Arnold Stang: Difference between revisions
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'''Arnold Sidney Stang''' (September 28, 1918 – December 20, 2009)<ref name="Weber">[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/arts/television/22stang.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries Weber, Bruce. "Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91,"] ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 22, 2009.</ref> was an American actor and comedian. Recognized by his small stature and squawky, Brooklyn-accented speaking voice, he steadily worked | '''Arnold Sidney Stang''' (September 28, 1918 – December 20, 2009)<ref name="Weber">[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/arts/television/22stang.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries Weber, Bruce. "Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91,"] ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 22, 2009.</ref> was an American actor and comedian. Recognized by his small stature and squawky, Brooklyn-accented speaking voice, he steadily worked on the stage, radio, and television and provided animation voice-over for 70 years. He was the voice of ''[[Top Cat]]'' in the cartoon series, [[Frank Sinatra]]'s best friend in ''[[The Man with the Golden Arm]]'', and one of the hapless gas station owners in the all-star comedy film ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]''. | ||
==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
Arnold Stang was born | Arnold Stang was born September 28, 1918, in [[Manhattan]], New York City. His parents were Anna and Harold Stang. Stang was raised in [[Brooklyn]] and began acting in radio shows when he was nine.<ref name= "Arnold Stang obituary">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/mar/09/arnold-stang-obituary|title = Arnold Stang obituary|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = March 9, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/arts/television/22stang.html|title=Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 22, 2009|last1=Weber|first1=Bruce}}</ref><ref name="LAtimes"/> | ||
==Career== | ==Career== | ||
===Early career=== | ===Early career=== | ||
Stang claimed he gained his break in radio by sending a postcard to a New York station requesting an audition, was accepted, | Stang claimed he gained his break in radio by sending a postcard to a New York station requesting an audition, was accepted, then bought his own ticket to New York from [[Chelsea, Massachusetts]] with the money set aside for his mother's anniversary gift.<ref name="ReferenceA">Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 3, 1947</ref> Though his widow, JoAnne Stang, explained upon his death that this story was untrue,<ref name="Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91"/> Stang did work on New York–based network radio shows as a teenager, appearing on children's programs such as ''[[The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour]]'' and ''Let's Pretend''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-51.html|title=gaor-51|website=www.goldenage-wtic.org}}</ref> By 1940, he had graduated to teenaged roles, appearing as Seymour<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lesser|first1=Jerry|title=Radio Talent: New York|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/40s/1942/Billboard%201942-01-10.o.pdf|access-date=3 February 2015|agency=Billboard|date=January 10, 1942}}</ref> on ''[[The Goldbergs (broadcast series)|The Goldbergs]]''. | ||
In October 1941, director Don Bernard hired Stang to do commercials on the [[Columbia Broadcasting Company|CBS]] program ''Meet Mr. Meek,'' but decided Stang's constantly cracking voice would hurt the ads. Instead, Bernard ordered scriptwriters to come up with a role for Stang.<ref>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 26, 1941</ref> He next appeared on the summer replacement show ''The Remarkable Miss Tuttle'' with [[Edna May Oliver]] in 1942<ref>Chicago Tribune, July 19, 1942</ref> and replaced [[Eddie Firestone]] Jr. in the title role of ''[[That Brewster Boy]]'' when Firestone joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943.<ref>''Chicago Tribune'', September 3, 1943.</ref> | |||
By this time Stang had appeared in a number of movies, including ''[[My Sister Eileen]]'', ''[[So This Is New York (film)|So This Is New York]]'', and ''[[They Got Me Covered]]''. He appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in ''[[Sailor Beware! (play)|Sailor Beware]]'', ''All In Favor'' and ''Same Time Next Week'', where he first worked with Berle.<ref>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 3, 1947.</ref> A notable screen credit was ''[[The Man with the Golden Arm]]'' (1955) | Comedian [[Henry Morgan (humorist)|Henry Morgan]] made him a sidekick on his program in fall 1946. Stang appeared in similar roles the following year on radio shows with [[Eddie Cantor]]<ref>Miami News, Sept. 25, 1947</ref> and [[Milton Berle]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> He also did the voice of [[Jughead Jones|Jughead]] for a short while on the ''[[Archie Andrews#Radio|Archie Andrews]]'' radio show when it was broadcast by NBC, opposite future sitcom star [[Bob Hastings]] as Archie.{{cn|date=June 2024}} | ||
By this time Stang had appeared in a number of movies, including ''[[My Sister Eileen]]'', ''[[So This Is New York (film)|So This Is New York]]'', and ''[[They Got Me Covered]]''. He appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in ''[[Sailor Beware! (play)|Sailor Beware]]'', ''All In Favor'' and ''Same Time Next Week'', where he first worked with Berle.<ref>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 3, 1947.</ref> A notable screen credit was "Sparrow" in ''[[The Man with the Golden Arm]]'' (1955). | |||
===Television and film=== | ===Television and film=== | ||
Stang moved to the new field of commercial television. He had a recurring role in ''[[The School House]]'' on the [[DuMont Television Network]] in 1949. He was a regular on [[Eddie Mayehoff]]'s short-lived situation comedy ''[[Doc Corkle]]'' in fall of 1952<ref>Hedda Hopper syndicated column, September 10, 1952</ref> as well as comedy relief on ''[[Captain Video and His Video Rangers]]'' as Clumsy McGee. Then | Stang moved to the then-new field of commercial television in the late 1940s. He had a recurring role in ''[[The School House]]'' on the [[DuMont Television Network]] in 1949. He was a regular on [[Eddie Mayehoff]]'s short-lived situation comedy ''[[Doc Corkle]]'' in fall of 1952<ref>Hedda Hopper syndicated column, September 10, 1952</ref> as well as comedy relief on ''[[Captain Video and His Video Rangers]]'' as Clumsy McGee. Then Stang made a guest appearance on Milton Berle's ''[[Texaco Star Theater]]'' on May 12, 1953<ref>San Mateo Times, May 12, 1953.</ref> and joined him as a regular (Francis the Stagehand) the following September, often berating or heckling the egocentric star for big laughs. Stang also had guest roles on several variety shows of the day including ''[[The Colgate Comedy Hour]]''. In early 1951, Stang appeared on ''[[Henry Morgan's Great Talent Hunt]]'', a take-off of ''[[The Original Amateur Hour]]'', as "Gerard", supposedly recruiting "talent" for Morgan. In 1954 he became a panelist on the [[Goodson-Todman]] game show ''[[The Name's the Same]]''. | ||
[[Edward Montagne]] had produced movie short subjects starring Arnold Stang in the early 1950s. Montagne recruited Stang to join his ''[[McHale's Navy]]'' spinoff ''[[Broadside (TV series)|Broadside]]'' and offered him co-star billing. Stang was then co-starring with the national touring company of the Broadway hit ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]''<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-forum-529329#OpeningNightCast ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum''], ibdb.com. Accessed June 10, 2024.</ref> and left the show on October 3, 1964 to join Montagne (the play ran six more weeks, with [[Gil Lamb]] in the Stang role). "I was originally scheduled to be in the show [''Broadside''] when it went on the air last fall," recalled Stang in 1965, "but I was tied up with the road show of ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.'' I couldn't get out of the commitment until now."<ref>Arnold Stang to syndicated [[United Press International|UPI]] columnist Vernon Scott, Feb. 10, 1965.</ref> Stang appeared midway through the ''Broadside'' run, having missed the first 21 episodes. He co-starred in the remaining 11 episodes as outspoken master chef Stanley Stubbs. | |||
The ratings improved considerably with Stang aboard, but too late to save ''Broadside'', which had already been canceled. Stang felt responsible: "By helping that show I messed it up for the entire cast. The ratings began to climb and they told us we'd probably be on next season. So everybody waited for the renewal, and when it didn't come the pilot season was over and they were all through for the year."<ref>Arnold Stang to syndicated columnist Harvey Pack, Dec. 11, 1965.</ref> | |||
Stang also lent his familiar face and voice to [[Television advertisement|commercials]] for the [[Chunky (candy bar)|Chunky]] candy bar, where he would list many of its ingredients, smile, and say, "Chunky, what a chunk of chocolate!" As a pitchman for [[Alcoa]] aluminum window screens in the late 1960s, he was known for the tagline "Arnold Stang says don't get stung".<ref name="LAtimes">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2009-dec-23-la-me-arnold-stang23-2009dec23-story.html |title=Arnold Stang dies at 91; comic character actor had memorable role in ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ |author=Dennis McLellan | |||
|access-date=17 April 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=23 December 2009}}</ref> He would continue to act in television commercials on occasion until his death in 2009.<ref name="LAtimes"/> | |access-date=17 April 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=23 December 2009}}</ref> He would continue to act in television commercials on occasion until his death in 2009.<ref name="LAtimes"/> | ||
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His voice was so recognizable to the public that his performances could be enjoyed without seeing him in person. While in New York in the early 1940s, he worked for the [[Famous Studios]] cartoon shop,<ref>Obituary ''[[The Guardian|London Guardian]]'', March 102010.</ref> where he supplied the voice for [[Popeye]]'s pal Shorty (a caricature of Stang), [[Herman and Katnip|Herman]] the Brooklynese mouse, and Tubby Tompkins in a few [[Little Lulu]] shorts. Stang's major contribution to television was voicing the title role in [[Hanna-Barbera]]'s animated sitcom ''[[Top Cat]]'' (1961-62).<ref name="Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91"/> The show lasted for 30 episodes during its network run, and was frequently rebroadcast in Saturday-morning time slots into the 1980s. The ''Top Cat'' series was based on ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'', a 1950s military comedy with Silvers as a sergeant masterminding get-rich-quick schemes. Stang was instructed to mimic the Silvers delivery in ''Top Cat'' until the sponsor reportedly objected -- insisting it was paying for Arnold Stang, not Phil Silvers. Stang modified his cartoon characterization in the later episodes to be closer to his own, recognizable voice.<ref name="Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91"/> | His voice was so recognizable to the public that his performances could be enjoyed without seeing him in person. While in New York in the early 1940s, he worked for the [[Famous Studios]] cartoon shop,<ref>Obituary ''[[The Guardian|London Guardian]]'', March 102010.</ref> where he supplied the voice for [[Popeye]]'s pal Shorty (a caricature of Stang), [[Herman and Katnip|Herman]] the Brooklynese mouse, and Tubby Tompkins in a few [[Little Lulu]] shorts. Stang's major contribution to television was voicing the title role in [[Hanna-Barbera]]'s animated sitcom ''[[Top Cat]]'' (1961-62).<ref name="Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91"/> The show lasted for 30 episodes during its network run, and was frequently rebroadcast in Saturday-morning time slots into the 1980s. The ''Top Cat'' series was based on ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'', a 1950s military comedy with Silvers as a sergeant masterminding get-rich-quick schemes. Stang was instructed to mimic the Silvers delivery in ''Top Cat'' until the sponsor reportedly objected -- insisting it was paying for Arnold Stang, not Phil Silvers. Stang modified his cartoon characterization in the later episodes to be closer to his own, recognizable voice.<ref name="Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91"/> | ||
In 1959, ABC Paramount Records released an album by Stang, titled ''Arnold Stang's Waggish Tales''. He | In 1959, ABC Paramount Records released an album by Stang, titled ''Arnold Stang's Waggish Tales''. He voiced the character Nurtle the Turtle in the 1965 animated feature ''[[Pinocchio in Outer Space]]'' and was also the original voice of Buzz the Bee in [[Honey Nut Cheerios]] commercials from 1979 to 1992.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30950/voices-behind-6-classic-cereal-mascots |title=The Voices Behind 6 Classic Cereal Mascots |access-date=17 April 2025 |work=Mental Floss |date=18 June 2012}}</ref> | ||
===Later career=== | ===Later career=== | ||
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Stang remained in demand for movies, television shows, TV commercials, and the stage. Producer [[Stanley Kramer]] cast his epic comedy film ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (1963) with a host of popular comedy stars and character comedians, and chose Arnold Stang to play alongside [[Marvin Kaplan]], with whom he had appeared on ''[[Top Cat]]'', as mild-mannered owners of a service station. They run afoul of enraged motorist [[Jonathan Winters]]. When Winters goes on a destructive rampage, Stang and Kaplan defend their property. (Stang turns to Kaplan and says earnestly, "We gotta kill him.") This huge-scale comedy is Arnold Stang's most famous movie credit. | Stang remained in demand for movies, television shows, TV commercials, and the stage. Producer [[Stanley Kramer]] cast his epic comedy film ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (1963) with a host of popular comedy stars and character comedians, and chose Arnold Stang to play alongside [[Marvin Kaplan]], with whom he had appeared on ''[[Top Cat]]'', as mild-mannered owners of a service station. They run afoul of enraged motorist [[Jonathan Winters]]. When Winters goes on a destructive rampage, Stang and Kaplan defend their property. (Stang turns to Kaplan and says earnestly, "We gotta kill him.") This huge-scale comedy is Arnold Stang's most famous movie credit. | ||
Stang was in many stage productions; on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] he appeared in a 1969 revival of ''[[The Front Page]]'' with [[Peggy Cass]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/2869 |title=''The Front Page'' |website=IBDB.com |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] }}</ref> He starred in two low-budget feature films during this period, ''[[Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar]]'' (1965, featuring [[Huntz Hall]] and [[Leo Gorcey]]) and ''[[Hercules in New York]]'' (1970, featuring [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] billed as "Arnold Strong"). | |||
Stang returned to the field of animation in 1976 for ''[[Misterjaw]]''. In this | Stang returned to the field of animation in 1976 for the series ''[[Misterjaw]]''. In this parody of ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'', Stang was the voice of Catfish, the little sidekick of a playful shark voiced by [[Arte Johnson]]. Stang had a small role as Queasy the Parrot in the 1977 film ''[[Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure]]''. He reprised Top Cat in ''[[Yogi's Treasure Hunt]]'' and ''[[Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats]]''. | ||
Stang appeared in "The Grave Robber," an episode of the popular horror anthology series ''[[Tales from the Darkside]]'', playing Tapok, an ancient Egyptian mummy who encounters some unscrupulous archaeologists who lure him into a game of strip poker. He also appeared on an episode of ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' with guest star [[Sammy Davis Jr.]] (and made a cameo appearance in [[Bill Cosby]]'s 1990 film ''[[Ghost Dad]]''.) He played the photographer in the 1993 film [[Dennis the Menace (1993 film)|''Dennis the Menace'']] with [[Walter Matthau]]. | Stang appeared in "The Grave Robber," an episode of the popular horror anthology series ''[[Tales from the Darkside]]'', playing Tapok, an ancient Egyptian mummy who encounters some unscrupulous archaeologists who lure him into a game of strip poker. He also appeared on an episode of ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' with guest star [[Sammy Davis Jr.]] (and made a cameo appearance in [[Bill Cosby]]'s 1990 film ''[[Ghost Dad]]''.) He played the photographer in the 1993 film [[Dennis the Menace (1993 film)|''Dennis the Menace'']] with [[Walter Matthau]]. Stang also provided many voices for the [[Cartoon Network]] series ''[[Courage the Cowardly Dog]]'' and [[Turner Program Services]]' original series ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]''. | ||
In one TV ad | In one TV ad, Stang played [[Luther Burbank]], proudly showing off his newly invented "[[square tomato]]" to fit neatly in typical square slices of commercial bread, then being informed that the advertising bakery had beat him to it by producing round loaves of bread. He was also the TV spokesman for [[Rent-a-Wreck]], a national car-rental agency with a fleet of used, economical vehicles. He provided the voice of the [[Honey Nut Cheerios]] Bee in the 1980s and was a spokesman for [[Vicks|Vicks Vapo-Rub]]. | ||
In 1994, he guest-starred as the voice of Irwin the Mouse in the ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' episode "Thoroughly Mixed-Up Mouse". In 2004, Stang made his last appearance in an interview with animator Earl Kress about the making of ''Top Cat'' | In 1994, he guest-starred as the voice of Irwin the Mouse in the ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' episode "Thoroughly Mixed-Up Mouse". In 2004, Stang made his last appearance in an interview with animator Earl Kress about the making of ''Top Cat'' (featured on the ''Top Cat'' DVD box set). | ||
==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
In 1949 Stang married JoAnne Taggart, an author<ref name="isbn=978-0-517-53958-3">{{cite book |last1=Stang |first1=JoAnne |author1-link=JoAnne Stang |title=Shadows on the Sceptered Isle |date=1980 |publisher=[[Crown Publishers]] |isbn=978-0-517-53958-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="isbn=978-0-395-29135-1">{{cite book |last1=Schreiber |first1=Linda |last2=Stang |first2=JoAnne |author1-link=Linda Schreiber |author2-link=JoAnne Stang |title=Marathon Mom: The Wife and Mother Running Book |date=1980 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin]] |isbn=978-0-395-29135-1 |language=en}}</ref> and journalist who wrote regularly for ''[[The New York Times]]'' in the 1950s<ref name="nytimes/1957/12/01/movie-title-mogul">{{cite news |last1=Stang |first1=JoAnne |author1-link=JoAnne Stang |title=Movie (Title) Mogul |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/12/01/archives/movie-title-mogul.html |access-date=5 September 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=1 December 1957}}</ref> and 1960s,<ref name="nytimes/1966/10/09/night-games">{{cite news |last1=Stang |first1=JoAnne |author1-link=JoAnne Stang |title=In Sweden It's Easier to Play 'Night Games' |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/09/archives/in-sweden-its-easier-to-play-night-games.html |access-date=September 5, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 9, 1966 }}</ref> profiling prominent individuals in the entertainment industry.<ref name="Marquand">{{cite news|last=Marquand|first=Bryan|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2017/09/24/joanne-stang-early-master-celebrity-profile-dies/qsyRwaKSfKjx0Oljl4o9ZN/story.html|title=JoAnne Stang, 91, an early master of the celebrity profile|work=The Boston Globe|date=September 25, 2017|access-date=April 6, 2019}}</ref> They lived in [[New Rochelle, New York]], and in their later years [[New Canaan, Connecticut]], moving toward the end of their lives to [[Needham, Massachusetts]].<ref name="Weber"/> The couple had two children.<ref name="Weber" /><ref name="LAtimes"/> | In 1949, Stang married JoAnne Taggart, an author<ref name="isbn=978-0-517-53958-3">{{cite book |last1=Stang |first1=JoAnne |author1-link=JoAnne Stang |title=Shadows on the Sceptered Isle |date=1980 |publisher=[[Crown Publishers]] |isbn=978-0-517-53958-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="isbn=978-0-395-29135-1">{{cite book |last1=Schreiber |first1=Linda |last2=Stang |first2=JoAnne |author1-link=Linda Schreiber |author2-link=JoAnne Stang |title=Marathon Mom: The Wife and Mother Running Book |date=1980 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin]] |isbn=978-0-395-29135-1 |language=en}}</ref> and journalist who wrote regularly for ''[[The New York Times]]'' in the 1950s<ref name="nytimes/1957/12/01/movie-title-mogul">{{cite news |last1=Stang |first1=JoAnne |author1-link=JoAnne Stang |title=Movie (Title) Mogul |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/12/01/archives/movie-title-mogul.html |access-date=5 September 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=1 December 1957}}</ref> and 1960s,<ref name="nytimes/1966/10/09/night-games">{{cite news |last1=Stang |first1=JoAnne |author1-link=JoAnne Stang |title=In Sweden It's Easier to Play 'Night Games' |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/09/archives/in-sweden-its-easier-to-play-night-games.html |access-date=September 5, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 9, 1966 }}</ref> profiling prominent individuals in the entertainment industry.<ref name="Marquand">{{cite news|last=Marquand|first=Bryan|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2017/09/24/joanne-stang-early-master-celebrity-profile-dies/qsyRwaKSfKjx0Oljl4o9ZN/story.html|title=JoAnne Stang, 91, an early master of the celebrity profile|work=The Boston Globe|date=September 25, 2017|access-date=April 6, 2019}}</ref> They lived in [[New Rochelle, New York]], and in their later years [[New Canaan, Connecticut]], moving toward the end of their lives to [[Needham, Massachusetts]].<ref name="Weber"/> The couple had two children.<ref name="Weber" /><ref name="LAtimes"/> | ||
==Death== | ==Death== | ||
{{Wikinews|American actor Arnold Stang dies at age 91}} | {{Wikinews|American actor Arnold Stang dies at age 91}} | ||
Arnold Stang died from complications of [[pneumonia]] at [[Newton-Wellesley Hospital]] in [[Newton, Massachusetts]], on December 20, 2009, at the age of 91.<ref name="LAtimes"/><ref name="Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91"/> He was survived by his wife of 60 years | Arnold Stang died from complications of [[pneumonia]] at [[Newton-Wellesley Hospital]] in [[Newton, Massachusetts]], on December 20, 2009, at the age of 91.<ref name="LAtimes"/><ref name="Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91"/> He was survived by JoAnne, his wife of 60 years, who died at age 91 in 2017.<ref name="Marquand" /><ref name="Weber" /> | ||
Although Stang was born in [[New York City]] in 1918, he often claimed [[Chelsea, Massachusetts]] as his birthplace and 1925 as his birth year.<ref name="Weber"/> His ashes were buried in Newton's cemetery.{{Citation needed |date=June 2024}} | |||
==Partial filmography== | ==Partial filmography== | ||
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{{cc}} | {{cc}} | ||
* {{IMDb name|0822205}} | * {{IMDb name|0822205}} | ||
* [ | * [https://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2009/12/you_wanna_make_.html Kliph Nesteroff Salutes Arnold Stang] | ||
* [https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/08/nyregion/new-rochelle-festival-celebrates-the-funny-side-of-life.html NEW ROCHELLE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES THE FUNNY SIDE OF LIFE], The New York Times, March 8, 1987] | * [https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/08/nyregion/new-rochelle-festival-celebrates-the-funny-side-of-life.html NEW ROCHELLE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES THE FUNNY SIDE OF LIFE], The New York Times, March 8, 1987] | ||
* [ | * [https://www.goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-51.html Arnold Stang biography and radio interview (June 1974 on WTIC, Hartford, Connecticut)] | ||
* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=henry%20morgan%20show%20AND%20mediatype%3Aaudio Links to ''The Henry Morgan Show'' episodes (featuring Arnold Stang performances) available in mp3 format for free download at Archive.org] | * [https://archive.org/search.php?query=henry%20morgan%20show%20AND%20mediatype%3Aaudio Links to ''The Henry Morgan Show'' episodes (featuring Arnold Stang performances) available in mp3 format for free download at Archive.org] | ||
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIsLanVMHy0 Chunky Candy (1958 TV commercial)] | * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIsLanVMHy0 Chunky Candy (1958 TV commercial)] | ||
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[[Category:21st-century American male actors]] | [[Category:21st-century American male actors]] | ||
[[Category:American television personalities]] | [[Category:American television personalities]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:American male actors]] | ||
[[Category:American male radio actors]] | [[Category:American male radio actors]] | ||
[[Category:American male voice actors]] | [[Category:American male voice actors]] | ||
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[[Category:Famous Studios people]] | [[Category:Famous Studios people]] | ||
[[Category:Male actors from Manhattan]] | [[Category:Male actors from Manhattan]] | ||
[[Category:Comedians from Manhattan]] | |||
[[Category:American male comedians]] | |||
Latest revision as of 04:14, 17 November 2025
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Arnold Sidney Stang (September 28, 1918 – December 20, 2009)[1] was an American actor and comedian. Recognized by his small stature and squawky, Brooklyn-accented speaking voice, he steadily worked on the stage, radio, and television and provided animation voice-over for 70 years. He was the voice of Top Cat in the cartoon series, Frank Sinatra's best friend in The Man with the Golden Arm, and one of the hapless gas station owners in the all-star comedy film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Early life
Arnold Stang was born September 28, 1918, in Manhattan, New York City. His parents were Anna and Harold Stang. Stang was raised in Brooklyn and began acting in radio shows when he was nine.[2][3][4]
Career
Early career
Stang claimed he gained his break in radio by sending a postcard to a New York station requesting an audition, was accepted, then bought his own ticket to New York from Chelsea, Massachusetts with the money set aside for his mother's anniversary gift.[5] Though his widow, JoAnne Stang, explained upon his death that this story was untrue,[3] Stang did work on New York–based network radio shows as a teenager, appearing on children's programs such as The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour and Let's Pretend.[6] By 1940, he had graduated to teenaged roles, appearing as Seymour[7] on The Goldbergs.
In October 1941, director Don Bernard hired Stang to do commercials on the CBS program Meet Mr. Meek, but decided Stang's constantly cracking voice would hurt the ads. Instead, Bernard ordered scriptwriters to come up with a role for Stang.[8] He next appeared on the summer replacement show The Remarkable Miss Tuttle with Edna May Oliver in 1942[9] and replaced Eddie Firestone Jr. in the title role of That Brewster Boy when Firestone joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943.[10]
Comedian Henry Morgan made him a sidekick on his program in fall 1946. Stang appeared in similar roles the following year on radio shows with Eddie Cantor[11] and Milton Berle.[5] He also did the voice of Jughead for a short while on the Archie Andrews radio show when it was broadcast by NBC, opposite future sitcom star Bob Hastings as Archie.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
By this time Stang had appeared in a number of movies, including My Sister Eileen, So This Is New York, and They Got Me Covered. He appeared on Broadway in Sailor Beware, All In Favor and Same Time Next Week, where he first worked with Berle.[12] A notable screen credit was "Sparrow" in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955).
Television and film
Stang moved to the then-new field of commercial television in the late 1940s. He had a recurring role in The School House on the DuMont Television Network in 1949. He was a regular on Eddie Mayehoff's short-lived situation comedy Doc Corkle in fall of 1952[13] as well as comedy relief on Captain Video and His Video Rangers as Clumsy McGee. Then Stang made a guest appearance on Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater on May 12, 1953[14] and joined him as a regular (Francis the Stagehand) the following September, often berating or heckling the egocentric star for big laughs. Stang also had guest roles on several variety shows of the day including The Colgate Comedy Hour. In early 1951, Stang appeared on Henry Morgan's Great Talent Hunt, a take-off of The Original Amateur Hour, as "Gerard", supposedly recruiting "talent" for Morgan. In 1954 he became a panelist on the Goodson-Todman game show The Name's the Same.
Edward Montagne had produced movie short subjects starring Arnold Stang in the early 1950s. Montagne recruited Stang to join his McHale's Navy spinoff Broadside and offered him co-star billing. Stang was then co-starring with the national touring company of the Broadway hit A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum[15] and left the show on October 3, 1964 to join Montagne (the play ran six more weeks, with Gil Lamb in the Stang role). "I was originally scheduled to be in the show [Broadside] when it went on the air last fall," recalled Stang in 1965, "but I was tied up with the road show of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I couldn't get out of the commitment until now."[16] Stang appeared midway through the Broadside run, having missed the first 21 episodes. He co-starred in the remaining 11 episodes as outspoken master chef Stanley Stubbs.
The ratings improved considerably with Stang aboard, but too late to save Broadside, which had already been canceled. Stang felt responsible: "By helping that show I messed it up for the entire cast. The ratings began to climb and they told us we'd probably be on next season. So everybody waited for the renewal, and when it didn't come the pilot season was over and they were all through for the year."[17]
Stang also lent his familiar face and voice to commercials for the Chunky candy bar, where he would list many of its ingredients, smile, and say, "Chunky, what a chunk of chocolate!" As a pitchman for Alcoa aluminum window screens in the late 1960s, he was known for the tagline "Arnold Stang says don't get stung".[4] He would continue to act in television commercials on occasion until his death in 2009.[4]
Voice acting
Stang once described himself as "a frightened chipmunk who's been out in the rain too long."[5] As for his distinctive squawky, nasal Brooklyn voice, he said "I'm kind of attached to it ... [it's] a personal logo. It's like your Jell-O or Xerox.[18]
His voice was so recognizable to the public that his performances could be enjoyed without seeing him in person. While in New York in the early 1940s, he worked for the Famous Studios cartoon shop,[19] where he supplied the voice for Popeye's pal Shorty (a caricature of Stang), Herman the Brooklynese mouse, and Tubby Tompkins in a few Little Lulu shorts. Stang's major contribution to television was voicing the title role in Hanna-Barbera's animated sitcom Top Cat (1961-62).[3] The show lasted for 30 episodes during its network run, and was frequently rebroadcast in Saturday-morning time slots into the 1980s. The Top Cat series was based on The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s military comedy with Silvers as a sergeant masterminding get-rich-quick schemes. Stang was instructed to mimic the Silvers delivery in Top Cat until the sponsor reportedly objected -- insisting it was paying for Arnold Stang, not Phil Silvers. Stang modified his cartoon characterization in the later episodes to be closer to his own, recognizable voice.[3]
In 1959, ABC Paramount Records released an album by Stang, titled Arnold Stang's Waggish Tales. He voiced the character Nurtle the Turtle in the 1965 animated feature Pinocchio in Outer Space and was also the original voice of Buzz the Bee in Honey Nut Cheerios commercials from 1979 to 1992.[20]
Later career
Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Stang remained in demand for movies, television shows, TV commercials, and the stage. Producer Stanley Kramer cast his epic comedy film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) with a host of popular comedy stars and character comedians, and chose Arnold Stang to play alongside Marvin Kaplan, with whom he had appeared on Top Cat, as mild-mannered owners of a service station. They run afoul of enraged motorist Jonathan Winters. When Winters goes on a destructive rampage, Stang and Kaplan defend their property. (Stang turns to Kaplan and says earnestly, "We gotta kill him.") This huge-scale comedy is Arnold Stang's most famous movie credit.
Stang was in many stage productions; on Broadway he appeared in a 1969 revival of The Front Page with Peggy Cass.[21] He starred in two low-budget feature films during this period, Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar (1965, featuring Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcey) and Hercules in New York (1970, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger billed as "Arnold Strong").
Stang returned to the field of animation in 1976 for the series Misterjaw. In this parody of Jaws, Stang was the voice of Catfish, the little sidekick of a playful shark voiced by Arte Johnson. Stang had a small role as Queasy the Parrot in the 1977 film Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. He reprised Top Cat in Yogi's Treasure Hunt and Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats.
Stang appeared in "The Grave Robber," an episode of the popular horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside, playing Tapok, an ancient Egyptian mummy who encounters some unscrupulous archaeologists who lure him into a game of strip poker. He also appeared on an episode of The Cosby Show with guest star Sammy Davis Jr. (and made a cameo appearance in Bill Cosby's 1990 film Ghost Dad.) He played the photographer in the 1993 film Dennis the Menace with Walter Matthau. Stang also provided many voices for the Cartoon Network series Courage the Cowardly Dog and Turner Program Services' original series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
In one TV ad, Stang played Luther Burbank, proudly showing off his newly invented "square tomato" to fit neatly in typical square slices of commercial bread, then being informed that the advertising bakery had beat him to it by producing round loaves of bread. He was also the TV spokesman for Rent-a-Wreck, a national car-rental agency with a fleet of used, economical vehicles. He provided the voice of the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee in the 1980s and was a spokesman for Vicks Vapo-Rub.
In 1994, he guest-starred as the voice of Irwin the Mouse in the Garfield and Friends episode "Thoroughly Mixed-Up Mouse". In 2004, Stang made his last appearance in an interview with animator Earl Kress about the making of Top Cat (featured on the Top Cat DVD box set).
Personal life
In 1949, Stang married JoAnne Taggart, an author[22][23] and journalist who wrote regularly for The New York Times in the 1950s[24] and 1960s,[25] profiling prominent individuals in the entertainment industry.[26] They lived in New Rochelle, New York, and in their later years New Canaan, Connecticut, moving toward the end of their lives to Needham, Massachusetts.[1] The couple had two children.[1][4]
Death
Template:Sister project Arnold Stang died from complications of pneumonia at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, on December 20, 2009, at the age of 91.[4][3] He was survived by JoAnne, his wife of 60 years, who died at age 91 in 2017.[26][1]
Although Stang was born in New York City in 1918, he often claimed Chelsea, Massachusetts as his birthplace and 1925 as his birth year.[1] His ashes were buried in Newton's cemetery.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Partial filmography
- Includes all feature films, but excludes shorts and TV movies
- My Sister Eileen (1942) as Jimmy (uncredited)
- Seven Days' Leave (1942) as Bitsy Slater
- They Got Me Covered (1943) as Drugstore Boy (uncredited)
- Let's Go Steady (1945) as Chet Carson
- So This Is New York (1948) as Western Union Clerk
- Two Gals and a Guy (1951) as Bernard
- The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) as Sparrow
- Alakazam the Great (1960) as Lulipopo (voice in the English version)
- Dondi (1961) as Peewee
- The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) as Rumpelstiltskin
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as Ray, service station co-owner
- Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar (1965) as Jubal A. Bristol
- Pinocchio in Outer Space (1965) as Nurtle the Turtle (voice)
- Skidoo (1968) as Harry
- Hello Down There (1969) as Jonah
- Hercules in New York (1970) as Pretzie
- Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon (1972) as The Delicate Dinosaur (voice)
- Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977) as Queasy (voice)
- I Go Pogo (1980) as Churchy LaFemme (voice)
- Little Miss (1983) as the Narrator
- Ghost Dad (1990) as Mr. Cohen, elderly patient
- Dennis the Menace (1993) as Photographer
References
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- ↑ a b c d e Weber, Bruce. "Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91," The New York Times, December 22, 2009.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 3, 1947
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 26, 1941
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, July 19, 1942
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, September 3, 1943.
- ↑ Miami News, Sept. 25, 1947
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 3, 1947.
- ↑ Hedda Hopper syndicated column, September 10, 1952
- ↑ San Mateo Times, May 12, 1953.
- ↑ A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, ibdb.com. Accessed June 10, 2024.
- ↑ Arnold Stang to syndicated UPI columnist Vernon Scott, Feb. 10, 1965.
- ↑ Arnold Stang to syndicated columnist Harvey Pack, Dec. 11, 1965.
- ↑ Nachman, Raised on Radio (1998), pg. 478; Stang interviewed on October 21, 1997.
- ↑ Obituary London Guardian, March 102010.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
- Template:Trim/ Template:PAGENAMEBASE at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Kliph Nesteroff Salutes Arnold Stang
- NEW ROCHELLE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES THE FUNNY SIDE OF LIFE, The New York Times, March 8, 1987]
- Arnold Stang biography and radio interview (June 1974 on WTIC, Hartford, Connecticut)
- Links to The Henry Morgan Show episodes (featuring Arnold Stang performances) available in mp3 format for free download at Archive.org
- Chunky Candy (1958 TV commercial)
- Pages with script errors
- 1918 births
- 2009 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American television personalities
- American male actors
- American male radio actors
- American male voice actors
- American male film actors
- Male actors from Massachusetts
- 20th-century American comedians
- 21st-century American comedians
- People from Chelsea, Massachusetts
- Deaths from pneumonia in Massachusetts
- People from New Rochelle, New York
- Hanna-Barbera people
- Famous Studios people
- Male actors from Manhattan
- Comedians from Manhattan
- American male comedians