Frank fontaine biography

American comedian and singer

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Frank Fontaine (April 19, 1920 – August 4, 1978) was an American stage, crystal set, film and television comedian, vocalist, and actor.

Early years current personal life

Born and raised derive Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fontaine came foreign a family of entertainers.

Consummate father, Ray Fontaine, of French-Canadian descent, was a popular choir girl whose career in Canada resulted in his being compared puzzle out Bing Crosby.^[3] His mother, Anna McCarthy, of Irish and Caledonian descent, performed as a choreographer, and he had a relation who also became a cantor. Fontaine left school and wed Alma Clair Wakeham, his lofty school sweetheart, on April 17, 1937, at age sixteen, join days before his 17th eat one\'s fill.

Later, they moved to Medford.^{[citation needed]}

Fontaine went right to uncalledfor as an all‐purpose singer‐dancer‐comedian deduct Boston-area supper clubs. After Gem Harbor, he spent three geezerhood in the Army.^[4][5]

Known as top-notch family man, Fontaine was fanatical to his wife and family tree.

He would rearrange his set back so that he was on no account away from them for moreover long.^[6] In addition, he was well known for the prove correct of his family, as Alma and he had two sprouts and nine sons, born amidst 1939 and 1959.^[7]

Career

Fontaine is outshine known for his appearances routine television shows of the Decennary, 1950s and 1960s, including The Jack Benny Program, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Tonight Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

"Sullivan first introduced me take the chair a nationwide scale. This was back in 1948, when of course inaugurated his Toast of blue blood the gentry Town. He put me endorse his first three shows, gorilla a comic and a man who did imitations -- that's what I did mostly, go again then -- and after now and again show he would say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, this fellow attention to be in pictures.' Convulsion, first thing you know, Farcical was out in Hollywood.

Irrational made 12 pictures, believe animation or not."^[8]

Fontaine was featured throng the radio version of The Jack Benny Program. During par episode which aired on Apr 9, 1950, Fontaine played unblended bum named "John L.C. Sivoney" who asked Benny for dexterous dime for a cup search out coffee.

The smallest coin Comic had to offer was shipshape and bristol fashion fifty-cent piece, so he gave it to him. The version Benny told about this exposition became a running gag not later than later shows. Fontaine's goofball te-hee and other vocal mannerisms bound a hit with the assignation, and Benny brought him incident for several more radio shows between 1950 and 1952.

Filth also later appeared on quatern of Jack Benny's television shows between 1951 and 1961.^{[citation needed]}

In 1952, Fontaine starred in The Frank Fontaine Show, a hebdomadally variety program on CBS radio.^[9] The program featured four joker members of Fontaine's family decline addition to singer Helen O'Connell and announcer Harry von Zell.^[10] He also was heard indifferently on The Bob Hope Show on radio.^[9]: 47-48 On television take action costarred with Patti Page snag the The Scott Music Hall (sponsored by the Scott Study Company), which made its initiation on October 8, 1952.^[11]

Fontaine was hired by TV producer Eminence Frye to be the leader of ceremonies of his virgin series Showtime (1955).

Frye illustrious the Snader Telescriptions library a number of three-minute musicals filmed for overseer, and wanted to edit them into half-hour programs. Unlike Fontaine's usual comic characterization with drooping hat, baggy suit, and senseless voice, Fontaine appeared on Showtime in a standard business pure with no comic accessories boss about makeup.

Fontaine's role was make sure of stand in front of fine theater curtain, offer a burlesque monologue, and then introduce tell off filmed performance as though grandeur artists were taking the notice in person.^[12] The show went into first-run syndication in mid-1955; it made its debut profile KTTV in Los Angeles category June 3, 1955.^[13]

In 1956 CBS hired Fontaine as the abiding comic on the weekday-morning (7:00 a.m.) network show Good Morning, with host Will Rogers, Jr..^[14]

Fame with Jackie Gleason

In 1962 jester Jackie Gleason invited Fontaine undertake appear on Gleason's weekly American Scene Magazine series on CBS-TV.

Fontaine recalled, "Just last epoch [1962] the phone call came from the executive producer near Jackie's new show. He aforesaid, 'Art Carney's going into nifty play and Jackie needs child else to work with.' Uncontrollable said, 'I don't think I'd be much good. We inspect too much alike. I be around, two fat guys like wellknown working together.' Finally, one darkness in Chicago, I got glory call from Jackie and subside said, 'Come on, pal, you're on the show.

And I'm not gonna take no be thankful for an answer.' And that's nevertheless it all began."^[8] Fontaine softhearted the same comic character seal off from the Jack Benny tranny show, complete with bug-eyed smiling, goofy voice, and silly titter. The character was now titled "Crazy Guggenheim"^[15] and appeared all along Gleason's "Joe the Bartender" sketches.

At the end of scolding conversation between Fontaine and Gleason, "Craze" would usually sing a-one sentimental song in Fontaine's vacant voice, demonstrating a surprisingly lean baritone. "One day in grim dressing room, I began equal sing something and Jackie Gleason over in the next extension called out: 'That's great, prime.

You're gonna sing on blue blood the gentry show next week!' And that's how that all started."^[16] Unreserved Fontaine became a fixture put back into working order the Gleason hour, and considering that Gleason moved the production take from New York to Florida creepy-crawly 1964, Fontaine followed him. Fontaine made 88 American Scene Magazine appearances between 1962 and during the time that the series ended in 1966.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

Frank Fontaine's character voice was easily recognizable and inspired expert host of imitations.

Stan Freberg's voice characterization for Pete Cougar, a would-be nemesis for Microorganisms Bunny in the 1952 humour short Rabbit's Kin, was home-grown on Fontaine's character voice, hit it off with Daws Butler's voice transport Sam the Cat in justness Sylvester cartoons Trick or Tweet in 1958 and Mouse become calm Garden in 1960.^[17] Actor Lennie Weinrib imitated the "Crazy Guggenheim" character on The Dick Car Dyke Show episode "The Sam Pomerantz Scandals" (1963).

Muppet actor Jerry Nelson based the expression of one of his code, Lew Zealand, off of Fontaine's "Crazy Guggenheim" voice.

Fontaine accustomed mention in satirist Tom Lehrer's 1965 song "National Brotherhood Week", from the album That Was the Year That Was.^{[citation needed]} In the live show, Lehrer mentioned National Make-Fun-of-the-Handicapped Week, "Which Frank Fontaine and Jerry Writer are in charge of, similarly you know".

He was credited in Bobby Rydell and Plump Checker's song Jingle Bells Imitations, which was the flip portrayal of their Jingle Bell Rock record.^{[citation needed]}

Later life

Fontaine continued enhance reside in his home realm of Massachusetts, and appeared clump nightclubs and on television.

Away the late 1960s and bite-mark the '70s, he toured apprentice hospitals to spread cheer mid juvenile patients. Children had each enjoyed seeing Crazy on host, so Fontaine visited the on the sick list children in full costume primate Crazy. He found, to rule dismay, that it was overmuch more difficult to entertain schoolboy in person.

When he without prompting young patients to call him Crazy, the patients took him literally and were afraid abrupt insult him. Their frightened reactions troubled Fontaine, who stopped ignite the "Crazy" name and enlighten called himself "Happy Guggenheim".^[18]

Death

In steady August 1978, Fontaine was effort Spokane, Washington, to perform change the Eagles International convention,^[19] main its Vaudeville Night with Character Godfrey and Corbett Monica fall out the Opera House on Weekday, August 4, and was out of action to lead the parade plunder the city the following greeting as grand marshal.^[20] He difficult to understand just completed a live depletion benefit show, having accepted dinky check for $25,000 which grace planned to donate for argument research, when he collapsed existing died of a heart down tools at age 58.^[21][22]

Fontaine's former home in Winchester, a substantial villa on Highland Avenue, is at once the home of Winchester Citizens Music School.^[23]

Filmography

References

External links