Talk:Soupy Sales

Fair use issue
The material from Sales' book constitutes "fair use". It is much less than one page of the entire book and does not constitute a substantial percentage of Wikipedia's total content.

Puppeteer
Does anyone remember the name of the puppeteer who "worked" the puppets who played Pookie, White Fang, Black Tooth, etc? He is certainly worthy of mention in the main article! Response - The puppeteer/actors'name was Frank Nastasi Clyde Adler was the original puppeteer in the early 1960's and in the late 1970's on the "new" Soupy Sales Show. With no disrespect to Frank Natasi I personnaly think that Clyde Adler did a better job as he was the original White Fang, Black Tooth and Pookie. He would often upstage Soupy and leave Soupy on the lying on the floor with laughter. Soupy was generous to the performers around him allowing them to get a laugh often at his expense.

The IHOP pie-in
Why hasn't anyone mentioned the time Soupy made a public appearance at an IHOP in West L. A. in 1961 and was hit in the face with a frozen (!) pie by a misguided kid? I was present when that happened (No, I didn't throw it), and I saw it happen! (The quick-witted photographer, hired to take pictures of Soupy with kids, got a shot of him giving my 3-year-old cousin a drink of water while his mother smiles in the background, a picture we still have!) -Dougie monty (talk) 06:23, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Note the following post! Assuming you own rights to the picture, and wouldn't mind, how about making it the current Soupy Sales Wiki-photo?

In any case, I agree the shot of the older Soupy, while touching, should be replaced with a shot of him at his peak. Jusdafax (talk) 00:38, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

Main picture
Is there a more suitable PD image of Mr. Sales around that would better serve this article? I'd rather see a picture of Soupy vibrant and in his prime than that of a half-dead Soupy at an autograph show. Thanks... Davemackey (talk) 17:45, 28 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, I have a scan of the cover of his first album with Reprise. I was in the process of setting up the fair use rationale etc. and someone decided to undo my edit while I was still working on it.  I give up, too many cooks in this kitchen.  If anyone feels like finishing up, the image page is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Soupsale.jpg
 * This would be a good shot, since it not only illustrates the first album but also Soupy at his prime and the main puppet characters from the show. Kid Bugs (talk) 19:41, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I agree with the need for a photograph more representative of the way most people remember this unique entertainer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Salazar45 (talk • contribs) 19:07, 26 October 2009 (UTC)


 * I just looked at the image. Good picture, but to be completely legit, someone probably should do what is asked on the picture's page, which is reduce its resolution; it is, after all, an album cover, so leaving it as is could result in the file's deletion per copyright issues. My suggestion though is to incorporate both it and the current infobox picture of him in 2008 into the article. By that I mean that once we've sorted out the existing issues with the file in question (I think it'd be even better to try and crop the title text out of the photo to make it look more aesthetically appealing and maybe also satisfy the fair use criteria more), we can use it in the infobox, and designate the 2008 picture of him for some other area of the article, say towards the bottom where text is more scarce. Sound good? KirkCliff2 (talk) 14:25, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

The resolution is already severely reduced from what it must have been as an album cover. David Spector (talk) 00:47, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

Pachalafaka
There is no mention of Soupy's rendition of Pachalafaka on the main article page (yet). Even tho' it was written and recorded by Irving Taylor (songwriter), Soupy made it much more famous.


 * This is mentioned several places on the Web. David Spector (talk) 00:48, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

Pronunciation
i've never heard anyone pronounce his surname, correctly or otherwise. is it just pronounced like you'd expect?  tomasz.  13:41, 23 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes ... it is pronounced exactly as you would expect ... as in a traveling sales man ... or the sails on a boat ... Thanks.  (64.252.124.238 (talk) 20:40, 29 October 2009 (UTC))

Vintage Soupy Sales photo
Hi! I'm new at this. I have a 3.5 x 5 photo of Soupy Sales (in his long underwear) which was given to me by my mother. He is holding a record (LP) with Soupy Hines on it and is standing behind a microphone with WJW on it. There are also cans of Heinz soup on a table beside him. It has been inscibed with 'To Shirley All the best  Soupy Hines'. Does anyone know how old this is? I was listening to my satellite radio and heard that he had passed away. Sewing gal (talk) 13:52, 23 October 2009 (UTC)
 * If you wish to scan the photo and contribute it to Wikipedia for use of this article, feel free to do so. Otherwise, this talk page is solely for be used for discussions about improving this article. Steelbeard1 (talk) 13:55, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Jewish
Why is the fact that he was Jewish so important that it has to be mentioned twice in the article. It had nothing to do with his career.Mwinog2777 (talk) 14:45, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Alleged dirty joke
Soupy told dirty jokes on the air repeatedly, and Snopes, et al need to get a life.

I grew up in LA, and used to run home from Van Nuys High School in the early 1960s to watch Soupy, Pookie, Hippie, White Fang and Black Tooth weekdays at 5PM on ABC Ch. 7. Here's a joke that Soupy told that I believe resulted in his being suspended for a few days or weeks. Soupy asked "Why are a woman and a frying pan alike?" Answer:  "Because you have to heat them up before you put the meat in."  This is right from the program, and one that I have used for years to get laughs. Don't think Soupy lasted out that week. Larry VK

The claim that Soupy never told dirty jokes on the air is ridiculous! Back in the early 60s my friends & I would get together to watch each show on L.A. TV to see what Soupy would say or do next. All the kids at (Azusa High) School would be raving about it the next day! I personally heard, "Why are babies so flimsy when they're born? Because they're put together with one screw!", My wife can't make an Apple Pie but she can sure make my banana cream", & many others.  He WAS suspended for at least two periods of time back then.  He also once purposely butchered an ad by one of his own sponsors (for popcorn) while I was watching the show.  We all loved him, & he did at least one assembly at our school.  Rand H. 70.190.208.242 (talk) 14:50, 10 October 2010 (UTC)

I heard Soupy only once, during the 60's, when he was a brief guest on somebody's show. At the time, I knew nothing about him, except that he was an entertainer. The topic of "banana cream pie" somehow came up in the discussion, to which he commented, "The only person who makes my banana cream is my wife". Yes, again this is anecdotal, but many people seem to have had first-hand experience with this kind of behavior. It will be interesting to see how it manages, if ever, to get incorporated in the article.64.194.164.175 (talk) 06:34, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

The story I heard was that Soupy was doing a bit with either White Fang or Black Tooth with some letter flash cards. Soupy would hold up an "F" and ask what letter was it, the response was "K". This went on a couple of times until an exasperated Soupy exclaimed "How come every time I see 'F', you see 'K'?" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.190.97.164 (talk) 16:18, 23 October 2009 (UTC)


 * False. See According to Snopes: "Soupy's assessment of how these rumors came to be associated with his TV show agrees with ours: 'After many years, I think I finally figured out how these ridiculous stories got started. Kids would come home and they'd tell a dirty joke, you know, grade school humor, and the parents would say, "Where'd you hear that?" And they'd say "The Soupy Sales Show," because I happened to have the biggest show in town. And they'd call another person and say, "Gladys — did you hear the joke that Soupy Sales was telling on his show?" and the word of mouth goes on and on, until people start to believe you actually said things like that.' --Manway (talk) 16:56, 23 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm aware of the article. No need to quote it on the discussion page. 71.190.97.164 (talk)
 * With all due respect, apparently there was a need or you would have labeled your posting as an urban legend. --Manway (talk) 18:10, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I have a tape I recorded of the (snopes denied ) "f " you see "k" skit on carson .I can say without a doubt IT DID HAPPEN live on tv  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:4A:8200:783E:ED8C:B2A8:B799:8436 (talk) 22:19, 20 January 2019 (UTC)


 * I'd like to add that I actually saw this bit. I was standing in my parents' bedroom when the punchline was delivered. I was so shocked when I 'got it', that I fell down on their bed. I ran out of the room and told my mother and sister what I just heard. He said it, it's NOT word of mouth. That they can't prove it through recorded material is irrelevant and Snopes is wrong.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.92.14.172 (talk) 00:13, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

I was just watching his "I Dream of Jeannie" sketch over at YouTube in the middle of which he lists the prizes for a talent contest, which include a couple of items from Howard Johnson's. And a "hard Johnson lollipop." The pronunciation is quite distinct and there is muffled on-set response so I don't think I misheard or there was a sound glitch. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.234.41.17 (talk) 16:34, 23 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Are you sure you didn't hear Soupy saying "Howard" instead of "Hard"? The pronunciation would be very easy to slur through and give the wrong impression. See the Snopes link above. Soupy was not a vulgar man, at least when there was a TV camera present. --Manway (talk) 17:01, 23 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Almost certainly, that would be the case. You can't apply current standards to TV of that era. Anything that even hinted of risque language would get you knocked off the air. Keep in mind Jack Paar was censored by the networks in the early 1960s for a "W.C." joke. Things were much more puritanical then. It started to change in the 1970s. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:05, 23 October 2009 (UTC)


 * I grew up in the rural south in the 1950's so you don't need to tell me what the era was like. That's why I was so taken aback.  It may have been unintentional, and you may hear it differently I guess, but to me it's quite clear and and there's a nervous laugh on the set.  He only then afterwards adds a further reference to "Howard Johnson" as if to cover himself.  BTW, I misquoted, he says "a hard Johnson all day sucker."  Again, maybe it's just me but the pun and double entendre reference seem too obvious to be coincidental or accidental.  Have you watched the clip yet?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vTDkv-dzVg around 2:15 minutes in.  It's a great clip regardless.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.234.41.17 (talk) 00:57, 24 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Watching that clip, it's fair to say that audiences were easily amused in those days. But that was live TV for ya. Notice he's effecting a generic and fairly bad "hick" accent throughout, hence "Howard" could easily come out sounding like "Hard". ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:35, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

My friends and I watched Soupy's New York show religiously. We specifically remember two dirty jokes he said on that show: "I took my wife to a baseball game and I kissed her between the strikes and she kissed me between the balls." and "My wife can't make an apple pie but she can sure make my banana cream." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.242.149.130 (talk) 22:44, 4 November 2009 (UTC)
 * He would have been removed from the airwaves if he actually said that stuff. Also, I've heard the same joke about balls and strikes attributed to various radio and TV announcers. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:48, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Hi. I've never done this but I just couldn't stand it any more. I am 61 years old and cut my teeth on Soupy's shows while growing up in the New York area (yes, he was taken off the air and reinstated several times). I remember the joke about the "banana cream," the New Year's Eve fiasco, and also this one that Soupy told: "Did you hear about the little girl who swallowed a safety pin? Didn't get her first prick 'til she was eighteen." Now, at that age, there is literally no other place I could have heard this joke, even if I didn't have a clear memory of it, which I do. I'll take a lie-detector test and swear to it in a court of law -- lol! Tell Snopes, and tell whoever is trying to whitewash the truth on Wikipedia. I don't know why Soupy later denied it but I'm sure he had his reasons (he was a part of a new, short-lived kids' show in the seventies not mentioned in this article; perhaps he was trying to get that going at the time he made those statements). But I'm telling you, it happened. It happened all the time, and I love him for it. Ta!

Susan LaMarche —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.181.68.37 (talk) 17:32, 1 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Personal recollections are insufficient. It has nothing to do with "whitewashing" anything. Valid sources are needed. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

I grew up in Los Angeles, and remember Soupy well. Sadly, there weren't DVRs or other recording devices available at the time he was doing his best (and worst) stuff on TV. As a result, we'll never be able to 'prove' the above, but I don't doubt that these events happened as I witnessed some of them. There's also one more I remember. Soupy held up his hand with outstretched fingers, and recited the following; "this is for Pookie" [folds his thumb], "this is for Hippie" [folds his index finger], "this is for White Fang" [folds his ring finger], "this is for Black Tooth" [folds his pinkie], "and this [extended middle finger] is for my producer". I didn't imagine this, but if I did, my imagination must have taken hold of 1/2 dozen of my school classmates as everyone was discussing this the next day on the playground. The fact that Snopes (which didn't exist in the early 60s, I did) can't verify this isn't a surprise. It's too trivial, and not their forté. If there is any proof still available, I'm sure it's locked in a vault. Enjoy the memories... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Franciscoreyes22 (talk • contribs) 22:48, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

Bugs, like so many other times, WRONG!! Why would any censor monitor a child's program? That's how the Soup got away with those blue jokes. I heard the balls and strikes joke out of Soupy's mouth- live on my TV- when I was a teenager.Dcrasno (talk) 04:16, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

This one is comparatively mild I suppose, but I definitely did see it: The guy at the door hands him a photograph of his newborn son. (We can only see the paper, not what's on it.) Soupy asks, "How come he's all bald-headed and everything?" (or words to that effect). The guy grabs the photo and turns it upside down. Kostaki mou (talk) 17:13, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Death
So why did he die? I can't seem to find it in the article. Am I missing something? 98.220.41.194 (talk) 16:25, 23 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Almost certainly cancer, but I can't find a reliable source. Lkjhgfdsa 0 (talk) 19:12, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

Close friends in cinema?
Although Soupy Sales may never have made it through an audition successfully, did he have any friends in the motion picture industry? 216.99.198.61 (talk) 02:47, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Name of television show
Earlier today, an IP address removed the word "Sales" from the title of the Lunch with Soupy Sales show. But at the time it was airing, the show's title included the full name. See announcement in Sponsor magazine, listing in Television magazine, listing in the TV Guide and an ad taken out by a television station in Broadcasting magazine. I'll be restoring the actual title in a few minutes. NewYorkActuary (talk) 14:58, 12 August 2017 (UTC)

Prank vs pranks
Changing the section title to "prank" rather than "pranks" since the original was a prank and the recreation(s) was a bit. Maineartists (talk) 21:40, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

Superman III citation needed
The filmography section lists a cameo appearance in Superman III. The only online sources I can find for this information is this article, or websites reposting information from this article, which is always a red flag. Not even the IMDb, which is inclusive to a fault, lists such an appearance. It should probably be removed but I'm willing to give benefit of the doubt if someone has a reliable source to suggest he travelled to Canada or the UK to film a cameo. 70.73.90.119 (talk) 23:24, 19 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Per WP:BOLD I removed Superman III from the filmography as I can find no online source to support the notion that Sales was in the film. If someone has a reputable source that can be cited that proves otherwise, please feel free to put it back. 2604:3D09:1F74:1C00:8D39:D194:365F:F021 (talk) 06:45, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

The stripper incident
A well known incident from his 1960s series was when the crew played a prank on Sales by having a topless woman standing just off camera during a skit (a second non-broadcasting camera recorded that angle for posterity). It might be worth mentioning; I don't believe Sales got in trouble for that one (unlike the "green paper" controversy). 2604:3D09:1F74:1C00:8D39:D194:365F:F021 (talk) 06:48, 26 February 2023 (UTC)