Joe E. Ross (born Joseph Roszawikz; March 15, 1914 – August 13, 1982) was an American actor known for his trademark "Ooo! Ooo!" exclamation, which he used in many of his roles. He starred in such TV sitcoms as ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-a ...

'' and ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City pol ...

''.

Career

Ross was born on March 15, 1914, to Jewish immigrant parents in New York City. Aged 16, he dropped out of

Seward Park High School __NOTOC__ The Seward Park Campus is a "vertical campus" of the New York City Department of Education located at 350 Grand Street at the corner of Essex Street, in the Lower East Side/Cooperative Village neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. ...

to become a singing waiter at the Van Cortlandt Inn in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. When the cafe added a female dancer and singer, Ross was promoted to announcer. He added some jokes and became a comedian. In 1938, he appeared at the Queens Terrace, near

Jackson Heights, New York Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, northern Astoria ( Ditmars-Steinw ...

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

had already been playing there for 16 weeks, and the manager was about to ask Gleason to stay a while longer. Ross heard of the opening, auditioned for it, got the contract, and also stayed for 16 weeks. He then turned burlesque comic on the Schuster circuit out of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. His career was interrupted by

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 ...

. He served in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

Camp Blanding, Florida Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain nonflying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The installation is ...

, before being stationed in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Discharged at the war's end, Ross became an announcer-comic at Billy Gray's Band Box in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. He kept his ties to burlesque, and appeared in

Irving Klaw Irving Klaw (November 9, 1910 – September 3, 1966), self-named the "Pin-up King",Pérez Seves, ''Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground'', p. 28. was an influential Jewish-American merchant of sexploitation, fetish, and Hollywoo ...

's feature-length theatrical film ''

Teaserama ''Teaserama'' is a 1955 American low-budget sexploitation film directed by Irving Klaw. It follows the performance of a burlesque show. Plot ''Teaserama'' is presented as a documentary film, with all actors and actresses playing themselves. It ...

'' (1955), a re-creation of a burlesque show. In 1955, Ross worked at a nightclub in

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

called Ciro's. He was spotted by

Nat Hiken Nathan Hiken (June 23, 1914 – December 7, 1968) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1950s. Early years Hiken was born on June 23, 1914, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Jewish p ...

and

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

, who were planning ''

You'll Never Get Rich ''You'll Never Get Rich'' is a 1941 Hollywood musical comedy film with a wartime theme directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, Cliff Nazarro, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The title stems f ...

'' (later known as ''The Phil Silvers Show'' and sometimes ''Sgt. Bilko'') and loved Ross's comedy skills. Ross was hired on the spot and cast as the mess sergeant, Rupert Ritzik. Ross made Ritzik memorable. Ritzik was henpecked, dumb, and greedy, always an easy mark for Bilko's schemes. Whenever Ritzik had a sudden inspiration, he would hesitate and stammer "Ooh! Ooh!" before articulating his idea. The catchphrase came from the actor's own frustration when he couldn't remember his lines. Silvers would deliberately stray from the scripted dialogue and give Ross the wrong cues, prompting a genuinely confused reaction and an agonized "Ooh! Ooh!" from Ross. Another exclamation Ross used often on the show was "I knew it! I knew it!", each time he lost money on a gambling bet he had been hesitant to make. It began a running gag that Ritzik was jinxed against any bet made with Bilko. After ''

'' ended in 1959, Nat Hiken went on to produce ''

'' and cast Ross as Patrolman Gunther Toody of New York's 53rd Precinct.

Fred Gwynne Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American actor, artist and author widely known for his roles in the 1960s television sitcoms ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' as Francis Muldoon and as Herman Munster in ''The Munsters'' ...

, another ''Bilko'' alumnus, played Toody's partner, Francis Muldoon. Toody could usually be counted on at some point to say "Ooh! Ooh!", or "Do you mind? Doyoumind?". Ross became so identified with his policeman role that he recorded an album of songs entitled "Love Songs from a Cop".

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed direc ...

released the LP in 1964. Ross did the voice for Toody for the episode "Car 54" of Hanna-Barbera's ''

Wait Till Your Father Gets Home ''Wait Till Your Father Gets Home'' is an American comedy animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired in first-run syndication in the United States from 1972 to 1974. The show originated as a one-time segment on ''Love, Ame ...

'', in which Toody and Muldoon moonlight running a day care center and one of the children turns up missing. Ross also starred as Gronk in

Sherwood Schwartz Sherwood Charles Schwartz (; November 14, 1916 – July 12, 2011) was an American television screenwriter and producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, but he now is best known for creating the 1960s television series '' Gilligan's Isla ...

's ill-fated 1966 sitcom '' It's About Time'', which featured two 1960s American

astronauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

who were thrown back in time to the

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

era. Following the breakup of

Allen & Rossi Allen & Rossi was a comedy team composed of Marty Allen and Steve Rossi, active from 1957 until 1968. They appeared on over 700 television shows including 44 appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', including two of the four Ed Sullivan episodes o ...

in 1968,

Steve Rossi Joseph Charles Michael Tafarella (May 25, 1932 – June 22, 2014), better known as Steve Rossi, was an American stand-up comedian and singer, best known from his work with Marty Allen as Allen & Rossi. Early life Born in New York City in 1932, ...

teamed for less than three months with Ross in an act called "Rossi & Ross". Rossi & Ross played once on Ed Sullivan and disbanded in January 1969. Ross also was a prominent cartoon voice into the 1970s, playing the stereotypical bumbling sergeant in many cartoons such as ''

Hong Kong Phooey ''Hong Kong Phooey'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and originally broadcast on ABC. The original episodes aired from September 7 to December 21, 1974, and then in repeats until 1976. The show wa ...

'' (as Sgt. Flint) and '' Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!'' (as Botch). He also voiced Roll on CB Bears segment Shake, Rattle and Roll. His "Ooh! Ooh!" catchphrase was emulated by

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

in the animated series ''

Fangface ''Fangface'' is a 30-minute Saturday morning cartoon produced by Ruby-Spears Productions for ABC that aired from September 9, 1978, to September 8, 1980. The executive producers were Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, and this was their first cartoon they m ...

'' and

Norm Prescott Norman Prescott (January 31, 1927 – July 2, 2005) was co-founder and executive producer at Filmation Associates, an animation studio he created with veteran animator Lou Scheimer. Life and career Born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston ...

as Theodore H. Bear in '' The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle''s ''

Quacula Quacula is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic vampire duck, created by Filmation. He starred in his own segment on ''The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle'' for one season. Plot Quacula (voiced by Frank Welker) wa ...

'' episodes. He was also one of the few white comedians with 1970s label

Laff Records Laff Records was a small American independent record label specializing in comedy and party records originating on the West Coast of the United States during the 1970s. Amongst their artists were Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, LaWanda Page, George Ca ...

, which specialized in African-American comedians and released his album ''Should Lesbians Be Allowed to Play Pro-Football?''.King of Slobs: The Life of Joe E. Ross
" by Listener Kliph Nesteroff, WFMU, January 30, 2011.

Personal life

Ross, who had trouble memorizing his lines, was often known as a difficult person to work with. Co-workers complained that he was continually vulgar, even cursing around children. Others, however, called him "a man of sweet character".

Death

Ross died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on August 13, 1982, while performing in the clubhouse of his apartment building in Los Angeles, The Oakwood Apartments. He was buried in Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...

delivered the eulogy. Ross' gravestone is inscribed with the

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

"This man had a ball".https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/08/16/Comic-actor-Joe-E-Ross-co-star-of-the-TV/8009398318400/UPI

Selected filmography

*'' The Sound of Fury'' (1950) - Nightclub Entertainer (uncredited) *''

This Woman Is Dangerous ''This Woman Is Dangerous'' is a 1952 American film noir crime drama by Warner Bros. starring Joan Crawford, David Brian, and Dennis Morgan in a story about a gun moll's romances with two different men. The screenplay by Geoffrey Homes and ...

'' (1952) - Asst. Manager (uncredited) *''Models Inc.'' (1952) - Front Man (uncredited) *''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' (1956) - Extra (uncredited) *''

Hear Me Good ''Hear Me Good'' is a 1957 American comedy film written and directed by Don McGuire. The film stars Hal March, Joe E. Ross, Merry Anders, Jean Willes, Milton Frome and Joey Faye. The film was released in October 1957, by Paramount Pictures. Plo ...

'' (1957) - Max Crane *''

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

'' (1958) - Milt Karger *''

Tall Story ''Tall Story'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy film made by Warner Bros., directed by Joshua Logan and starring Anthony Perkins with Jane Fonda, in her first screen role. It is based on the 1957 novel ''The Homecoming Game'' by Howard Nemerov, ...

'' (1960) - Mike (uncredited) *''

The Bellboy ''The Bellboy'' is a 1960 American comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was released on July 20, 1960 by Paramount Pictures and marked Lewis's directorial debut. Plot In a prologue sequence, fictitious execut ...

'' (1960) - Joey, Gangster *'' All Hands on Deck'' (1961) - Bos'n *''

Tony Rome ''Tony Rome'' is a 1967 American neo-noir mystery crime thriller film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Frank Sinatra in the title role, alongside Jill St. John, Sue Lyon and Gena Rowlands. It was adapted from Marvin H. Albert's novel '' ...

'' (1967) - Bartender at Paradise Club (uncredited) *''

The Love Bug ''The Love Bug'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and the first in a franchise by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 ...

'' (1968) - Detective *''

Judy's Little No-No ''Judy's Little No-No'' (also released as ''Let's Do It'') is a 1969 crime film about a go-go dancer who is targeted by gangsters after coming into possession of a priceless jewel. The film was directed and written by Sherman Price and stars El ...

'' (1969) *''Beach Boy Rebels'' (1969) *''

The Boatniks ''The Boatniks'' is a 1970 American comedy film directed by Norman Tokar and starring Robert Morse, Stefanie Powers, Don Ameche and Phil Silvers. It was made by Walt Disney Productions, released by Buena Vista Distribution. Young and awkward, Co ...

'' (1970) - Nutty Sailor *''The Naked Zoo'' (1970) - Mr. Barnum *''The Juggler of Notre Dame'' (1970) *'' Revenge Is My Destiny'' (1971) - Maxie Marks *''Frasier, the Sensuous Lion'' (1973) - Kuback *''

How to Seduce a Woman ''How to Seduce a Woman'' is a 1974 American comedy film, directed by Charles Martin. It stars Angus Duncan, Angel Tompkins, and Alexandra Hay, and was released in late January 1974. Plot synopsis Employees of a well-off con man and lady's man ...

'' (1974) - Bartender *''Alias Big Cherry'' (1975) *''

Linda Lovelace for President ''Linda Lovelace for President'', also known as ''Hot Neon'', is a 1975 American comedy film directed by Claudio Guzmán and starring Linda Lovelace, who achieved notoriety as the central character in the most profitable X-rated film of all time, ...

'' (1975) - Dirty Guy #2 *''The Godmothers'' (1975) - Gino *''The World Through the Eyes of Children'' (1975) - Michael *''

Slumber Party '57 ''Slumber Party '57'' is a 1976 American comedy-drama film directed by William A. Levey and starring Debra Winger in her feature film debut. Cast *Janet Wood as Smitty *Noelle North as Angie *Bridget Holloman as Bonnie May *Debra Winger as Debbie ...

'' (1976) - Michael *''

The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington ''The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington'' is a 1977 American comedy film directed by William A. Levey. It was the sequel to ''The Happy Hooker'', which was released in 1975. Joey Heatherton replaced Lynn Redgrave as the lead character of Xaviera ...

'' (1977) - Night Watchman *''

Gas Pump Girls ''Gas Pump Girls'' is a 1979 American comedy film. Directed by Joel Bender, it stars Kirsten Baker as June. Following their high school graduation, June and her friends take over the operation of her uncle's gasoline station, which faces stiff com ...

'' (1979) - Bruno *''

Skatetown, U.S.A. ''Skatetown, U.S.A.'' is a 1979 American comedy musical film produced to capitalize on the short-lived fad of roller disco.allmovie.com, Skatetown, USA', retrieved September 25, 2010 Directed by William A. Levey, the film features many televisi ...

'' (1979) - Rent-a-Cop *''The Woman Inside'' (1981)

Television

*''

The Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the series ...

'' - Episode #2.19 (1952) *''

'' - 53 episodes - MSgt. Rupert B. Ritzik (1956–1959) *''

'' - 60 episodes - Officer Gunther Toody (1961–1963) *'' It's About Time'' - 26 episodes - Gronk (1966–1967) *''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' - episode - The Funny Feline Felonies - Talent Agent (uncredited) (1967) *''The Red Skelton Hour'' - episode - The Pied-Eyed Piper - Clancy the Cop (1968) *''

McMillan & Wife ''McMillan & Wife'' (known simply as ''McMillan'' from 1976–77) is an American police procedural television series that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971, to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, the ...

'' - episode - The Easy Sunday Murder Case - The Doorman (1971) *'' Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!'' - 16 episodes - Botch (voice) (1971) *''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

'' - episode - Love and the Cryptic Gift / Love and the Family Hour / Love and the Legend / Love and the Sexpert (segment "Love and the Sexpert") (1973) *''

'' - 31 episodes - Sergeant Flint (voice) (1974) *''

'' - episode - Car 54 - Officer Gunther Toody (voice) (1974) *''

The Ghost Busters ''The Ghost Busters'' is a live-action children's sitcom that ran on CBS in 1975, about a team of bumbling detectives who investigate ghostly occurrences. Fifteen episodes were produced. The show reunited Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch in roles ...

'' - episode - Jekyll & Hyde: Together, for the First Time! - Mr. Hyde (1975) *''

CB Bears ''CB Bears'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC from September 10 to December 3, 1977. As with many Hanna-Barbera shows of the time, ''CB Bears'' was an anthology series with six regu ...

'' - Segment - Shake, Rattle, & Roll - 13 episodes - Roll (voice) (1977) *''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...

'' - episode - A Selfless Love/The Nubile Nurse/Parents Know Best - Mr. Ross (1978)

References

External links

* * *
Interview about Joe E. Ross with friend Hank Garrett
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Joe E. 1914 births 1982 deaths American male comedians American male voice actors Jewish American male actors Jewish male comedians Jewish comedy and humor Male actors from New York City Military personnel from New York City United States Army Air Forces soldiers American male television actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American male actors Comedians from New York City 20th-century American comedians Seward Park High School alumni 20th-century American Jews