Soupy Sales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Soupy Sales |
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Sales on Lunch With Soupy Sales in 1960
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| Birth name | Milton Supman |
| Born | January 8, 1926 Franklinton, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | October 22, 2009 (aged 83) The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Medium | Television, radio, film |
| Genres | Slapstick, word play, improvisation |
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| Children |
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Milton Supman (born January 8, 1926 – died October 22, 2009), known as Soupy Sales, was a funny American comedian and actor. He was also a radio and TV host.
Soupy Sales was famous for his children's TV show, Lunch with Soupy Sales. This show aired from 1953 to 1966. It was full of funny skits that often ended with Soupy getting a pie thrown in his face! This became his special trademark. Later, he was a regular on the TV game show What's My Line? from 1968 to 1975. In the 1980s, he even had his own radio show in New York City.
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Early Life and Nickname
Milton Supman was born in Franklinton, North Carolina. His dad, Irving Supman, was a Jewish merchant who sold things like cloth. Soupy joked that the local Ku Klux Klan members bought the fabric for their robes from his dad's shop.
Soupy got his nickname from his family. His older brothers were called "Ham Bone" and "Chicken Bone." So, Milton was called "Soup Bone," which later became "Soupy."
When he started working as a DJ, he used the name Soupy Hines. But later, he changed it to Soupy Sales. He chose "Sales" partly after a comedian named Chic Sale.
Soupy finished high school in Huntington, West Virginia, in 1944. He joined the United States Navy and served in the South Pacific during World War II. He often made his shipmates laugh by telling jokes and acting like silly characters over the ship's speaker system. One character he made up was "White Fang," a big dog that played funny tricks.
After the Navy, Soupy went to Marshall University. There, he studied journalism. While in college, he performed as a comedian, singer, and dancer in nightclubs.
Starting His Career
After college, Soupy Sales worked as a writer and DJ at a radio station in Huntington. In 1949, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. There, he was a morning radio DJ and performed in nightclubs.
He started his TV career on WKRC-TV in Cincinnati. He hosted Soupy's Soda Shop, which was one of the first teen dance shows on TV. He also had Club Nothing!, a late-night comedy show.
Lunch with Soupy Sales TV Show
Soupy Sales is most famous for his daily children's TV show, Lunch with Soupy Sales. It was also known as The Soupy Sales Show. The show was mostly made up on the spot and used lots of slapstick comedy. It was a fast-paced show with many funny skits and jokes.
Almost every skit ended with Soupy getting a pie in the face! This became his special trademark. He was very good at pie-throwing. He claimed that he and his guests were hit by over 20,000 pies during his career.
Show History
Detroit Beginnings
Lunch with Soupy Sales started in 1953 in Detroit. Sometimes, Soupy would take the TV cameras outside the studio. He would talk with students walking to and from school.
By 1955, a Saturday version of his show was broadcast across the country on the ABC network. His weekday show moved to early mornings.
While Lunch with Soupy Sales was on in Detroit, Soupy also hosted a night show called Soupy's On. This show often featured famous jazz musicians. Soupy believed his show helped keep jazz music popular in Detroit. Many famous musicians, like Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis, appeared on the show.
Soupy had a third show for a short time. He often wore a special sweater on his lunchtime show. He also dressed in costumes, did his dance called the "Soupy Shuffle," and introduced many characters.
Moving to Los Angeles
In 1960, Soupy Sales moved his show to Los Angeles. ABC canceled his show in 1961, but it continued as a local show until 1962. It briefly returned to ABC as a late-night show in 1962 but was canceled again.
Soupy was so famous that he was even a guest host on The Tonight Show for a short time.
New York City Success
On September 7, 1964, Soupy found a new home for his show in New York City. This version of the show was very popular. It featured famous guest stars like Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis, and Judy Garland. Music groups like The Supremes and The Temptations also appeared.
The New Soupy Sales Show
The New Soupy Sales Show came out in 1978. It had the same funny format and ran for one season. It was filmed in Los Angeles.
Show Characters
Many puppets and live actors appeared on Soupy's show. Clyde Adler operated and voiced all the puppets in the Detroit and Los Angeles shows. Later, Frank Nastasi became the puppeteer and played a straight man in the New York shows.
Here are some of the main puppet characters:
- White Fang: This was "The Biggest and Meanest Dog in the USA." You only saw a giant white furry paw with black claws sticking out from the side of the screen. Fang made grunting sounds, and Soupy would repeat what he "said" in English for laughs. White Fang often threw pies when Soupy's jokes weren't funny.
- Black Tooth: This was "The Biggest and Sweetest Dog in the USA." You only saw a giant black paw with white claws. Black Tooth made similar sounds but seemed more friendly. Black Tooth's special move was pulling Soupy off-camera to give him loud, noisy kisses.
- Pookie the Lion: This lion puppet appeared in a window behind Soupy. Pookie was a cool character with quick, funny remarks. In the Detroit shows, Pookie communicated with whistles.
- Hippy the Hippo: This was a smaller character who sometimes appeared with Pookie the Lion.
Music and Records
Frank Sinatra was a big fan of the Soupy Sales show. He even signed Soupy to his own record company, Reprise Records. Soupy released two albums: The Soupy Sales Show in 1961 and Up in the Air in 1962.
Soupy's funny dance song, "The Mouse," became popular in the mid-1960s. It reached #76 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1965. Soupy performed "The Mouse" on The Ed Sullivan Show in September 1965.
Game Show Appearances
Soupy Sales was a regular panelist on the game show What's My Line? from 1968 to 1975. He was usually the first panelist introduced.
In 1969, he appeared on Storybook Squares, a children's version of Hollywood Squares. He played King Henry VIII. In 1976, he hosted Junior Almost Anything Goes, a show with physical stunts.
He also appeared on many other game shows, including To Tell the Truth, Match Game, The Gong Show, Hollywood Squares, and Pyramid. In one famous episode of Pyramid, he kept saying "bacon" to help a contestant guess "greasy things."
Radio Show Host
Soupy Sales hosted a radio show on WNBC in New York from 1985 to 1987. His show was between the morning and afternoon shows of other famous hosts. Once, a fellow host joked on air that he was cutting the strings in Soupy's studio piano. Later, it was revealed this was just a prank for fun.
Film Roles
Soupy Sales had a film career that lasted over 40 years. Some of his movies include:
- 1961 – The Two Little Bears
- 1963 – Critic's Choice
- 1966 – Birds Do It (he played the main role)
- 1993 – The Making of... 'And God Spoke' – he played himself, hired to be Moses because Charlton Heston wasn't available.
- 2005 – Angels with Angles
Television Roles
Soupy Sales also had many roles on TV shows:
- 1960 – He acted in two episodes of the western TV series The Rebel.
- He appeared as himself on the CBS show Hennesey.
- He made several guest appearances on The Carol Burnett Show.
- 1962 – He hosted the Miss Teen USA pageant.
- 1969 – He played Jet Bradford, an Air Force ace, on The Beverly Hillbillies.
- 1982-1984 – On Saturday Supercade, Soupy provided the voice for the Nintendo character Donkey Kong. He was the first actor to voice this character!
- 1994 – On Wings, he played a character named Fred Gardner.
Personal Life
Soupy Sales was married twice. First, to Barbara Fox from 1950 to 1979. They had two sons, Tony Sales and Hunt Sales, who both became rock musicians. In 1980, Soupy married Trudy Carson, who is still alive.
Soupy Sales passed away on October 22, 2009, in Bronx, New York. He was 83 years old and died from cancer. He is buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.
Reruns
Soupy Sales' shows are still enjoyed today! His manager and wife license reruns of over 100 of his shows. You can watch them on channels like Jewish Life Television and Retro Television Network.
Images for kids
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Soupy Sales' grave at Kensico Cemetery.
See also
In Spanish: Soupy Sales para niños
