THE SOUPY SALES SHOW
THE SOUPY SALES SHOW
Sources extrapolated from: detroitkidsshow.com, tvguide.com, findagrave.com, en.wikipedia.org/wik/Frank_Nasasi, imdb.com/title/tt01971178/fullcredits, latimes.com
I vaguely seem to remember a seeing clips from show filmed back in 1959 and my father seemed to be enjoying as I heard his hardy laugh. I was born during its run from 1959-1962. It was hosted by a man, a comic genius. His stage name was Soupy Sales, but his real name was Milton Supman, not to be confused with Superman. His show had amazing talent on it. I had the chance to rediscover it recently on cable television and the network is “JLTV”. There was always a good time to be had by all as you can hear real laughter, not canned by the performers in the background.
Soupy was known having many skits on his show. But he is best known for his trademark of taking a whipped cream pies in the face and a gunshot sounds immediately when it contacts his face. Someone had to be counting how many pies he took in the kisser. It is estimated to be more than 20,000! The talents of Clyde Adler, Frank Nastasi (the voice behind the lion puppet named Pookie) which I fell in love with, and White Fang, Black Tooth, Man at Door, Marty Brill, Evelyn King, Eugene Biscardi, Jessica Biscardi, and Maureen Bailey. Together they concocted a show of madness and mayhem, but it was all in good taste and something the whole family could enjoy together and not having to cover a child’s ears for what might be said.
Sales would banter back in forth with Pookie, and even read fairy tales with their own comical twist on it. Prior to Frank Nastasi he played the animal expert on Wixie Wonderland as Gramps. The show was known as “Lunch with Soupy” at first before it became The Soupy Sales Show. The show also hosted a collection of celebrities that ended up getting a pie in the kisser. The likes of Frank Sinatra, Alice Cooper, Sammy Davis Jr., Frankie Vallie, and even Dick Clark were recipients of the pies. Of course, my favorite pie scene was when Pookie the lion puppet pied Soupy. It was hysterical! Most of the reruns that I had seen were in black and white. I was hoping that it wouldn’t end its run. Soupy had many bits including “The words of wisdom”.
Here’s some information about one of Soupy’s key actors, Frank Dominic Nastasi. He started in vaudeville, off-Broadway, the Borscht Belt and Broadway. He could also be found in movies, television and believe it or not Operas! His career spanned fifty years. Originally, he was from Detroit. Michigan, and was a World War II veteran. Since he was a child, he always knew what he wanted to do with his life, act! He used his head as well and achieved getting his BA from Wayne State University. He thirsts for knowledge wasn’t satiated so he went on to get a master’s degree in dramatic arts from NYU. The man was multi-talented, and they extended from standup comedian, song and dance man, and actor. Sadly, he passed on at the age of 81 of a brain tumor in NYC 2004.
The other actor that I must mention is Clyde Adler. Born on January 24, 1926, in Oak Park Illinois he was a writer, and actor. Though the IMDB website claims that he was the voice of Pookie the lion, I must disagree. I have a trained ear being a musician, and if you close your eyes and hear his voice compared to Frank Dominic Nastasi it is Frank’s voice that is discernable. Frank had a very prominent sound to his voice, distinguishable. Clyde on the other hand I can see being the arm puppets of “White Fang” and “Black Tooth” and “Pookie”. I do hear his voice when he was manipulating the hand puppet known as “Hippy” the Hippopotamus. Clyde was Soupy’s right hand comedian. In the majority of the skits that were done he played second banana to Soupy. Not to take anything away from Clyde he too was hysterical!
Initially he was hired as a stage manager in 1949 by WXYZ. In 1953 Soupy Hines, aka Soupy Sales was asked to host a new show called 12 O’ Clock Comics. It was a children’s show. He was a disc jockey at the time. It was Soupy that came up with the character later to be known as “White Fang”. Everything was carefully thought out ahead of time including the sound effects. The timing had to be impeccable. Soupy had introduced White Fang with a recording of a howling dog from “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” Soupy saw that White Fang was a hit and added him to his comedic arsenal. The job of the ET Man, aka Electronic Transcription had to be on point.
On live television you can’t make any mistakes. It’s not a good sign when the ET man says, “I can’t find the record!” Being that Clyde was quick on his feet he improvised by going to the live microphone and goes “Reh-O-Reh-Oh.” The crew and Soupy couldn’t contain their laughter. A camera man’s wife stitched together what later became known as the White Fang puppet. It was made form an old woman’s coat. He was afraid that Soupy would wear it on camera. Clyde puts on the puppet sleeves when Soupy asked “Where’s my doggie White Fang?” By thinking fast that earned Clyde a new promotion to being stagehand-slash-puppeteer.
It was suggested that White Fang have a pal, and they wanted him to be the opposite and named him Black tooth.
Pookie was discovered by Clyde in the prop box. At first, he only whistled and pantomimed to records. Pookie eventually developed a personality and was added to the show. Of course, Soupy would open the show with telling jokes and including White Fang and Black Tooth. White Fang and Soupy bantered back and forth, and eventually gets pied! There’s a knock at the door. What you didn’t know is that Clyde had to take the puppet off his arms and run behind the cameras, and behind the door. Soupy answers the knock at the door, opens it and you would see Clyde’s arms. The joke that would be told as an example would be “Hey buddy! Is it possible for a man to be in love with an elephant?” No, it is not possible for a man to be in love with an elephant.
Clyde, would be having his arms outstretched holding a hula hoop and says, “In that case, do you wanna buy an engagement ring?” Screen blacks out. Segway to Soupy sounding off with “Well, let’s go to the window and see what Pookie’s up to.” Clyde would then be behind the window where Pookie was and put has hand into Pookie. The famous catch phrase “Hey Boobie!” would be said. Another gag that was done went like “I’m going fishing today, wanna come along?” Soupy then says, “Sure sounds like a lot of fun.”. He then asks, “Got worms?” Pookie says, Yeah, but I’m going anyway.” LMAO!
By 1960, soupy and Clyde went national and moved to LA. It lasted for a while until it was canceled. Soupy wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. He decided to move to New York on his own, and Clyde opted to stay behind while working as an engineer at the ABC affiliate. Jim Henson contacts Clyde via letter and informed him that he would like him to work as a puppeteer for the Muppets. Clyde politely turned him down. After that his wife Jane and he moved back to Detroit in 1971.
As fate would have it he received a call from his pal Soupy to come back to LA and tape 13 weeks of The New Soupy Sales Show, to be syndicated around the country. But being that he was diabetic he had trouble keeping up with the physical demands of the show. While filming he suffered a mild heart attack. He passed on at the age of 67.
The man of the hour Soupy Sales had a gift for slapstick comedy. Born Milton Supman January 28th, 1926, in the North Carolina backwater of Franklinton. They were the only Jews in town. His father ran a dry goods store selling sheets to the KKK. His father passed on when Soupy was five. He and his family then moved to Huntington, W. VA. Soupy was voted most popular boy and acted in high school plays. Being a true patriot, he fought in World War II in the Navy. His ambitions weren’t dampened by the war. He got on the PA and entertained his crew mates. Sales was discharged and enrolled in Marshall College majoring in journalism and earning a BA in 1949. He worked as a script writer at a radio station in Huntington.
Nighttime he embraced as well by doing stand-up in nightclubs. Next, he pursued. Being a disc jockey. He moved to Ohio in the 1950’s, and a Cleveland station manager dubbed him Soupy Hines. When Soupy reached Detroit, it was thought that the name would be confused with an advertiser, the Heinz soup line. To avoid confusion, he changed it to Soupy Sales. Opportunity presented itself and he was asked to do a children’s show called “Soupy Sales Comics.” It was an instant hit, and they offered him a nighttime slot. The show was called “Soupy’s On.” The characters that were created were Calypso King Harry Bella, Wyatt Burp- a belch prone sheriff, and a few others.
When the “Kukla, Fran and Ollie” show was canceled Soupy’s show filled the time slot. Soupy became very popular amongst the Detroit television viewers. Sales incorporated White Fang, “the meanest dog in the United States.” The viewers didn’t see an actual dog though, all they saw were paws, the rest was left to the imagination.
It was 1950 when Soupy played an Indian in a spoof on the movie “Broken Arrow” that he took his first pie. That would soon become expensive, so they switched to shaving-cream pies. Sales claims that if the secret was in the crust. If the pie stuck to the face, it wasn’t good.
Sales last movie was “And God Spoke” He passed on at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, NY. He was 83