Arte Johnson, Master of Manic Characters on 'Laugh-In,' Dies at 90

[Different Drummer]

Source: HollywoodReporter.com

Arte Johnson, the comic best known for the hilarious characters he created for the 1960s NBC smash hit Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, has died. He was 90.

The 5-foot-4 Johnson, a master of ad libs, double-talk and dialects who was content to be a "second banana," died Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of heart failure following a three-year battle with bladder and prostate cancer, his family announced.

<snip>

Johnson had a repertoire of more than 60 comic characters, including Piotr Rosmenko, an Eastern European song-and-dance man; Rabbi Shankar, an addled Indian guru; and a man in a yellow raincoat who could not help falling off his tricycle.

"Humor for me consists in incongruity," he said in 1974. "If I were doing a Hasidic rabbi, I'd have him speak with an Irish accent. … You take it out of reality and make it cartoon-esque without being denigrating. Because people today are so sensitive, it's the only way of creating humor without offending someone."

More at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/arte-johnson-dead-laugh-in-star-905754

[Aristus]

1. R.I.P. Since the issue of tanks is on everyone's mind these days,

I'll say I remember him doing a fast food commercial back in the '80's in his comic Nazi persona. He drove a tank through the front door of the restaurant. I remember it as probably an M-41 Walker Bulldog. Yes. My memory for tanks is that good.

I loved his duos with Ruth Buzzie. I adored her.

[SoCalNative]

2. Ruthie is still with us

retired and living on her ranch in Texas. She was on that horrible Laugh-In special that debuted last month on Netflix.

[Aristus]

4. I didn't see it, thank goodness.

I loved her park bench lady with the lethal handbag. Arte Johnson usually played a masher trying to hit on her, and often got his comeuppance on the side of the head with her purse.

I remember back in the '70's, the two voiced a Saturday morning cartoon with his masher character re-imagined as a senile old superhero called out of retirement to deal with the 1970's crime wave. Buzzie played the handbag lady as his long-suffering wife.

[Different Drummer]

6. Regarding the cartoon you mentioned, here's a link to the intro of it.

[Aristus]

7. Thank you! This is great!

I'll look at it after work. Get a little childhood nostalgia on...

[hlthe2b]

3. ahhh... sad to see them all age and go...

RIP, Arte

[wendyb-NC]

5. Sad to hear.

R.I.P. Arte.

[BootinUp]

8. Rest In Peace you hilarious man. Nt

[bobbieinok]

9. He was soooooo funny! One of my all-time favorites! RIP

[CentralMass]

10. One of the greats.

Last edited Wed Jul 3, 2019, 05:26 PM - Edit history (1)

[Duppers]

11. "Do you believe in the hereafter?"

"Then you know what I'm here after!"

He was wonderful!

[Duppers]

12. Btw, "to this day"...

My hubby uses this quote on me. And I pretend to hit him with whatever's near.

Those of us who remember him are saddened by Arte's passing.

[Scarsdale]

14. Yes, we are.

He was so funny. A comic genius. I loved Ruth Buzzi, too.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. Funny man

Sad to see him go.

[TygrBright]

15. Ve-e-e-e-ry interesting. But sad.

We don't need to lose any more laughter.

regretfully,
Bright

[Marcuse]

16. The only funny Nazi outside of Hogan's Heroes.

[trueblue2007]

17. Soooooooooooooooooooooo SAD !!!! i loved him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Veddy Interestink, RIP

[Jim__]

18. Rip Arte.

[DinahMoeHum]

19. ". . .Good night Lucy. . .And as for you, Gary. . ."

He was referring to Lucille Ball and her (then) husband Gary Morton.

Ruth Buzzi's tribute:

Link to tweet

Rest in Peace, you sweet, funny little man.