Judy Carne obit

Judy Carne, ‘Laugh-In’s’ ‘Sock it to Me’ Girl, Dies at 76

 She was not on the list.

Actress Judy Carne, best known for being the “Sock it to me!” girl on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” in the ’60s, died on Sept. 3, according to the Telegraph. She was 76.

Carne rose to overnight fame with her appearances on “Laugh-In,” where the bouncy actress’ zany persona would be doused with water every time she uttered the phrase “Sock it to me,” accidentally or not. She acted on the sketch comedy show for two years, making the occasional appearance in the third season.

Carne was also known for her tumultuous relationship with Burt Reynolds. She was the actor’s first wife, marrying him in 1963 before they divorced in 1965. She detailed their relationship, confessing to partaking in several affairs and struggling with drug addiction, in her 1985 autobiography “Laughing on the Outside, Crying on the Inside: The Bittersweet Saga of the Sock-It-To-Me Girl.”

She battled heavily with drug addiction after leaving “Laugh-In,” being charged with heroin possession and prescription forgery in the late ’70s. She was acquitted of the heroin charge.

The actress was born near Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, and trained at the Bush Davies Theatrical School for Girls at East Grinstead as a child. Her first television appearance came in 1956, in “The First Day of Spring.”

Carne went on to serve as a panelist on “Juke Box Jury” and also appeared on sitcom “The Rag Trade,” as well as the 1962 comedy film “A Pair of Briefs.”

Her other TV credits include a regular role in sitcom “Fair Exchange,” “The Baileys of Balboa,” a starring role in sitcom “Love on a Rooftop” and appearances in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”

She had a small part in the ninth episode of the TV series Gidget (1965), guest-starred as Jill in first-season episode 2, "Follow the Leader," and as Floy in second-season episode 3, "Then Came The Mighty Hunter," of 12 O'Clock High (1965), and appeared in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie & Gunsmoke (both in 1966). She appeared in the Bonanza episode "A Question of Strength" (1963) as Sister Mary Kathleen and two episodes of The Big Valley (1967) and guest-starred in episode 11 of the first season of Alias Smith and Jones (1971), an hour-long TV special, "Super Plastic Elastic Goggles" (1971) as a part of the short-lived NBC series, Children's Theater, and the TV adaptation of QB VII (1974). She had roles in the films A Pair of Briefs (1962), The Americanization of Emily (1964), All the Right Noises (1971), and Rachel Amodeo's street movie What About Me (1993) opposite Richard Hell and Johnny Thunders.

On Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (Monday nights, 1968–1970), Carne gained stardom. Her most popular routine ended with her saying "Sock it to me!," at which point she was doused with water or assaulted in some other way. Carne was a regular in the first two seasons (1968–1969); then, having decided the show had become "a big, bloody bore,"[1] made occasional guest appearances in the remaining 1969–1970 seasons. A cast recording, on the CBS label, (#63490), was released in 1968. Her recording of "Sock It To Me," with "Right Said Fred" on side 2, (Reprise RS 20680), was released in the UK on 9 May 1969.

Carne starred in a revival of the musical The Boy Friend, which opened on Broadway on 14 April 1970 and ran for 111 performances

Filmography

 

A Pair of Briefs (1962) as Exotic Dancer (Maid)

The Americanization of Emily (1964) as 2nd Nameless Broad

All the Right Noises (1971) as Joy

Dead Men Tell No Tales (1971, TV film) as Midge Byrnes

QB VII (1974, TV film) as Natalie

Only with Married Men (1974, TV film) as Marge West

What About Me (1993) as Woman of the Streets