Comedian Buddy Hackett Dies at 78

[AKA]

Comedian Buddy Hackett Dies at 78

By Bob Thomas
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Buddy Hackett, the squat, round, rubbery-faced funnyman who appeared for more than 50 years as a top act in nightclubs, Broadway shows, on television and in such movies as "The Music Man," "The Love Bug" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," has died, his son confirmed Monday night. He was 78.

Hackett died at his Southern California beach house either late Sunday or early Monday, Sandy Hackett told The Associated Press Monday night. His body was found Monday.

"He was one of the greatest ever. He was a terrific father. He was my best friend. He prepared me very well for this day, but no matter how much you prepare it still hurts," Sandy Hackett said as he arrived at his mother's house in Los Angeles.

The younger Hackett, who is also a comedian, said he had driven to Los Angeles from his Las Vegas home as soon as he got word of his father's death.

Hackett was invited to join the Three Stooges when "Curly" Howard, the bald-headed member of the comedy team, suffered a stroke in 1946. But Hackett declined, believing he could develop his own comedy style. Playing for small money on the Borscht Circuit for New York City vacationers in the Catskill Mountains, he learned to get laughs with his complaints about being short, fat and Jewish.

His career grew with appearances on the variety TV shows of Jack Paar, Arthur Godfrey and others. Soon he was earning top money in Las Vegas, Florida and Las Vegas. In the beginning his material was suitable for family audiences, but in later years nightclubs advertised his show "For Mature Audiences Only." His performances in those days were noted for their prolific use of four-letters words at a time when that just wasn't done.

"Compared to motion pictures," he remarked in 1996, "I'm very mild these days."

He was born Leonard Hacker in a Jewish section of New York City's borough of Brooklyn on Aug. 31, 1924. For a time he apprenticed in his father's upholstery shop, but at school he found he had a talent for making his fellow students laugh. That was a necessity to offset the taunts about his roly-poly shape.

When he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame a few years ago, he quipped that he had left Brooklyn "to get away from the subway" only to discover that the star had been placed above the one in Los Angeles.

"It's a damn circle," he complained.

After graduating from New Utrecht High School, where he played on the football team, Hacker spent three years in the military during World War II, then reinvented himself as Buddy Hackett, standup comedian.

Using other writers' jokes, he flopped in New York City. Realizing only he could write for Buddy Hackett, he moved on to Los Angeles and scored at a small showcase club. He began making big money across the country, and audiences called for his most noted routine, the Chinese waiter.

In 1954, playwright Sidney Kingsley persuaded Hackett to appear on Broadway in "Lunatics and Lovers." Brooks Atkinson, writing in The New York Times, described Hackett as "a large, soft, messy comic with a glib tongue and a pair of inquiring eyes."

He also appeared on the New York stage in "Viva Madison Avenue" (1960) and "I Had a Ball" (1964).

Hackett made his film debut in 1953 with "Walking My Baby Back Home." Among his other movies: "Fireman Save My Child," "God's Little Acre," "All Hands on Deck," "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm," "Muscle Beach Party," "Loose Shoes," "Scrooged" and Disney's animated "The Little Mermaid," as the voice of Scuttle.

The comedian appeared on television from the medium's beginnings, starring in two short-lived series: "Stanley" (1956-1957) and "The Jackie Gleason Show" (1968).

He also made guest appearances on numerous sitcoms and played Lou Costello in the 1978 movie "Bud and Lou."

He turned down numerous other offers from TV series, complaining that he could rarely get along with network executives.

"That ends the meeting," he once said of network executives telling him how to structure a comedy show. Hackett was married to the former Sherry Dubois, whom he met at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills. They had three children: Ivy, Lisa and Sandy, who did a comedy opening act at his father's appearances.

[Janice]

I'm shocked and saddened. This is so sudden, to me anyway.
He was a very funny and talented man.
R.I.P Buddy

Is it me or are celebrities dying a lot these days?

[AKA]

Originally posted by Janice
Is it me or are celebrities dying a lot these days?

Unfortunately, it seems to happen in clusters.

[Faith]

This was posted on FoxNews.net..Here is the article


LOS ANGELES — Buddy Hackett (search), the squat, round, rubbery-faced funnyman who appeared for more than 50 years as a top act in nightclubs, Broadway shows, on television and in such movies as The Music Man, The Love Bug and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, has died, his son confirmed Monday night. He was 78.

Hackett died at his Southern California beach house either late Sunday or early Monday, Sandy Hackett told The Associated Press Monday night. His body was found Monday.

"He was one of the greatest ever. He was a terrific father. He was my best friend. He prepared me very well for this day, but no matter how much you prepare it still hurts," Sandy Hackett said as he arrived at his mother's house in Los Angeles.

The younger Hackett, who is also a comedian, said he had driven to Los Angeles from his Las Vegas home as soon as he got word of his father's death.

Hackett was invited to join the Three Stooges (search) when "Curly" Howard, the bald-headed member of the comedy team, suffered a stroke in 1946. But Hackett declined, believing he could develop his own comedy style. Playing for small money on the Borscht Circuit (search) for New York City vacationers in the Catskill Mountains, he learned to get laughs with his complaints about being short, fat and Jewish.

His career grew with appearances on the variety TV shows of Jack Paar, Arthur Godfrey and others. Soon he was earning top money in Las Vegas, Florida and Las Vegas. In the beginning his material was suitable for family audiences, but in later years nightclubs advertised his show "For Mature Audiences Only." His performances in those days were noted for their prolific use of four-letters words at a time when that just wasn't done.

"Compared to motion pictures," he remarked in 1996, "I'm very mild these days."

He was born Leonard Hacker in a Jewish section of New York City's borough of Brooklyn on Aug. 31, 1924. For a time he apprenticed in his father's upholstery shop, but at school he found he had a talent for making his fellow students laugh. That was a necessity to offset the taunts about his roly-poly shape.

When he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame a few years ago, he quipped that he had left Brooklyn "to get away from the subway" only to discover that the star had been placed above the one in Los Angeles.

"It's a damn circle," he complained.

After graduating from New Utrecht High School, where he played on the football team, Hacker spent three years in the military during World War II, then reinvented himself as Buddy Hackett, standup comedian.

Using other writers' jokes, he flopped in New York City. Realizing only he could write for Buddy Hackett, he moved on to Los Angeles and scored at a small showcase club. He began making big money across the country, and audiences called for his most noted routine, the Chinese waiter.

In 1954, playwright Sidney Kingsley persuaded Hackett to appear on Broadway in Lunatics and Lovers. Brooks Atkinson, writing in The New York Times, described Hackett as "a large, soft, messy comic with a glib tongue and a pair of inquiring eyes."

He also appeared on the New York stage in Viva Madison Avenue (1960) and I Had a Ball (1964).

Hackett made his film debut in 1953 with Walking My Baby Back Home. Among his other movies: Fireman Save My Child, God's Little Acre, All Hands on Deck, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, Muscle Beach Party, Loose Shoes, Scrooged and Disney's animated The Little Mermaid, as the voice of Scuttle.

The comedian appeared on television from the medium's beginnings, starring in two short-lived series: Stanley (1956-1957) and The Jackie Gleason Show (1968).

He also made guest appearances on numerous sitcoms and played Lou Costello in the 1978 movie Bud and Lou.

He turned down numerous other offers from TV series, complaining that he could rarely get along with network executives.

"That ends the meeting," he once said of network executives telling him how to structure a comedy show. Hackett was married to the former Sherry Dubois, whom he met at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills. They had three children: Ivy, Lisa and Sandy, who did a comedy opening act at his father's appearances.
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This is so sad... RIP Buddy

[~*Hannah_Lee*~]

I can't believe this. This is soooo sad. Buddy Hackett was my favorite celebrity on the old Hollywood Squares, and I grew up with his voice on "The Little Mermaid" which was my favorite movie as a child. I was just saying how funny and great he was the other nite when he appeared on "The Last Comic Standing" on NBC. He will be greatly missed. R.I.P. Buddy.

[julian bozo]

I loved him as the voice of Scuttle in the Little Mermaid.

[Cactus Jack]

This is so sad RIP Buddy Hackett

[Titania]

this is so sad, I cant take any more celeb deaths!!!

RIP Buddy

[Cactus Jack]

This is so sad hes hilarious on the old Hollywood Squares

[*PinkLady*]

I've heard that "bad things happen in 3's," and since Gregory Peck, Katharine Hepburn and Buddy Hackett have all died recently, it shouldn't happen again for awhile. I hope it doesn't.

[*ShortCake*]

well you know what they say when celebs die.. 3 of them die.. Its so sad!! I am still depressed by Kaths death, I didnt really know of him, so his wont affect me as much...but its still sad!

[TJL]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran comedian Buddy Hackett, a talk-show staple whose career stretched from the early days of television to such features as "The Love Bug" and "The Little Mermaid," has died in California.

Hackett, who was 78, was found dead on Monday at his Malibu beach house, his son, Sandy, told local Los Angeles media outlets. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Buddy Hackett's feature credits also included the 1963 ensemble comedy "It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World," and he recently co-starred in "Action," a critically acclaimed but short-lived TV series that satirized Hollywood.

Hackett, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, got his start by working as a stand-up comic at resorts in New York's Catskill mountains. After guest-starring on an early TV show, 1945's "Laff Time," he made his feature film debut two years later as the voice of a talking camel in "Slave Girl."

Following a two-year stint on Broadway in the comedy "Lunatics and Lovers," he landed the title role in the 1956 sitcom "Stanley," which co-starred Carol Burnett. He eventually became a favorite on TV talk and variety shows, and maintained a parallel career as a racy nightclub comic.

His feature career was dominated by work in family films, such as 1961's "Everything's Ducky," 1962's "The Music Man" and 1969's "The Love Bug." The hit Disney cartoon "The Little Mermaid," in which Hackett played the voice of Scuttle the seagull, introduced him to a new generation of fans in 1989. He reprised his role 11 years later in a direct-to-video sequel.

[Small Wonderian]

We'll miss you Buddy Hackett.

[OLdsk00L87]

aww that's horrible...i'll miss him