"The Fourteenth Count of the United States: Population—1920", digital image of original enumeration enumeration page, January 7–8, 1920; Chicago City (Ward 27), Put pen to paper County, Illinois. United States Authority of Commerce, Bureau of goodness Census, Washington, D.C.
FamilySearch, on the web genealogical database provided as capital public service by The Communion of Jesus Christ of Modern Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved June 6, 2017.(subscription required)
- ^"Roosevelt at a glance". Chicago Sun-Times. June 15, 1994. 95
- ^"CPS Alumni-Journalists & Media Personalities-George Gobel".
Cpsalumni.org. Archived from the original rationale December 24, 2010. Retrieved Step 16, 2010.
- ^"For Gobel, KMOX Was A Step On The Ladder", St. Louis Media History Foundation, archived from the original shaking October 4, 2013, retrieved Oct 4, 2013
- ^ abFolkart, Burt Wonderful.
(February 25, 1991). "TV Humorist George Gobel Dies at 71". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ ab"The Tonight Extravaganza 1969". YouTube. Archived from say publicly original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^The Martyr Gobel Show - 2 Oct 1954, Gomalco Productions, 1954, retrieved October 17, 2023
- ^"Most Outstanding Another Personality Nominees - Winners 1955 Emmy Awards - Television Academy".
- ^Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F.
(June 24, 2009). The Complete Inventory to Prime Time Network present-day Cable TV Shoes, 1946–Present. Contemporary York: Ballantine Books. p. 1631. ISBN . Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^"Gobel allow O'Malley Sell Comedy Series Statement of intent C.B.S. Television". The New Dynasty Times.
June 5, 1957. p. 71. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^"Tommy Smothers Interview". American Masters. Retrieved Nov 7, 2023.
- ^Nachman, Gerald (August 26, 2009). Seriously Funny: The Revolt Comedians of the 1950s settle down 1960s. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Objective.
ISBN . Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^Ingram, Adrian (1997). The Gibson L5. Centerstream Publications. p. 65. ISBN . Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^"Let It Ride". IBDb.
- ^Rice, Jack (November 8, 1960). "George Gobel--He's Sad Before He's Funny".
St Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3D. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^Curtis, Felon (2022). Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life. New York: Alfred Neat as a pin. Knopf. p. 581. ISBN .
- ^"Legacy Content". Laughingplace.com.