Guy Marks (31 October 1923 – 28 November 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

. A familiar face on TV sitcoms and variety shows of the 1960s and 1970s, he appeared regularly on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'', ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 a ...

'', ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'', not to be confused with the ''Dean Martin Variety Show'' (1959–1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the s ...

'', ''

The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' was an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went into nati ...

'', and '' The Joey Bishop Show''. He had a natural gift for mimicry, and his impressions of celebrities such as

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

, and many others were considered among the best. However, he also could imitate a housefly on a slippery oil cloth, neon signs, alligators, driftwood furniture, rubber bands, frozen chickens, frogs, praying mantis, and — his favorite — an ostrich, all of which found their way into his act or in characters he played on TV.

Early life

He was born Mario Scarpa in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He was the youngest of 11 children born to Ermelindo and Adelina Scarpa, who had emigrated from Italy to America at the beginning of the 20th century. Ermelindo was a clarinetist with the RCA recording orchestra under the direction of Josef Pasternack, and went on to name all of his children after the characters in operas. Mario was named after the hero in

La Tosca ''La Tosca'' is a five-Act (drama), act drama by the Nineteenth-century theatre, 19th-century Theatre of France, French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, wi ...

, an opera his mother admired while she was carrying him. Other siblings included Victoria, Yolanda, Gioconda, Mafalda, Alba, Melba, Thenistocles (Domisticles) and Aristides. Two additional older brothers died at ages two and five from

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...

. In school he spent most of his time imitating his teachers and frustrating the principal. Marks enlisted in the US Army on December 12, 1940, and after serving two years, signed up for a six-year stint in the Merchant Marines. He sailed around the world, including stops in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Hong Kong. When he came back to the US, he did various odd jobs, including bus boy, drill press operator, and even selling flowers. He got into show business by pure accident, when some friends pushed him up onto the stage at

Palumbo's Palumbo's was a popular 20th century restaurant with nightclub entertainment located near the Italian Market section of South Philadelphia, Palumbo's included a banquet hall and Nostalgia's Restaurant. The format basically was an adaption of ...

in South Philadelphia, where he did impressions of

W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former hi ...

Wendell Willkie Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican ...

and

The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely a ...

. He found a partner and worked as a team under the name The Al Mar Brothers, but they soon fumbled and Marks was back doing more odd jobs. However, he found pickling hams, driving a cab and construction work—his only other options—unfulfilling, so he decided to give New York a try. While in the Big Apple he rented a room with five other guys including fellow South Philadelphians

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

, and

Al Martino Al Martino (born Jasper Cini; October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009) was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid-1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop croone ...

. He began working nightclubs in New York, Atlantic City and Chicago, and by the end of the 1950s Marks, Martino and Fisher were all winners on

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' (also known as ''Talent Scouts'') was an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea, it starred Arthur Godfrey, who was also hosting '' Arthur Godf ...

Career

Marks made his first appearance on

on May 29, 1960. From that point on he appeared dozens of times throughout the 1960s and 1970s on popular variety shows. His big break came when he was cast as a regular on the 1962–63 season of '' The Joey Bishop Show''. Marks appeared in the first 19 episodes of the show's second season as Freddy, manager to Bishop's character, when he was suddenly replaced. Newspapers at the time reported conflict between the show's star Bishop and his second banana Marks. Bishop denied it in the press, and many years later would go on to have Marks on his popular late-night talk show. Marks made a memorable appearance in an episode of ''

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

'' in 1963 when he played a love interest for Sally, played by

Rose Marie Rose Marie (born Rose Marie Mazzetta; August 15, 1923 – December 28, 2017) was an American actress, singer, comedian, and vaudeville performer with a career ultimately spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night ...

. The episode, entitled "Jilting the Jilter", featured much of Marks' night-club routine at the time.In May 1964, Marks appeared on

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it was seen Monday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Title ...

to perform another of his famous night-club bits, entitled "How The West Was REALLY Won?". The skit featured Marks' flawless imitations of

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

and a Native American Indian. In 1965 he guest-starred on two science-fiction programs, ''

My Living Doll ''My Living Doll'' is an American science-fiction sitcom that aired for 26 episodes on CBS from September 27, 1964, to March 17, 1965. It was produced by Jack Chertok and filmed at Desilu studios by Jack Chertok Television Productions, in associ ...

'' and ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. The first two seasons, totalin ...

''. In the latter on an episode called "The Martian's Fair Hobo", Marks plays a hobo named Shorty Smith. The character allowed Marks to show off his talents for imitating animals and inanimate objects, such as foghorns and frogs. He was second banana again, in 1967, when he was featured as the American Indian "Pink Cloud" in the 1967

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

comedy

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

'' Rango'', starring

Tim Conway Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. From 1966 to 2012 he appeared in more than 100 TV shows, TV series and films. Among his more notable roles, he portrayed the ...

. Despite early favorable reviews, the show lasted only 17 episodes. In 1969 he appeared on an episode of the popular The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (TV Series) sitcom, playing a gangster who sounds a lot like

. He ended the decade with an appearance as a thief trying to hold up

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden ...

on the

Here's Lucy ''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's thir ...

show. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Marks made frequent appearances on ''

'', ''

'', '' The Joey Bishop Show''; on ''

'' alone he appeared a total of 15 times over nine years. During this time he also continued to work in night clubs all over the country and in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, performing alongside

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in ''Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), ''B ...

Sammy Davis, Jr Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

. and

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

. In a 1974 episode of

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

, he portrayed a late-night horror movie host named Igor, who sounded a lot like

. His only big-screen appearance was in the 1975 film ''Train Ride to Hollywood'', where he was called upon again to imitate Humphrey Bogart. Also in 1975 Marks performed his famous "How The West Was REALLY Won?" routine on

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast ''The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast'' is a series of television specials hosted by entertainer Dean Martin and airing from 1974 to 1984. For a series of 54 specials and shows, Martin and his friends would "roast" a celebrity. The roasts were patter ...

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

. It was by far the hit of the show, and had host Martin and fellow roaster

Don Rickles Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include ''Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958) with Clark Gable, Carl Reiner's '' Enter La ...

howling with laughter. In 1977, he starred alongside

Billy Barty Billy Barty (born William John Bertanzetti, October 25, 1924 – December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life, he stood tall, due to cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism. Because of his short stature, he was often cast ...

in a sitcom pilot called "Great Day". It told the story of a group of homeless who contemplate taking jobs to help save their soon-to-be-foreclosed mission. On an episode of Police Woman called "Blind Terror" that aired in 1978, Marks appeared along with

Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials, and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénue ...

and the show's star,

Angie Dickinson Angeline Dickinson (née Brown; born September 30, 1931) is an American actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough role in ''Gun the Man Down'' (1956) wit ...

. In 1980 he lent his voice along with

Rip Taylor Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor Jr. (January 13, 1931 – October 6, 2019) was an American actor and comedian, known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality, including his wild moustache, toupee, and his habit of showering himself (and others ...

to an animated short called ''Don't Miss the Boat''. In 1981 he was working with Lucille Ball again, in the only project she ever directed, the unsold pilot for a sitcom called "Bungle Abbey". Marks' final role on TV was a featured one in the 1986–87 sitcom ''

You Again? ''You Again?'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for two seasons on NBC from February 27, 1986, to January 7, 1987. It was based on the British show ''Home to Roost''. Synopsis Jack Klugman stars as Henry Willows, a man still em ...

'' as Harry, a poker-playing friend to the show's star

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) and '' Cry Terror!'' (1958). D ...

Music career

Marks attracted international attention with the surprise

novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

song " Loving You Has Made Me Bananas", which parodied the medleys and other

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

conventions of the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

era; the single first charted in April 1968. It was based on an old night-club routine of Marks, featuring an affected band singer of the radio era broadcasting from a remote Pennsylvania town. The song hit #17 on the

Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

chart on April 20 - 27, 1968, and #51 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

on April 27 - May 11, 1968. A re-release did similarly well in 1978, reaching #25 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The UK chart showing led to an appearance by Marks on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' in May 1978. Two out of the three backing singers accidentally sang "Your father had the shopfitter blues", while the other one correctly sang "Your father had the shipfitter blues."''Top of the Pops'' 1978, BBC4 subtitling service

Death

Marks was married at least three times, once to Barbara Thomas (1952 to ?) then to a Kathleen(?) (1962–66) and again to Judy Marie De Salle (1971 to ?). One of these marriages produced a daughter. Marks died on 28 November 1987 at the Atlantic City Medical Center-Pomona in Pomona, NJ. At the time he was living in

Brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He was 64. At the time of his death he was survived by two brothers and five sisters. Contributions in his name were offered to the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

Discography

Album

*''Loving You Has Made Me Bananas'' (1968) *''Hollywood Sings as impersonated by Guy Marks''

Single

*"Loving You Has Made Me Bananas" (1968); re-issued (1978)

References

* Burr Van Atta (1987)"Guy Marks, 64: Comic Who Starred in S. Phila."
Philadelphia Inquirer
' * Bob Thomas (1962) "Joey Bishop Keeps Name, Rest Is Changed"
Ocala Star Banner, August 5, 1962
' * Reading Eagle �
December 19, 1962
* Dorothy Kilgallen (1962)"Dorothy Kilgallen's Voice" ''Montreal Gazette, January 25, 1963'' * Cynthia Lowry (1963)
Evening Independent September 2, 1963
' * 1930 United States Federal Census * 1940 United States Federal Census * U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938 – 1946. * Vernon Scott (1962) "Imitations Pay For Guy Marks"
Milwaukee Sentinel, December 24, 1962
' * Vernon Scott (1967) "Guy Marks Real Comedian
Beaver County Times – April 25, 1967
* Billboard Magazine �
May 8, 1952, Page 48
* Earl Wilson (1971) �
Middlesboro Daily News February 4, 1971

External links

Guy Marks FansiteGuy Marks mini biography site
* Guy Marks classic routin
How the West Was Won
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, Guy 1923 births 1987 deaths American male comedians 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers People from Brigantine, New Jersey 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male singers American people of Italian descent