William Saluga (September 16, 1937 – March 28, 2023) was an American
comedian
A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...
and founding member of the improvisational comedy troupe
Ace Trucking Company. He appeared on several television programs, including ''
Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
''.
Early life
Saluga was born on September 16, 1937, in
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...
. When Saluga was 10, his father was killed in an industrial accident at the Republic Steel Mill where he worked and his mother supported the family by working as a bookkeeper. Saluga, known as "Billy" to his friends and family, was a high school cheerleader and class clown. After graduation, he served two years in the Navy and then began working as a performer in local theaters.
Career
Saluga spent several years performing in Youngstown, Ohio theaters and clubs. He played numerous roles in notable productions, including ''
Guys and Dolls
''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...
'' and ''
Inherit the Wind''. He became a talent coordinator for the
Steve Allen
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...
show in the late 1960s. in 1969, he created the "Johnson" character while a member of the comedic troupe ''
Ace Trucking Company''.
[
Saluga's ]shtick
A shtick is a comic theme or gimmick. The word entered the English language from the Yiddish ''shtik'' (שטיק), related to German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germa ...
as the character "Johnson" would be, when someone would refer to him as "Mr. Johnson" or by the common generic nickname "Johnson," to exaggeratedly feign offense and list off all permutations of the name Raymond J. Johnson Jr. and nicknames thereof that do not mention the word "Johnson:"
"NOOO!!! You don't have to call me Johnson! My name is Raymond J. Johnson Jr. Now you can call me Ray, or you can call me J, or you can call me Johnny, or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me Junie, or you can call me Ray J, or you can call me RJ, or you can call me RJJ, or you can call me RJJ Jr. . . but you doesn't hasta call me Johnson!"
Saluga would then smugly turn away and begin puffing on his cigar. Saluga's routine
received more widespread attention in the late 1970s after being used in a series of commercials for Miller Lite
Miller Lite is a 4.2% ABV reduced calorie light American lager beer produced by Molson Coors. It was introduced in 1973 in limited markets by the Miller Brewing Company (then owned by Philip Morris, Inc.) and began being distributed nationa ...
beer, and subsequently, in the early 1980s for Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC ( ) is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...
Natural Light beer. Saluga appeared alongside comedian/pitchman Norm Crosby
Norman Lawrence Crosby (September 15, 1927 – November 7, 2020) was an American comedian born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was often referred to as "The Master of Malaprop".
Early and personal life
Crosby was born and was raised in Dorchester ...
echoing (in a roundabout way) Norm's advice to unknowing customers on how to more easily order the lengthily-named beer: "Well, y'doesn't hasta call it Anheuser Busch Natural Light Beer, and y'doesn't hasta call it 'Busch Natural.' Just say 'Natural!'" Saluga then later launches into the "You can call me Ray" routine after Crosby warns not to ask Johnson his name.
From 1977 to 1978, Saluga appeared regularly as Raymond J. Johnson Jr. on Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movemen ...
's eponym
An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
ous variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...
. Saluga as Johnson also made appearances on ''This Is Tom Jones
''This Is Tom Jones'' is an ATV variety series starring Tom Jones. The series was exported to the United States by ITC Entertainment and was networked there by ABC.
The series ran between 1969 and 1971 to total 65 colour episodes. Jones was ...
'', ''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 come ...
'' and '' The David Steinberg Show''. He also made appearances on Chuck Barris' ''The Gong Show
''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to ...
'' during 1977 and 1978.
A novelty disco single called "Dancin' Johnson," based around Johnson's schtick, was released in 1978.
First appearing in 1977, a character called Zalman T. Tombstone, Jr. has popped up many times over the years on the ''Svengoolie
''Svengoolie'' is an American hosted horror movie television program. The show features horror and science fiction films and is hosted by the character Svengoolie, who was originally played by Jerry G. Bishop from 1970 to 1973, before Rich Koz ...
'' television show. He is a floating human skull with a thick mustache and a voice provided by Svengoolie portrayer Rich Koz
Rich Koz (born March 12, 1952) is an American actor and broadcaster best known for his portrayal of horror-movie host Svengoolie, as well as his early '90s children's cartoon showcase ''The Koz Zone''. Koz is also the host of the syndicated '' ...
. A 1978 episode of ''Good Times
''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...
'' contained a scene where Keith (while intoxicated) recited "You can call me Ray, or you can call me J" which was at the height of its popularity for the saying. Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
referenced the "you may call me" schtick in his 1979 hit, "Gotta Serve Somebody
"Gotta Serve Somebody" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as the opening track on his 1979 studio album '' Slow Train Coming''. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male in ...
," when he sings, "You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy / You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy / You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray / You may call me anything, but no matter what you say / You’re gonna have to serve somebody." The idea for the verse originated from Jerry Wexler
Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...
, who suggested it during the recording sessions for ''Slow Train Coming''.
The character's popularity is referenced in multiple episodes of ''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'', with Saluga appearing as himself in the 2002 episode " The Old Man and the Key". Saluga also appeared as Johnson in the 2010 ''King of the Hill
''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
'' episode "Just Another Manic Kahn-Day".
In 2005, he featured in three episodes of Season 5 of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm
''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', also known colloquially simply as ''Curb'', is an American television comedy of manners created by Larry David that premiered on HBO with an hour-long special in October 17, 1999, followed by 12 seasons broadcast from Oc ...
'', playing Louis Lewis, the fictional cousin of Richard Lewis; Saluga's character is in a coma for the first two episodes, only to recover in the final episode, much to the consternation of star Larry David, who was hoping that Louis would die and provide the kidney Richard Lewis needs, so that Larry could avoid having to donate one of his own.
Death and legacy
Saluga died of cardiopulmonary arrest
Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest ''SCA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly circulate around the body and the blood flow to the brain and other org ...
in Los Angeles on March 28, 2023, aged 85. Saluga's nephew, Scott Saluga, told the media that his uncle was living in Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, at the time of his death. Bill Saluga left no surviving immediate family members. He had often told friends he didn't mind being typecast and known to the public as Raymond Johnson.[
Comedian David Steinberg said that "Billy was always doing Ray J. He was relentless with it. I would say 'Mr. Johnson' and Billy would be off. He did it everywhere. At parties. His timing and delivery were so funny every time." In 2017, Saluga said that people never recognized him outside his character and that it gave him great pleasure hearing people perform his shtick in his presence without knowing who he was.][
]
Bibliography
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saluga, Bill
1937 births
2023 deaths
People from Youngstown, Ohio
Comedians from Ohio
American sketch comedians
American television personalities
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
American male comedians