Skiles and Henderson was a long-running American

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

act consisting of Bill Skiles (William Al Skiles, July 5, 1931 - May 16, 2011) and Pete Henderson (Peter Carroll Henderson, April 28, 1938 - March 1, 2018). With Henderson as the

straight man The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the ...

and Skiles as the joker, they performed live and on many popular television shows. Their act began in 1958 at

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisi ...

, and they continued to perform together until 2010. Skiles died on May 16, 2011, and Henderson died on March 1, 2018.

Performance style

Bill Skiles acted as the "frenzied, jabbering, sound-effecting clown to the straight man Pete Henderson". The act consisted mainly of improvised humor featuring sound effects and a variety of antics by Skiles, interfering with Henderson's attempts to tell a storyElaine Woo
Bill Skiles, half of Skiles and Henderson comedy team, dies at 79
Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2011 or sing a popular song. During a serious rendition of "

By the Time I Get to Phoenix "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is a song written by Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965, it was covered by American country music singer Glen Campbell on his album of the same name. Released on Capitol Records in 1967, Cam ...

", Henderson sang the lyric, "She'll probably stop at lunch--" only to be interrupted by Skiles imitating the screech of brakes and shouting,"Gimme a Big Mac!"

History

The two men met in 1953 in

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, ...

. Their act started in 1958 at Disneyland as a song-and-dance act featuring musical instruments made by Skiles' father. Turning more towards comedy, in 1960 they had their professional debut at the

Golden Nugget Las Vegas The Golden Nugget Las Vegas is a luxury hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. The property is owned and operated by Landry's, Inc. It has 2,419 hotel rooms. History The Golden Nugget was ori ...

. The duo played at nightclubs, showrooms and corporate events, and as a supporting act they toured with the New Christy Minstrels and

The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct, soft, musical style, combining Karen's contr ...

. They made television appearances with

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

, Rowan and Martin,

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...

, Mike Douglas,

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...

and

Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own t ...

. Skiles and Henderson last performed in Arizona in March 2010.Dennis Hevesi
Bill Skiles, was in comic duo
New York Times, May 20, 2011 Skiles died on May 16, 2011, at the age of 79 at his home in St Cloud, Florida.

References

External links

Skiles and Henderson website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skiles And Henderson American comedy duos