Soupy Sales Meets the Rat Pack

[From "Kovacs Corner" on YouTube.com] - Consciously or not, Soupy Sales was greatly influenced by Ernie Kovacs. While his brand of humor may not have been as cerebral as Ernie's, many of the sight gags appear to have similar inspiration. This clip is not the best representation of a Kovacs-Sales connection, but it probably one of Soupy's most famous. The sketch begins with Soupy, as the restaurant waiter "Pierre" at "The Chez Bippy" (Rowan and Martin obviously ripped off from the Soupman this euphemism for the word "penis" for their comedy series "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In"), greeting a series of guests. The first two are WNEW-AM New York radio personality the late William B. Williams (of "The Make Believe Ballroom" fame) and Soupy's New York sidekick Frank Nastasi (the voices and arms of White Fang, Black Tooth, and Pookie the Lion) dressed in a Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit. During the course of the sketch, singers Trini Lopez, Sammy Davis Jr., and none other than Frank Sinatra make an appearance. For the "Italian dressing" gag, Soupy brings into camera view the late New York City restauranteur, and Sinatra crony, the late Jilly Rizzo. By the end, everyone, including the Chairman of the Board, gets pied. I just caught the You Tube posting of outtakes from this sketch on the YT site of Ira "TV DAYS.com" Gallen. You can catch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB28HaEOcoU . While watching it, I was able to recognize the maitre d' as WNEW-AM radio personality the late Ted Brown.

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Soupy
• Sales
• William
• Williams
• Frank
• Nastasi
• Trini
• Lopez
• Sammy
• Davis
• Jr
• Sinatra
• Jilly
• Rizzo
• pie
• in
• the
• face
• restaurant
• waiter
• Ted
• Brown

[originalmatchgame]

I want my dollar back

[rolko52]

@originalmatchgame - A check is in the mail.

[rolko52]

It's taken many views of this video, and Ira Gallen's version, to determine that Soupy was the character "Pierre". Ted Brown is just identified as the "maitre d'".

[rolko52]

I am not going to belabor this point, but just run a search on YT for The Bell Telephone Hour and get a feel for the level of programming. Knowing the corp mindset of AT&T, no one in their right mind would ever suggest that this clip would appear. I remember ACTUALLY VIEWINGthe first ran clip on WNEW TV. Regardless of jb20092009 stated opinion, it could not have happened. You would have a better odds seeing Howard Stern on Pat Robertson's network than this SS sketch on the old BT Hour.

[rolko52]

As an FYI, the man who Soupy pulled in front of the camera as "the Italian dressing" was Sinatra crony and former NYC restaurantur Jilly Rizzo.

[MROBERTS46]

just to clarify this show was taped and aired in June of 1965--it got such great response that Channel 5 re ran it as a Friday evening special broadcast......Willie B is the boy's father...Ted Brown the maitre'd---where the information this show was aired in 1961 is beyond me

[Aggedor1959]

An amazing bit of classic TV

[funkhauser81]

just heard about this on the Dennis Miller show, funny stuff

[JTPolo101]

@jb20092009 Not sure what show this skit was on, but it must have been from 1965. Sinatra mentions to Sammy about going to see his film "Von Ryans Express" and that film was released in 65

[jb20092009]

Sorry, dude, but I just saw Soupy's interview with Bob Costas and he claimed that the "Waiter" sketch WAS 1960-61 and someone long ago had told me it was on THE FRANK SINATRA SHOW, which was The Bell Telephone Hour at the time. Look, from time to time some of the vintage skits were rerun on the NYC Channel 5 show---including the one with Burt Lancaster. And as to color, that would have been for the live cycle anyway. No color video tape until the mid '60s.

[jb20092009]

Another FYI---this was not on TSSS in 1965as depicted on the 1st vid, but on "The Bell Telephone Hour" in 1961 and originally shot in color. I'd believe this was the first time SS and FN had performed together as Soupy's partner of the time was Clyde Adler. RIP to the 3 of them.