The Cunning Linguist :Þ
2005-10-11 23:33:02 UTC
Comedian Louis Nye Dies
by Josh Grossberg
Oct 11, 2005, 10:00 AM PT
Louis Nye, the veteran comedian best known for coining the national
catchphrase "heigh-ho, Steverino" in Steve Allen's classic 1950s TV show,
died Sunday of lung cancer. He was 92.
Nye launched his five-decade-plus career in the theater and radio, playing
mostly dramatic roles. But it was a chance meeting with Allen in an elevator
that led to his greatest success. Allen eventually hired Nye for The Steve
Allen Show, which ran from 1956 to 1961.
There, Nye hatched his alter ego Gordon Hathaway, a self-important
advertising exec who always greeted Allen with the salutation, "Heigh-ho,
Steverino."
Sort of the Frasier Crane of his day, Hathaway was featured in mock
man-on-the-street interviews Allen did with other regulars (including Don
Knotts, Bill Dana, and Tom Poston) that sent up various sacred cows. Nye's
Hathaway, with his pearly white grin and exuberant demeanor, poked fun at
Madison Avenue types.
Nye's signature greeting proved so popular he took the act a step further
and recorded an LP, Heigh-Ho, Madison Avenue, with a group called the Status
Seekers that satirized the advertising biz in such ditties as "The Ten
Commandments of Madison Avenue (Plus Big Bonus Commandments)" and "The
Conspicous Consumption Cantata."
After his stint with Allen, Nye became a regular on The Ann Sothern Show. On
the big screen, he scored roles in such films as Sex Kittens Go to College
(1960), The Facts of Life (1960), A Guide for the Married Man (1967) and
Cannonball Run II (1984).
In later years, he made guest appearances on The Munsters, The Beverly
Hillbillies, Happy Days, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Cosby Show and
most recently as Jeff Garlin's dad on HBO's Curb Your Enthuisiasm.
Nye was born on May 1, 1913 in Hartford, Connecticut. It was after a stint
in the Army, where he was stationed in "a wild town" in Missouri, that he
set aside dramatic roles and dove into sketch comedy.
"I still think of myself as an actor," Nye told the Associated Press in
1970. In the radio days I was busy playing rotten Nazis, rich uncles and
emotional juveniles--the whole span--and the only time I tried to be funny
was at parties."
An artful ad-libber with a knack for accents and voices, Nye developed
several comic characters, from clumsy Russians and country club braggarts to
comically nasty Nazis.
Aside from his regular TV appearances, Nye often popped up on game shows. He
also provided voices for the cartoon Inspector Gadet.
He's survived by his wife, Anita, and one son, Peter.
by Josh Grossberg
Oct 11, 2005, 10:00 AM PT
Louis Nye, the veteran comedian best known for coining the national
catchphrase "heigh-ho, Steverino" in Steve Allen's classic 1950s TV show,
died Sunday of lung cancer. He was 92.
Nye launched his five-decade-plus career in the theater and radio, playing
mostly dramatic roles. But it was a chance meeting with Allen in an elevator
that led to his greatest success. Allen eventually hired Nye for The Steve
Allen Show, which ran from 1956 to 1961.
There, Nye hatched his alter ego Gordon Hathaway, a self-important
advertising exec who always greeted Allen with the salutation, "Heigh-ho,
Steverino."
Sort of the Frasier Crane of his day, Hathaway was featured in mock
man-on-the-street interviews Allen did with other regulars (including Don
Knotts, Bill Dana, and Tom Poston) that sent up various sacred cows. Nye's
Hathaway, with his pearly white grin and exuberant demeanor, poked fun at
Madison Avenue types.
Nye's signature greeting proved so popular he took the act a step further
and recorded an LP, Heigh-Ho, Madison Avenue, with a group called the Status
Seekers that satirized the advertising biz in such ditties as "The Ten
Commandments of Madison Avenue (Plus Big Bonus Commandments)" and "The
Conspicous Consumption Cantata."
After his stint with Allen, Nye became a regular on The Ann Sothern Show. On
the big screen, he scored roles in such films as Sex Kittens Go to College
(1960), The Facts of Life (1960), A Guide for the Married Man (1967) and
Cannonball Run II (1984).
In later years, he made guest appearances on The Munsters, The Beverly
Hillbillies, Happy Days, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Cosby Show and
most recently as Jeff Garlin's dad on HBO's Curb Your Enthuisiasm.
Nye was born on May 1, 1913 in Hartford, Connecticut. It was after a stint
in the Army, where he was stationed in "a wild town" in Missouri, that he
set aside dramatic roles and dove into sketch comedy.
"I still think of myself as an actor," Nye told the Associated Press in
1970. In the radio days I was busy playing rotten Nazis, rich uncles and
emotional juveniles--the whole span--and the only time I tried to be funny
was at parties."
An artful ad-libber with a knack for accents and voices, Nye developed
several comic characters, from clumsy Russians and country club braggarts to
comically nasty Nazis.
Aside from his regular TV appearances, Nye often popped up on game shows. He
also provided voices for the cartoon Inspector Gadet.
He's survived by his wife, Anita, and one son, Peter.