Harold Boyton Fryar (June 8, 1927 – June 25, 2017) was an American actor and television personality. He rose to prominence as Harlow Hickenlooper, the host of ''
The Three Stooges Show'' on
Channel 6 in
Indianapolis, Indiana.
Career
Fryar graduated in 1950 with a
bachelor's degree in speech from
Indiana University. He began his
broadcasting career as an announcer, emcee and writer as a teenager in
Indianapolis, Indiana, in the mid-1940s. By the 1960s, he had developed his entertainment talents as host of programs geared to young audiences in radio and TV in
Ohio.
[Indiana University (2008)]
''Four IU alumni being inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame''
Retrieved on 30 December 2008.
Fryar hosted a local Indianapolis children's show on WFBM-TV that ran from 1960 to 1972 and highlighted the old Three Stooges shorts. He appeared under the name "Harlow Hickenlooper" and was one of a trio of hosts with Curley Myers and Captain Star (Jerry Vance, a.k.a.
Larry Vincent
Francis Fitzgerald "Larry" Vincent (June 14, 1924—March 8, 1975) was an American television horror host, famed for his character Seymour, who presented—and heckled—low-budget horror and science fiction movies on '' Fright Night'' on KHJ-TV ...
). Together, they sang songs and did skits for a
live studio audience of children. Fryar fell into the Stooges'
slapstick comedy routines with passion. His idea of Harlow Hickenlooper's
personality was for him to be a character for whom nothing ever went right, no matter how hard he tried.
[Hollis, Tim (2001)]
''Hi There, Boys and Girls!: America's Local Children's TV Shows''
Published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. . Hickenlooper regularly ended up with a (shaving)
cream pie in his face.
[Indianapolis Star (2003)]
''Harlow Hickenlooper and Curley Side by Side Once Again''
. Retrieved on 4 January 2009. Fryar also hosted several other children's shows over 43 years in local television.
In 1965, Fryar was cast in the Three Stooges feature film, ''
The Outlaws Is Coming'', playing the part of
Johnny Ringo.
[ Upon the movie's release, Fryar quickly received a number of complaints from English teachers because he appeared in a movie with the grammatically incorrect title. Many younger children, who went expecting to see his trademark battered straw hat and striped coat, were unable to recognize him in his ]outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
makeup. Older children and their parents were able to appreciate the comedy.[
On October 2, 2008, Fryar was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers ]Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
.[
]
Death
Fryar died of bladder cancer on June 25, 2017, in Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698.
History
Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...
, at age 90. He is survived by his wife, Henrietta, of 37 years and their four children.Hal Fryar, better known to Hoosiers as Harlow Hickenlooper, dies
/ref>
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fryar, Hal
1927 births
2017 deaths
American male film actors
American male television actors
American television personalities
American children's television presenters
Male actors from Indianapolis
Indiana University alumni
People from Franklin, Indiana
Deaths from bladder cancer
Deaths from cancer in Florida