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 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Da ...

''. 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 distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden cask ...

-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 '' vaquer ...

s to a

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

bar and requesting a frozen

daiquiri The daiquiri (; es, daiquirí ) 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 o ...

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

Worley Worley may refer to: Places * Worley, Idaho, United States * Worley, Kentucky, United States * Worley, West Virginia, United States * Worley Point, Antarctica People * Worley (surname), people with the surname ''Worley'' * Worley baronets * ...

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

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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Career

Sues used his GI Bill benefits to pay for acting lessons at the

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

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

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

, 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 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 Blue Angel, both clubs in Manhattan), worked with

Julius Monk Julius Withers Monk (10 Nov 1912, Spencer, North Carolina – 17 Aug 1995, New York City, New York) 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 Vina ...

'', 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 their ...

", 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 screw ...

'' (1963) and ''

The Americanization of Emily ''The Americanization of Emily'' is a 1964 British-American black-and-white romantic black comedy war film written by Paddy Chayefsky, produced by Martin Ransohoff, directed by Arthur Hiller and starring James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Dougl ...

'' (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, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...

), 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 Peter Pan is an American brand of peanut butter that is marketed by Post Consumer Brands, part of Post Holdings, and is named after the J. M. Barrie Peter Pan, character. The product was introduced by Swift & Company (originally through their "Der ...

during the 1970s, as a tongue-in-cheek, klutzy

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

. 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 and Cyd Charis ...

'', 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 stars Benjean, billed here as Benji (she was the daughter of Higgins (dog), Higgins, who originated the role of Benji), Chevy Chase, Jane Seymour (actress), J ...

'' and ''

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July ''Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July'' (titled on-screen as ''Rudolph and Frosty: Christmas in July'', or simply ''Rudolph and Frosty'') is an American-Japanese Christmas/Independence Day television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions ...

''. During the 1970s, Sues appeared as a celebrity guest on some popular

game shows A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...

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 fro ...

'', ''

The Cross-Wits ''The Cross-Wits'' is an American syndicated game show which premiered on December 15, 1975, and lasted for five seasons until its cancellation on September 12, 1980. The show was hosted by Jack Clark, with Jerri Fiala as hostess. Announcing d ...

'' 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 ord ...

''.

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 is an annual independent film festival located in Los Angeles, California and was founded by Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent. Lineup Taking place every year since 1998, the festival is dedicated to representing true independent ...

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, 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 Equity summer stock theatre company which presented hundreds of productions featuring Broadway, film, and television stars in Midwestern cities between 1940 and 1996. ''Variety'' called it the "largest network of theater ...

(

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

) *''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve 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, w ...

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

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' (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 I ...

'' (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 West Coast beatnik culture of the late 1950s. The film, produced on a $50,000 budget, was shot in five days and shares ...

'' (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 television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'' (episode: "

"; 1964) — Wilfred Harper, Jr. * ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels w ...

'' (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 change ...

'' (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 from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, after ...

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

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

'' (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 appeared ...

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

References

External links

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