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Joe E. Ross

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joe E. Ross
Rossc. 1966
Born
Joseph Roszawikz

(1914-03-15)March 15, 1914
New York City, New York, US
DiedAugust 13, 1982(1982-08-13)(aged 68)
Los Angeles,California, US
OccupationActor
Years active1938–1982

Joe E. Ross(bornJoseph Roszawikz;March 15, 1914 – August 13, 1982) was an American actor known for his trademark "Ooh! Ooh!" exclamation, which he used in many of his roles. He starred in such TV sitcoms asThe Phil Silvers ShowandCar 54, Where Are You?.[1]

Career

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Ross was born on March 15, 1914, toJewish immigrantparents in New York City who owned a candy store.[1][2]Aged 16, he dropped out ofSeward Park High Schoolto become a singing waiter at the Van Cortlandt Inn inthe Bronx.[2]When the cafe added a female dancer and singer, Ross was promoted to announcer. He added some jokes and became a comedian.

In 1938, he appeared at the Queens Terrace, nearJackson Heights, New York.Jackie Gleasonhad already been playing there for 16 weeks, and the manager was about to ask Gleason to stay a while longer. Ross heard of the opening, auditioned for it, got the contract, and also stayed for 16 weeks. He then turned burlesque comic on the Schuster circuit out ofChicago.

His career was interrupted byWorld War II.He served in theUnited States Army Air CorpsatCamp Blanding, Florida,before being stationed inEngland.

Discharged at the war's end, Ross became an announcer-comic atBilly Gray's Band Box inHollywood.He kept his ties to burlesque, and appeared inIrving Klaw's feature-length theatrical filmTeaserama(1955), a re-creation of a burlesque show.

In 1955, Ross worked at a nightclub inMiami Beachcalled Ciro's.[3][4][5]He was spotted byNat HikenandPhil Silvers,who were planningYou'll Never Get Rich(later known asThe Phil Silvers Showand sometimesSgt. Bilko) and loved Ross's comedy skills.[2]Ross was hired on the spot and cast as the mess sergeant, Rupert Ritzik.

Ross (left) doing part of a routine with Dave Starr in 1955

Ross made Ritzik memorable. Ritzik was henpecked, stupid, and greedy, always an easy mark for Bilko's schemes. Whenever Ritzik had a sudden inspiration, he would hesitate and stammer "Ooh! Ooh!" before articulating his idea. The catchphrase came from the actor's own frustration when he couldn't remember his lines. Silvers would deliberately stray from the scripted dialogue and give Ross the wrong cues, prompting a genuinely confused reaction and an agonized "Ooh! Ooh!" from Ross. Another exclamation Ross used often on the show was "I knew it! I knew it!" each time he lost money on a gambling bet he had been hesitant to make. It began a running gag that Ritzik was jinxed against any bet made with Bilko.

AfterThe Phil Silvers Showended in 1959, Nat Hiken went on to produceCar 54, Where Are You?and cast Ross as Patrolman Gunther Toody of New York's 53rd Precinct.Fred Gwynne,anotherBilkoalumnus, played Toody's partner, Francis Muldoon. Toody could usually be counted on at some point to say "Ooh! Ooh!", or "Do you mind? Do—you—mind?". Ross became so identified with his policeman role that he recorded an album of songs entitled "Love Songs from a Cop".Roulette Recordsreleased the LP in 1964. Ross did the voice for Toody for the episode "Car 54" of Hanna-Barbera'sWait Till Your Father Gets Home,in which Toody and Muldoon moonlight running a day care center and one of the children turns up missing.

Ross also starred as Gronk inSherwood Schwartz's ill-fated 1966 sitcomIt's About Time,which featured two 1960s Americanastronautswho were thrown back in time to theprehistoricera.

Following the breakup ofAllen & Rossiin 1968,Steve Rossiteamed for less than three months with Ross in an act called "Rossi & Ross".[6]Rossi & Ross played once on Ed Sullivan and disbanded in January 1969.[7]

Ross also was a prominent cartoon voice into the 1970s, playing the stereotypical bumbling sergeant in many cartoons such asHong Kong Phooey(as Sgt. Flint) andHelp!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!(as Botch). He also voiced Roll on CB Bears segment Shake, Rattle and Roll. His "Ooh! Ooh!" catchphrase was emulated byFrank Welkerin the animated seriesFangfaceandNorm Prescottas Theodore H. Bear inThe New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle'sQuaculaepisodes. He was also one of the few white comedians with 1970s labelLaff Records,which specialized in African-American comedians and released his albumShould Lesbians Be Allowed to Play Pro-Football?.[8]

Personal life

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Ross had trouble memorizing his lines[9]and used his catchphrase "Ooh! Ooh!" as a delaying tactic to remember what he was supposed to say.[10]He was often known as a difficult person to work with[8][9]and co-workers complained that he was continually vulgar, even cursing around children.[8]Imogene Coca,who played Ross's caveman wife in the sitcom "It's About Time,"hated working with Ross and referred to him as" that awful man. "[8]

Others, however, called him "a man of sweet character"[8]and he was described as a "trouper, cooperative and hard working" during his career.[11]Who's Who in Comedy: Comedians, Comics, and Clowns from Vaudeville to Today's Stand-Upsdescribed Ross as having a "Runyonesquesweetness and likeability despite his obtuseness (that) kept him performing right up to the end. "[2]

Death

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Ross died of aheart attackon August 13, 1982, while performing in the clubhouse of his apartment building in Los Angeles, The Oakwood Apartments.[2][1][12]He was buried inForest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery.Jay Leno,who met Ross when he first arrived in Hollywood and said Ross was the first movie star to become his friend, delivered the eulogy.[13]Ross' gravestone is inscribed with thedouble entendre"This man had a ball".[8][14]

Selected filmography

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Television

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Ross (right) pictured withFred Gwynne,Car 54, Where Are You?

References

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  1. ^abc"Joe E. Ross Dies at 67. Actor in TV's 'Car 54'".The New York Times.Associated Press.August 15, 1982.Retrieved2015-11-05.
  2. ^abcdeWho's Who in Comedy: Ccomedians, Comics, and Clowns from Vaudeville to Today's Stand-Upsby Ronald L. Smith,Facts on File,1992, page 406-407.
  3. ^"'Miami Swank—and Its Opposite' By Thomas Hine "Interior designer George Farkas... designed Miami Beach's Ciro's nightclub"".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-12-10.Retrieved2014-05-01.
  4. ^"Meditations on a Widening Circle: Miami Beach" Ciro's "".
  5. ^"Nightclubs: Long Ago On Miami Beach," Ciro's: At Alton Road and Dade Boulevard "".Archived fromthe originalon May 2, 2014.
  6. ^"Obiturary for Steve Rossi,"Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2014 by Harris M. Lentz III, McFarland, 2015.
  7. ^*Joe E. Ross Biography;retrieved January 30, 2011.
  8. ^abcdef"King of Slobs: The Life of Joe E. Ross,"by Listener Kliph Nesteroff, WFMU, January 30, 2011.
  9. ^abKing of the Half Hour: Nat Hiken and the Golden Age of TV Comedyby David Everitt, Syracuse University Press, 2001, page 167.
  10. ^The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedyby Klip Nesteroff, Grove Press, 2015, pages 103-104.
  11. ^King of the Half Hour: Nat Hiken and the Golden Age of TV Comedyby David Everitt, Syracuse University Press, 2001, page 151.
  12. ^The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy by Klip Nesteroff, Grove Press, 2015, pages 314-315.
  13. ^Leading with My Chinby Jay Leno,HarperCollins,1997, pages 170-171.
  14. ^https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/08/16/Comic-actor-Joe-E-Ross-co-star-of-the-TV/8009398318400/UPI[dead link]
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