Alan Grigsby Sues (March 7, 1926 – December 1, 2011) was an American actor and comedian widely known for his roles on the 1968–1973 television series ''

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by comed ...

''. Sues's on-screen persona was campy and outrageous. Typical of his humor was a skit that found him following a pair of

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

-drinking

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

s to a

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

bar and requesting a frozen

daiquiri The daiquiri (; ) is a cocktail whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice (typically lime juice), and sugar or other sweetener. The daiquiri is one of the six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury's classic ''The Fine Art of Mixing Dri ...

. His recurring characters on the program included "Big Al the Sportscaster", "Uncle Al the Kiddies' Pal", and "Jo Anne Worley", after Worley left the show.

Early life

Alan Grigsby Sues was born on March 7, 1926, in

Ross, California Ross is a small List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, just north of San Francisco. Ross is located west-southwest of San Rafael, California, San Rafael, at ...

, to Alice (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Murray) and Melvyn Sues, who raised racehorses, requiring the family to move frequently. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Career

Sues used his

G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

benefits to pay for acting lessons at the

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

, where he performed, later making his Broadway debut in the stage play '' Tea and Sympathy'', directed by

Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...

, which had a successful run in New York City beginning in 1953. During this period, he met and married Phyllis Gehrig, a dancer and actress, subsequently starting a

vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatre, theatrical genre of variety show, variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comic ...

nightclub act in Manhattan — with which they toured North America before divorcing in 1958. After touring the country with his wife, he got more work in stand-up comedy (at Reuben Bleu and

The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' () is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Liebmann, with uncredite ...

, both clubs in Manhattan), worked with

Julius Monk Julius Withers Monk (November 10, 1912, Spencer, North Carolina – August 17, 1995, New York City) was an American impresario in the New York cabaret scene. His 1956 revue, ''Four Below'', has been characterized as "the first legitimate cafe re ...

, and joined an improv/sketch group with ''

The Mad Show ''The Mad Show'' is an Off-Broadway musical revue based on '' Mad'' magazine. The music is by Mary Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim, the book by Larry Siegel and Stan Hart. The show's various lyricists include Siegel, Marshall Barer, Steven Vinave ...

'', which led to his being cast in ''Laugh-In''. Outside of ''Laugh-In'', he appeared in the classic '' Twilight Zone'' episode "

The Masks "The Masks" is episode 145 of the American television series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on March 20, 1964 on CBS. In this episode, set on Mardi Gras, a dying man coerces his relatives into wearing grotesque masks that reflect thei ...

", in a non-comedic role. He also had supporting roles in the films ''

Move Over, Darling ''Move Over, Darling'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring Doris Day, James Garner, and Polly Bergen and directed by Michael Gordon filmed in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope released by 20th Century Fox. The film is a remake of a 1940 sc ...

'' (1963) and ''

The Americanization of Emily ''The Americanization of Emily'' is a 1964 American black-and-white black comedy anti-war film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Paddy Chayefsky, and starring James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas, James Coburn, Joyce Grenfell, a ...

'' (1964). After ''Laugh-In'', Sues portrayed Professor Moriarty onstage in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (opposite John Wood, and later

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

), which, according to Alan, was "one of my favorite roles, because it's so against type, and I loved the makeup". The makeup for Moriarty was used in several books about makeup as an example of shadowing and technique. Sues appeared in television commercials for Peter Pan Peanut Butter during the 1970s, as a tongue-in-cheek, klutzy

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

. He toured with ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...

'', playing the Elocution Instructor. He also appeared in several movies and provided voiceovers including ''

Oh! Heavenly Dog ''Oh! Heavenly Dog'' is a 1980 American fantasy comedy film written by Rod Browning and directed by Joe Camp as the third film in the series featuring the dog Benji and stars Chevy Chase as a private investigator who is reincarnated as a dog to ...

'', ''

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July ''Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July'' (titled on-screen as ''Rudolph and Frosty: Christmas in July'') is a 1979 American–Japanese Christmas/Independence Day film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, featuring characters from the company' ...

'' and '' Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure''. During the 1970s, Sues appeared as a celebrity guest on some popular

game shows A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating wh ...

of the era, including '' The Movie Game'', ''

Celebrity Sweepstakes ''Celebrity Sweepstakes'' is an American television game show that aired on NBC's daytime schedule from April 1, 1974, to October 1, 1976. The show also had two separate weekly syndicated runs from September 9, 1974, to September 1975 and again ...

'', ''

The Cross-Wits ''The Cross-Wits'' is an American television game show. Two contestants, each paired with two celebrities, competed to fill in words in a crossword puzzle. It premiered on December 15, 1975, and lasted for five seasons until its cancellation on ...

'' and ''

Liar's Club ''Liar's Club'' is an American game show, originally produced by Ralph Andrews, featuring a panel of celebrity guests who offered explanations of obscure or unusual objects. Contestants attempted to determine which explanation was correct in or ...

''.

Later years and death

Sues appeared in the short films ''Lord of the Road'' (1999) and '' Artificially Speaking'' (2009), the latter making its premiere at the 2009

Dances With Films Dances With Films (DWF) is an annual independent film festival located in Los Angeles, California and New York. It was founded by Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent. Lineup Taking place every year since 1998, the festival is dedicated to representi ...

festival in Los Angeles. In 2008, fifty years after their divorce, Sues and his former wife, Phyllis, conducted a lengthy interview at his home for her website. Sues died on December 1, 2011, at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...

, Los Angeles, where he was taken after suffering an apparent heart attack while watching television with his beloved dog, Doris, according to his partner and accountant, Michael Michaud.

Stage

*'' Tea and Sympathy'' (1953–1955) — Ralph *'' Happy Birthday'' (1956) *''

'' (1966–1967)

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

*'' Good News'' (1972) —

Kenley Players The Kenley Players was an Actors' Equity Association, Equity summer stock theatre company which presented hundreds of productions featuring Broadway theatre, Broadway, film, and television stars in Midwestern cities between 1940 and 1995. ''Variet ...

(

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

) *''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, which h ...

'' (1974–1976) — Professor Moriarty *''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

'' (1976) *''

'' (national tour 1995–1999) — Director/elocutionist *''Two for the Show'' (1998–2000) — One-man stage show, multiple characters

Filmography

Films

* ''

'' (1963) — Court Clerk * ''

The Wheeler Dealers ''The Wheeler Dealers'' (a.k.a. ''Separate Beds'' in the UK) is a 1963 American romantic comedy film produced by Martin Ransohoff, directed by Arthur Hiller, and starring James Garner and Lee Remick. The script was written by George Goodman and ...

'' (1963) - Whitby * ''

'' (1964) — Officer Enright * '' Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure'' (1977) — Sir Leonard Looney (voice) * ''

'' (1980) — Freddie * ''The Reluctant Dragon'' (1981) — The Dragon (voice) * ''Snowballing (AKA Smooth Moves)'' (1984) — Roy * ''

A Bucket of Blood ''A Bucket of Blood'' is a 1959 American comedy horror film directed by Roger Corman. It starred Dick Miller and was set in the West Coast beatnik culture of the late 1950s. The film, produced on a $50,000 budget, was shot in five days and sha ...

'' (1995) — Art Buyer * ''Lord of the Road'' (1999) * '' Artificially Speaking'' (2009) — Sparky Schlosser

Television

* ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'' (episode: "

"; 1964) — Wilfred Harper, Jr. * ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'' (1965) — Matt Dawson * ''

The Doris Day Show ''The Doris Day Show'' is an American sitcom which was originally broadcast on CBS from September 1968 until March 1973, remaining on the air for five seasons and 128 episodes. The series is remembered for its multiple format and cast chang ...

'' (episode: "The Relatives;" 1968) - Edgar * ''

'' (1968–1972) — Regular performer * ''

'' (1979) — Scratcher the jealous Reindeer (voice) * ''

The Brady Brides ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired five seasons from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three girls ...

'' (episode: "Cool Hand Phil"; 1981) — Duke * ''

Punky Brewster ''Punky Brewster'' is an American Situation comedy, sitcom television series about a young girl (Soleil Moon Frye) being raised by a foster parent (George Gaynes) in Chicago. The show ran on NBC from September 16, 1984, to March 9, 1986, and ag ...

'' (episode: "Tangled Web"; 1987) — Andre Sockstein * ''

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appea ...

'' (episode: "Good Will Haunting"; 1998) — Bellevuedere Sues also appeared in two episodes of "

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sues, Alan 1926 births 2011 deaths 21st-century American LGBTQ people American gay actors American LGBTQ artists American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American sketch comedians Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Comedians from California Gay comedians Male actors from the San Francisco Bay Area People from Ross, California Actors from Marin County, California United States Army personnel of World War II