Oh No!! The Death Of Another Icon
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
October 23, 2009 3:36am CST
I just heard this on the news just now...the passing of yet another icon, Soupy Sales. Now many folks might not even know who the heck Soupy Sales was, but for us baby boomers growing up during the 1960s very few of us didn't watch that famous Soupy Sales Show in glorious black and white on TV. I literally grew up with Soupy Sales and watched his show faithfully. His show was classic slapstick humor and he probably had more pies thrown in his face as part of his act. Also joining him in the show were the puppets White Fang, Pookie and Black Tooth. His show was true classic innocent fun for kids to watch.
He died on October 21 at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, NY at age 83. Here's an article about him: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-soupy-sales23-2009oct23,0,699167.story
I guess his death has even a more and real significant meaning for me however since I actually had met him once. Years and years ago when I was a kid, one of the favorite vacation spots my grandmother, mother and went to was the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania and we often stayed at the Colonial Inn (no longer around). Well one day, there was a big hubbub going on. I had been swimming in the pool and my mother excitedly came over to where I was swimming, and motioned to me to come over. She said to me..."Soupy Sales is here." And she pointed in the direction of where he was...uh, the bar. Well I hopped out of that pool so fast, since I couldn't believe my luck as he was one of my all time faves to watch on TV...and to think he was right there...a stone's throw away. Well,I guess I've always had more brass balls than my mother as she was too chickenshat to get an autograph, but here I was a little kid, maybe eleven years old, and bravely went up to him, still dropping wet from swimming and a towel wrapped around me and approached him with the piece of paper and pen my mother gave me and went into the bar area where he was sitting. (A wonder they didn't kick me out since I was a kid)--and yes, got his autograph which lurks around here somewhere still. I still remember how nice he was while signing his autograph and guess flattered that someone recognized him.
So once again, another celebrity has died, and a real favorite to the baby boomer group. Have any of you watched the Soupy Sales show as a kid?
7 people like this
17 responses
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
23 Oct 09
I hadn't heard this yet. I was shocked to see he was younger than my parents. He always looked older. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I always felt as though I knew him!!! He was hilarious & his show had an innocence only a child could understand. I found it sad that his brand of humor didn't transcend to the following generations!!! They missed some funny stuff!!!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
24 Oct 09
I guess his type of humor and comedy is too tame and innocent for the "younger" folk
4 people like this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
24 Oct 09
Funny you say that, he was considered nasty for his time!!! We kids didn't understand what he was saying, but the adults did!!!
4 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
24 Oct 09
Kind of reminds you of Groucho Marx...only adults would have understood some of his humor which was often considered risque
3 people like this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
23 Oct 09
I haven't seen the amount of responses, as I get my myLot on Outlook Express, but I imagine you will have a BUNDLE!
Another ICON of our era...makes me sad, truly sad....and makes me think more of my immortality! Yessss...he certainly was part of my viewing pleasure, as a youngster, probably one of the first programs I remember! (We were the Clampettsof the Cariboo...got power (electric) & T.V. when I was 12!)
What a treasure (of which, I am jealous)AN AUTOGRAPH! What bittersweet memories it must be bringing back? And I truly am abashed at our NEWS media, they are so focused on H1N1...nary a mention of this sad passing. Thank you...SO MUCH, for sharing, pye! Have a great weekend!
4 people like this
@ElicBxn (63568)
• United States
23 Oct 09
we didn't get Soupy in Texas, at least not THIS part of Texas, but I watched him when I visited family in New Jersey in the summer.
People back here didn't know who he was or quite believe about the pies and stuff, but I remember watching him on some station - probably out of New York.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63568)
• United States
25 Oct 09
thinking back on it, and we are talking around 50 years ago, I was under the idea that he was coming out of Philly, so I suspect he was coming in from one of the Philly stations - he was on when there were soaps on the major networks back in those days
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
I don't think his show was on one of the major channels like CBS..maybe WPIX (Channel 9) or WNEW (channel 5)?????
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
25 Oct 09
to be honest,i'd thought he'd passed already.
um..i recall seeing him on tv,but i can't name a particular show.
i think he might have been on the old hollywood squares a few times with paul lynde too.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
27 Oct 09
Goodness...Paul Lynde is gone too isn't he? I remember him also
1 person likes this
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
23 Oct 09
That's sad, I really liked him. I don't remember the show you were talking about, but enjoyed him on What's My Line and To Tell the Truth. He was a great prankster and had a wonderful sense of humor, and definitely was one of my childhood crushes.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
24 Oct 09
LOL--I think it was my mother who had the crush on him, yet she made me get his autograph since I think she was too nervous to do so
1 person likes this
@killersss (638)
• India
23 Oct 09
well, it is really sad to hear it but that's life we can't do anything in it and neither any one can. i think that's called nature and it is a type of thing that cannot be stolen or we cannot get rid of it, it has to happen someday, may be 2day may b 2moro.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (160483)
• United States
25 Oct 09
Of course I did Pye, what little I got to watch television was usually the good old fun stuff, innocent and lively. He will be missed.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
Yes TV back then was a lot more innocent than it is now--and not just stuff geared for kids either
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
24 Oct 09
Funny I was just thinking about him not long ago and was wondering if he was still alive
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
One certainly wouldn't recognize him as he was in his last photos...I almost didn't
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
Yes his kind of humor is a thing of the past now, isn't it?
@jtr115 (722)
• United States
24 Oct 09
I didn't watch the Soupy Sales Show since it was before my time, but I remember seeing him on various talk shows, comedy specials and game shows. He appeared from time to time on the "Tonight Show" and even guest hosted a few times. Later on in life, I heard about how he got in trouble for telling kids to look in Mommy's purse or Daddy's wallet and send him "the little green pieces of paper with the presidents' pictures." (He donated the money he received to charity.)
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
LOL--gee I never remember hearing of his "scandal" about asking kids to hunt their Mom's purse or Dad's wallet and send him the green paper--but at least glad to hear he donated that money to charity
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
I think he was a regular on Hollywood Squares, wasn't he?
@KatieDidit (989)
• United States
24 Oct 09
Thats so cool you got to meet him. I haven't seen or thought about him in years, yet knowing now that he's gone, I am going to miss him. I used to love watching him as a kid. He was so funny!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
It's weird but just the other day for some reason I was wondering if he was still alive
@BarBaraPrz (47114)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
23 Oct 09
I'm sure I must have, though I have no conscious memory of it. I certainly know who he was.
Didn't he show up on the Carson show from time to time?
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
24 Oct 09
He probably did, I just don't remember him appearing there, just his own show
1 person likes this
@Sweetchariot (1718)
• United States
23 Oct 09
I remember him, but truthfully, I wasn't drawn to his show. I thought it was rather silly, but then, I was never one for slapstick humor.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
To be honest I just guess I was too young to think the show was silly or not....I just remember watching it all the time--I think it was on daily wasn't it?
@laceycyoung (330)
• United States
23 Oct 09
I remember him. I had forgotten about him for years. In fact I believe that it was channel 5 out of Bangor or Portland that use to have the mid day movies on and he was the host him and one of his puppets. We use to love watching that.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 09
I mention elsewhere here for some reason I was thinking of him not long ago and was wondering if he were still alive...now sadly I know