Who Was Soupy Sales, and Why We'll Miss Him

Entertainment Weekly ^ | 10/23/09 | Ken Tucker

[nickcarraway]

Soupy Sales died at age 83 yesterday. He hosted an afternoon kiddie show that reached its height of popularity in the mid-1960s. He was totally unlike other kids-show hosts of that, or any other, era. He wasn’t soft-spoken, like Mr. Rogers; he wasn’t grandfatherly, like Captain Kangaroo; he didn’t want to teach you anything, like Mr. Wizard.

What Soupy was was a unique combination of silly and hip. He mixed slapstick with self-conscious irony. He was forever getting a pie thrown in his face. He talked to puppets, especially two — White Fang and Black Tooth — that were really little more than offstage voices, with arms that entered the camera frame. He played jazz on his show and snapped his fingers like a nightclub performer. Cool cats and kitties of the era, like Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine, dropped by to visit and take a pie in the face, because Soupy was, for a little while, himself very cool.

He had a Top 10 hit at the height of Beatlemania with “Do The Mouse.” His musical sons, Hunt and Tony, played with David Bowie in the band Tin Machine, and backed Iggy Pop on Lust For Life, among much other excellent L.A. session-work.

The Soupy Sales Show’s set decor said “clubhouse,” but the off-camera guffaws — when Soupy made the crew laugh with constant his ad libs — introduced a generation to the idea that there were real people behind the TV cameras, that this was a show, not a fantasy-world. Well before The Larry Sanders Show, Soupy was busy breaking the fourth-wall surrounding the creation of TV.

To his eternal and ambivalent fame, he was once suspended from the show for a New Year’s Day 1965 joke: he asked kids to go into their parents’ bedrooms and take the “little green pieces of paper” they found — i.e., money — and send them in to him.

I interviewed him for EW years ago, by phone. As the conversation began to fade, Sales thanked me for not asking him about the “little green pieces of paper” controversy. “Everybody thinks they have to bring that up — why?” he asked me, irritation in his voice.

“Because their editors tell them to, thinking they’ll get a bit more controversy out of it,” I suggested.

“Yeah,” he said, sighing. “Maybe. Or maybe some people just like to make happy people unhappy.”

I hope Soupy Sales has found some happiness now.

[the long march]

I loved the old Soupster. One of the funniest shows ever. White Fang always arrived just in the nick of time to leave Soup pretty well mauled.

May the angels sing him home

[Buckeye McFrog]

He could have brusquely dismissed those irritating reporters simply by saying “No Soupy for You!”

[mudblood]

Great post. He’s before my time, but I’ve heard the “little green pieces of paper” story and I think its fabulous. I wish I had heard about this yesterday...but I think there may have been a missing white girl somewhere in need of media attention, or something.

[SMARTY]

I remember him. He was funny

[DallasDeb]

He was on lots of gameshows during the 60’s, too. That’s how I seem to remember him.

[BenLurkin]

[BenLurkin]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mJ4lc_Q9Q6k/RifYbKipdaI/AAAAAAAADgw/34sqUMuYCic/s400/PookieAndSoup.png

[CharacterCounts]

After he jokingly asked the kids to send him those little pieces of green paper, the station received thousands of dollars. To its embarrassment, the station could not send much of the money back because the little kids never put a return address on the envelope.

[a fool in paradise]

Soupy's sons went on to play in bands with Iggy Pop and David Bowie.

[jimfree]

Mrs. jimfree took a cream pie to work today as a memorial.

[a fool in paradise]

To his eternal and ambivalent fame, he was once suspended from the show for a New Year’s Day 1965 joke: he asked kids to go into their parents’ bedrooms and take the “little green pieces of paper” they found — i.e., money — and send them in to him.

Always found it odd that they suspended him over this but not the appearance of a (largely offcamera) stripper (who was captured in her act with an unaired second "blooper" camera) while "The Stripper" played.

[curth]

They started out by playing on Todd Rundgrens first solo album, Runt.

[a fool in paradise]

After he jokingly asked the kids to send him those little pieces of green paper, the station received thousands of dollars. To its embarrassment, the station could not send much of the money back because the little kids never put a return address on the envelope.

"Forward them to me!!!"

[Deb]

I laughed at a Cinderella parody called “The Sisty Uglers” until I couldn’t breathe. My Mom threatened t turn Soupy off, but my Dad wouldn’t let her.

[NativeSon]

saw Tin Machine, good show

[a fool in paradise]

I think EW was wrong to refer to them as session musicians, they toured with the performers as well.

[frithguild]

I remember watching the little green pieces of paper show. I was 4. I though it was dumb.

[Osage Orange]

I’d forgot about white Fang and Black Tooth.....

[a fool in paradise]

Netflix has a couple of Soupy Sales tv show DVD titles.

I purchased the 3 disc set years ago only to discover that it largely consisted of 1970s programming. But it does include the famous stripper blooper.

And there is a title of 1959 episodes.

[chris_bdba]

LOL I think I got in trouble for trying to get the green paper to send but being a 4 year old I had to ask Mom to address the envelope and get me a stamp. :)

[dfwgator]

I’m sure YouTube will be working overtime with people watching the old clips.

[freepertoo]

When I was 4 years old, I didn’t know Soupy Sales was a “big hit”, I just knew I loved him! I created a whole family of imaginary friends with Soupy monkers: Big Soupy, Little Soupy, Silly Soupy, etc. I was so sorry to hear that the first love of my life passed away today! Thanks for the fun from this fomer 4-year old, Mr. Pie in the Kisser!

[MHGinTN]

IIRC, it was Soupy’s expressions while the ‘act’ was going on which made the particular show so funny.

[CharacterCounts]

"Forward them to me!!!"

The station donated the money to charity and suspended Soupy Sales for two weeks. Many children actually picketed the station demanding his return.

[PapaBear3625]

Always found it odd that they suspended him over this but not the appearance of a (largely offcamera) stripper (who was captured in her act with an unaired second "blooper" camera) while "The Stripper" played.

Because he had nothing to do with it. The show staff did it as a birthday surprise for Soupy.

[fatima]

Soupy Sales with Pookie and White Fang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNv3rVV1mfs&feature=fvw

[CharacterCounts]

Always found it odd that they suspended him over this but not the appearance of a (largely offcamera) stripper (who was captured in her act with an unaired second "blooper" camera) while "The Stripper" played.

Sales didn't know about the stripper. It was a practical joke played on him by the camera crew.

[Deb]

I forgot about "The Stripper". Hilarious!

I wondered if that DVD set had the early black and white shows. I didn't get it because I was afraid the shows wouldn't hold up and be as wonderful as I remembered when I was little.

[dalereed]

Never heard of him.

[Deb]

POOKIE!!! OMG, I’m gonna cry!! What a great link!!

[Deb]

Get off this thread, heathen.

[1raider1]

Wasn’t there another character named Hippy or am I just having the DT’s again?

[Hot Tabasco]

White fang, Black Tooth and Pookie.......best supporting cast of all televisiondom.......

I'll never forget those good days sitting on the floor of my grandparents' house in front of the wooden cabinet, maybe 15" diag. black and white television with rabbit ears..........and watching Soupy Sales.

"Be true to your teeth... or they will be false to you!"

'You do dat, I love you and give you a big kiss.'

[MHGinTN]

Here's Soupy's Comedy Club reprise of that show.

[Hot Tabasco]

Soupy Sales with Pookie and White Fang

That was funny!

[Deb]

Gee, I was just playing with you, but no, I will not go to Hell. I shall go to the mall and buy some new Manolos. Probably hot pink.

[Deb]

I don’t know. Its possible. I haven’t thought about Soupy for so many years.

[Hot Tabasco]

Go pollute some other thread jerk!

[Irish Queen]

Soups Sales was very popular with teens in the early sixies. The first time I saw him on TV was at a cast party at our choir teacher's house. The party began right after school and all the kids were surprised when Miss Brocaw wheeled a TV into the living room and turned on Soupy Sales. Miss Brocaw was quite a character. Every Halloween she would tell how she had married a French officer in Paris on October 31, 1946. She'd end the story by saying she soon found out that her dreamboat treat was actually a dirty trick.

Soupy Sales came across the black and white screen as such a lovely, gentle man. It made it all the more sweet that "The Soupy Sales Show" really annoyed my mother.

[Hot Tabasco]

I shall go to the mall and buy some new Manolos. Probably hot pink

Good for you......LOL!

[a fool in paradise]

He didn’t know about it at first. And then he opened the prop door and got an eyeful. And then he went back!

[a fool in paradise]

Meanwhile in 1960s Cleveland Ohio, they had tv hosts like Ghoulardi (later to be known as the voiceover on ABC) who'd blow up M-80s in the studio that were mailed to them by home viewers (he'd blow up models and assorted things).

It's a lot different time. "Cool it with the boom-booms!"

[a fool in paradise]

Without Steve Allen and Soupy Sales, David Letterman would be just another washed up 1970s weatherman.

[nickcarraway]

her dreamboat treat was actually a dirty trick.

Did she elaborate, right when it was getting interesting?

[fatima]

He’s too cute.I saw him in a parade a few years ago.

[fatima]

:)Hehehehe

[pyx]

RIP Soupy, and thank you.

[Mad Dawg]

I loved Soupy.

One time he got hung up with pie on his face and he let White Fang take the commercial. I’m pretty sure I did permanent damage laughing at this alleged dog arm gesturing at a box of cereal and uttering gibberish.

And he would often give the footnote to a joke, as in,
“Bud Abbot, 1952.”

Genius.