Arte Johnson obit

Arte Johnson, ‘Laugh-In’ Star, Dies at 90

He was not on the list.

Comedian and actor Arte Johnson, Emmy-winning star of 1960s and ’70s comedy sketch show “Laugh-In,” died July 3 in Los Angeles of heart failure. He was 90 and had been battling bladder and prostate cancer.

On “Laugh-In,” he was most familiar as Wolfgang, the heavily accented German soldier who thought World War II was still going on. His catchphrase “Very interesting…” was one of many that caught on from the hit show. Johnson won one Emmy for the show and was nominated two more times.

Appearing on the NBC series for its full run from 1968 to 1973, his other well-known character was as the dirty old man Tyrone F. Horneigh who sat down on a park bench and made off-color remarks to Ruth Buzzi. In a 1970 episode, the two were set to be married appeared in a wedding scene with Tiny Tim as best man. Thought the character probably wouldn’t have worked in modern times, he and Buzzi reprised their characters in the 1977 cartoon series “Baggy Pants and the Nitwits.”

Born in Benton Harbor, Mich., he started out performing in New York nightclubs and was then cast in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” onstage. Moving into television, he appeared in early series including “Sally” and “Hennessy,” as well as in the “Twilight Zone” episode “The Whole Truth” as a car salesman who punches a used car lot owner.

His other TV appearances during the 1960s and ’70s included “Bewitched,” “Lost in Space,” “The Partridge Family” and “The Donna Reed Show.”

While the bulk of Johnson’s roles were on television, his film roles included the Gore Vidal character in Jack Kerouac’s “The Subterraneans,” as a federal agent in “The President’s Analyst,” as Dracula’s comic sidekick in “Love at First Bite.”

Later in his career, he made numerous gameshow appearances on “The Match Game,” “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Gong Show,” guested on “Murder She Wrote” and “Night Court” as well as on “General Hospital.”

Johnson also did extensive voice work for cartoons including “Justice League Unlimited,” “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo,” “DuckTales” and “Animaniacs,” and later narrated numerous audiobooks.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Gisela, and his brother, Coslogh, TV writer on “Laugh-In” and many other shows. Donations maybe be made to Actors & Others for Animals, Best Friends and/or to cancer research.

 

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1954      Best Foot Forward                           TV movie

1956      Miracle in the Rain          Monty  

1959      The Wild and the Innocent           Barker   Uncredited

1960      The Subterraneans          Arial Lavalerra  

1965      The Third Day    Lester Aldrich    

1965      That Funny Feeling          Paul      

1967      The President's Analyst Sullivan                

1968      P.J.         Jackie   

1971      Arnold's Closet Revue                    TV movie

1974      Twice in a Lifetime           Ron Talley           TV movie

1977      Charge of the Model T's                Doc Bailey          

1977      Once Upon a Brothers Grimm     Selfish and Mean              TV movie

1977      Bunco                   TV movie

1978      Bud and Lou       Eddie Sherman TV movie

1979      Love At First Bite              Renfield              

1980      Condominium    Introduction       TV movie

1980      The Love Tapes Harlan Devane TV movie

1983      Making of a Male Model               Marty Sampson               

1984      Cannonball Run II             Pilot      

1985      What Comes Around      Malone                

1985      Alice in Wonderland       The Dormouse

1987      Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers       Farquard / Skull Ghost   Voice, TV movie

1988      A Night at the Magic Castle          Harry Houdini   

1989      Tax Season          Mr. Goldberg    

1990      Evil Spirits            Lester Potts       

1992      Evil Toons            Mr. Hinchlow    

1992      Munchie              Prof. Cruikshank              

1995      Captiva Island    Witherspoon     

1995      Captiva Island    Ernie     

1998      The Modern Adventures of Tom Sawyer                Grumpy Old Man              (final film role)

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1954      Max Liebman Spectaculars           Chuck Green      Season 1, Episode 6: "Best Foot Forward"

1955-1956          It's Always Jan   Stanley Schreiber             4 episodes

1956      The Danny Thomas Show              Bob Martin         Season 3, Episode 22: "Who Can Figure Kids?"

1958      Sally       Bascomb Bleacher Jr.      7 episodes

1959      Schlitz Playhouse of Stars              Wally     Season 8, Episode 13: "Ivy League"

1960      The Red Skelton Show    Joe / Census Taker           2 episodes

1960-1961          Hennesey            Seaman Seymour Shatz 3 episodes

1961      The Twilight Zone             Irv           Season 2, Episode 14: "The Whole Truth"

1961      Westinghouse Playhouse             Clerk      Season 1, Episode 26: "Nan Suits Dan"

1961      Frontier Circus   Charles Gippner                Season 1, Episode 7: "Journey from Hannibal"

1961      87th Precinct     Hotel Clerk          Season 1, Episode 11: "The Very Hard Sell"

1962      The Bob Newhart Show Himself                 1 episode

1962      Dr. Kildare           Bud Fowler         Season 1, Episode 19: "The Glory Hunter"

1962      The Andy Griffith Show Hotel Clerk          Season 2, Episode 25: "Andy and Barney in the Big City"

1962      GE True                Cpl. Coogan        Season 1, Episode 6: "The Handmade Private"

1962-1963          Don't Call Me Charlie      Cpl. Lefkowitz    18 episodes

1963      McHale's Navy   Sweeney             Season 1, Episode 30: "Camera, Action, Panic"

1964      The Greatest Show on Earth        Mario    Season 1, Episode 20: "Man in a Hole"

1964      Destry   Lester    Season 1, Episode 8: "Deputy for a Day"

1964      The Jack Benny Program               Charlie Season 15, Episode 2: "The Lucille Ball Show"

1964      Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre                Beatnik / Chip Broadwater           2 episodes

1964      Many Happy Returns      Virgil Slamm       Season 1, Episode 9: "Krockmeyer on Avon"

1965      Broadside            Charlie Season 1, Episode 16: "The Stowawaves"

1965      The Cara Williams Show                Fenwick Jr.          Season 1, Episode 25: "Fletcher Succedes in Business Without Really Trying"

1965      Bewitched           Cousin Edgar      Season 1, Episode 36: "Cousin Edgar"

1966      The Dick Van Dyke Show               Bill Schermerhorn            Season 5, Episode 16: "I Do Not Choose to Run"

1966      The Donna Reed Show   Crandall               Season 8, Episode 23: "Is There a Small Hotel?"

1966      The Pruitts of Southampton        Ahmed Season 1, Episode 9: "Phyllis Entertains Royalty"

1967-1971          Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In          Himself                 93 episodes

1968      The Joey Bishop Show    Himself                 2 episodes

1968      Lost in Space      Fedor    Season 3, Episode 17: "Princess of Space"

1968      The Legend of Robin Hood           Much    1 episode

1968-1980          Hollywood Squares          Himself                 99 episodes

1969      I Dream of Jeannie           Himself                 Season 4, Episode 19: "The Biggest Star in Hollywood"

1969      The Pink Panther Show Misterjaw (voice)            

1969-1970          The Andy Williams Show               Himself                 4 episodes

1969-1977          Storybook Squares          Wolfgang the Nazi / Beethoven 46 episodes

1970      Sesame Street   German Soldier (Wolfgang)          1 episode

1970-1972          The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour          Himself                 4 episodes

1970-1972          The David Frost Show     Himself                 5 episodes

1970-1974          The Dean Martin Show Himself                 4 episodes

1971      Night Gallery      J.J. Wilson           Season 2, Episode 3: "Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay/With Apologies to Mr. Hyde/The Flip-Side of Satan"

1971-1976          The Mike Douglas Show                Himself                 11 episodes

1972      The Houndcats Rhubarb               13 episodes

1972-1973          The Partridge Family       Morris Tinkler / Nicholas Minsky Pushkin               2 episodes

1972-1975          Celebrity Bowling             Himself                 4 episodes

1973      The Bob Hope Show        Himself                 1 episode

1973      A Touch of Grace              Charlie Season 1, Episode 9: "The Lodge"

1974      Here's Lucy         Sir Osbird Beechman Place           Season 6, Episode 15: "Lucy Is a Bird-Sitter"

1974      Salty      Chuck    Season 1, Episode 16: "Scape Goat"

1974-1976          Dinah!   Himself                 8 episodes

1974-1978          Match Game      Himself                 15 episodes

1975      Get Christie Love!            Morton Perkins                 Season 1, Episode 16: "Murder on High C"

1975      The Rookies        Justin    Season 3, Episode 20: "S.W.A.T."

1975-1976          Tattletales           Himself                 10 episodes

1975-1977          The Bobby Vinton Show                Himself                 12 episodes

1975-1979          The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson             Himself                 6 episodes

1976      The Merv Griffin Show   Himself                 1 episode

1976      Celebrity Sweepstakes   Himself                 4 episodes

1976      Jigsaw John         Daltry Thomas   Season 1, Episode 3: "Too Much, Too Soon"

1977      Baggy Pants and the Nitwits        Tyrone 13 episodes

1977-1987          The Love Boat    Various characters           8 episodes

1978      Kojak     Billy Butler          Season 5, Episode 20: "Photo Must Credit Joe Paxton"

1978-1981          Fantasy Island    Ned Plummer / Fred Catlett / Professor Dwayne Clebe / Edgar Breen        4 episodes

1979      The Dukes of Hazzard     Irving     Season 1, Episode 13: "Double Sting"

1980-1981          CBS Library          Various characters           2 episodes

1982      The Magical World of Disney       Theodore Oglivie              Season 28, Episode 14: "Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang"

1983      Fame     Cliff Armbruster                Season 2, Episode 14: "Star Quality"

1983      Pac-Man              Additional Voices             Season 2, Episode 1: "Here's Super-Pac!/Hey, Hey, Hey... It's P.J."

1983      The Dukes           Additional voices              7 episodes

1983      Hotel     Eddie     Season 1, Episode 10: "The Offer"

1983-1988          The Smurfs         Devil Smurf         9 episodes

1984      Trapper John, M.D.          Dr. Augustus Bunche      Season 5, Episode 13: "Play Your Hunch"

1984-1985          Glitter   Clive Richlin        14 episodes

1985      Airwolf Larry Mason       Season 2, Episode 20: "Severance Pay"

1985      The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo     Weerd 13 episodes

1985      The A-Team        Sydney / Uncle Buckle-Up            Season 4, Episode 12: "Uncle Buckle-Up"

1986      Foofur   Additional voices              3 episodes

1986-1988          The Flintstone Kids          Additional Voices             34 episodes

1986      The New Mike Hammer                 Oscar     Season 3, Episode 8: "Murder in the Cards"

1987      Murder, She Wrote         Phil Rinker           Season 3, Episode 18: "No Laughing Murder"

1987      DuckTales            Count Ray / Dr. Ludwig von Strangeduck                2 episodes

1987-1988          Snorks   Additional Voices             2 episodes

1988-1989          Fantastic Max    Additional Voices             3 episodes

1989      The Further Adventures of SuperTed       Hummingbird    Season 1, Episode 2: "Dot's Entertainment"

1990      Night Court         Gregor Korolenko            Season 7, Episode 19: "The Glasnost Menagerie"

1990      Adam-12              Preacher              Season 1, Episode 2: "Kid Kop"

1990-1992          Tom & Jerry Kids               Voice     2 episodes

1991      Pros and Cons    Landers                Season 1, Episode 4: "It's the Pictures That Got Small"

1991      Yo Yogi!                Lou / Top Cat     9 episodes

1992      Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures              Albert Einstein   Season 1, Episode 7: "A Stand Up Guy"

1993      Parker Lewis Can't Lose Hotel Desk Clerk               Season 3, Episode 18: "A Night to Remember"

1993      Café Americain Pascal    Season 1, Episode 6: "Every Picture Tells a Story... Don't It?"

1994      SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron             Pop Perkins         Season 2, Episode 2: "A Bright and Shiny Future"

1994-1997          Animaniacs         Newt / Delivery Guy / German Dog           3 episodes

1996      Mad About You                 Arte Johnson      Season 4, Episode 12: "Dream Weaver"

1997      Adventures from the Book of Virtues       John's Please      Season 1, Episode 9: "Respect"

1998      The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries            Tommy Tettrazinne         Season 4, Episode 5: "Casino Evil/Happy Bathday to You"

2005      Justice League Unlimited              Virman Vundabar             Season 2, Episode 2: "The Ties That Bind"