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Charlie Callas

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Charlie Callas
Callas in 1966
Birth nameCharles Callias
Born(1924-12-20)December 20, 1924[1]
Brooklyn, New York,U.S.
DiedJanuary 27, 2011(2011-01-27)(aged 86)
Las Vegas, Nevada,U.S.
Years active1964–2011
GenresStand-Up, Dark Comedy
Subject(s)Nervous Chattering,
Rubber Face
SpouseEvelyn Callas (1942–2010; her death)
Children2

Charlie Callas(bornCharles Callias;December 20, 1924 – January 27, 2011) was an American actor and comedian. He was most commonly known for his work withMel Brooks,Jerry Lewis,andDean Martin,and his manystand-upappearances on televisiontalk showsin the 1970s. He was also known for his role as Malcolm Argos, the restaurant owner and former con man, on theEddie AlbertandRobert Wagnertelevision seriesSwitch(1975–1978). Callas was also known as the voice of Elliott the Dragon inDisney'slive-action/animatedmusical filmPete's Dragon(1977).

Life and career[edit]

Callas was born on December 20, 1924, inBrooklyn, New York,asCharles Callias,the son of aGreekfather andGermanmother. He served in theUnited States ArmyduringWorld War II.He began his career as a drummer playing in groups withBernie Cummins,[2]Tommy Dorsey,Claude Thornhill,andBuddy Rich.[3]He dropped a vowel from his legal name, Callias, when he took to the stage.

Callas was known for his rubbery face, trademark nervous chattering, anddark comedy.His first television appearance was in 1963 onThe Hollywood Palace,and he soon was opening forFrank Sinatrain nightclubs around the country. In 1965 he played Lefty in a gambling parlor/laundry inThe Munsters,season 2, episode 16, "Herman Picks a Winner." He made nearly 50 appearances onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.One of his best remembered routines was his account of two men -- "they're both nuts" —duck hunting with a shotgun. Callas repeatedly punctuated the simple conversation with strange, nervous sounds and nonsense syllables; "Fert, fert! WOW! Ga-digga-digga..." As the conversation became more frantic, Callas began flailing his arms, twitching his face, and writhing with extreme anxiety. By the end of the routine, Callas had worked himself into a frenzy. During certain extreme gyrations he would pause and ask the audience, "Did'ja ever see a guy tryin' to make a buck this way?"

Callas did the shotgun bit countless times on talk shows. He ran through the act on an episode ofThe Merv Griffin Showin 1965, and one of the guests,Jerry Lewis,practically fell off his chair in hysterics. Lewis turned to Griffin and said he had to use Callas in his current project. That one appearance on the Griffin show landed Callas a role in the 1967 Lewis filmThe Big Mouth.Lewis recalled the story on his short-lived 1984 talk show, in which Callas served as his sidekick and performed the shotgun routine.[3]

He was a regular guest onThe Dean Martin Celebrity Roastwhere he was called on to poke fun at celebrities, includingFrank Sinatra[4]andDon Rickles.[5]Occasionally Callas showed up in an Army uniform, impersonating vaudeville comicGeorge Jessel,much to the celebrities' amusement.

Callas had met and befriendedBobby Vintonin Las Vegas and when Vinton hit it big with a new TV show in 1975 Callas agreed to make a special appearance onThe Bobby Vinton Showin October of that year. He also appeared onThe Andy Williams Showat various times as "Captain Weird", a parody ofsuperheroes.Callas's only known dramatic role was that of a restaurant owner, Malcolm Argos, in the 1970s show,Switch.He was also a regular performer onThe ABC Comedy Hourin 1972.[3]He was a semiregular onThe Flip Wilson Showand co-host ofThe Joey Bishop Show.His last television appearances were onLarry The Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular(2007) andLarry The Cable Guy's Star-Studded Christmas Extravaganza(2008).[1]

Death[edit]

On January 27, 2011, Callas died ofnatural causesat age 86, in his home inLas Vegas, Nevada.He was survived by his sons, Mark and Larry. His wife, Evelyn, had died six months earlier, age 88.

Tony Belmont, executive director of the National Comedy Hall of Fame inSt. Petersburg, Florida,said of Callas upon his death: "There were two things he did that made his career. He could think very fast on his feet, and he had an unbelievable number of sounds that he made with his voice. He would tell a joke about two guys hunting. If you or I told it, the joke wasn't so funny. But Charlie made it hysterical by sticking in these sounds; so you would hear the gun cocking, the duck flying overhead, the explosion of the shotgun, and then the duck falling and screaming all the way to the ground."[3]

Filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abLentz, Harris M. (April 30, 2012).Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011.McFarland, NC: McFarland. p. 51.ISBN978-0-7864-6994-9.
  2. ^Walker, Leo (1989).The Big Band Almanac.Da Capo Press.p.92.ISBN978-0-306-80345-1.
  3. ^abcdHevesi, Dennis (January 28, 2011)."Charlie Callas, Zany Comedian, Dies".The New York Times.
  4. ^"Charlie Callas Roasts Frank Sinatra",fair use clip
  5. ^"Charlie Callas Roasts Don Rickles",fair use clip

External links[edit]

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