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Alan Sues was a regular on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" from 1968-1971.
Alan Sues, a flamboyant and wacky member of the comic ensemble that made "Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In" a big hit for NBC in the late 1960s, died Thursday at his home in West Hollywood of an apparent heart attack. He was 85.
Sues was a regular on the comedy-variety show from 1968 until 1971, playing such characters as Uncle Al the Kiddies' Pal, a hung-over children’s entertainer, and Big Al, an effeminate sportscaster. He left "Laugh-In" before its final season.
Rather than relying on a series of tightly scripted song-and-dance segments, "Laugh-In" offered up a steady, almost stream-of-consciousness run of non-sequitur jokes, political satire and madhouse antics from a cast of talented young actors and comedians that also included Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson and Jo Anne Worley.
Presiding over it all were veteran nightclub comics Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, whose stand-up banter put their own distinct spin on the show.
A native of Ross, Calif., Sues did theater in Pasadena before making his Broadway debut in Elia Kazan’s "Tea and Sympathy" in 1953. He appeared in such TV shows as "The Wild, Wild West" and "The Twilight Zone" — in the notable episode “The Masks,” where a wealthy eccentric forces his greedy heirs to wear masks at a Mardi Gras party or else be cut off from their inheritance — and in the 1964 film "The Americanization of Emily."
George Schlatter, who was producing "Laugh-In," spotted Sues in the off- Broadway musical comedy revue "The Mad Show" with Worley and offered him a job.
After "Laugh-In," Sues appeared in such TV series as "The Brady Brides," "Punky Brewster" and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and played Professor Moriarty in a revival of William Gillette’s "Sherlock Holmes" on Broadway in 1975. He also appeared a loopy commercial for Peter Pan peanut butter in the ’70s.
Sues is survived by his sister-in-law, Yvonne.
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This guy was Funny he was a true Comedian.I remember him from Laugh In.
My condolences to his family!
God bless Alan Sues, he brought us laughter, and that is a good thing!
I've got to try and catch Laugh-In reruns on TV... I forget how much I liked that show!
Never missed a segment of Laugh In...wish we had great comedy like that now. I was surpised to learn Alan Sues was 85 years old! Was it THAT long ago??
I know, Aggie, where has the time gone... loved Alan Sues, couldn't wait for his bits on R & M.
We still have great comedy like that it is called the Republican debates.
my exact thoughts Aggie....wow.time is a slipping away.....
Charles ,what is really funny is Liberals like you. Yes Master, No Master, Take the BULL RING out of your nose and think for yourself.
fix news channel puppet boy buckie, have you been walking up right long?
Another fun memory of my youth.... GONE.
I remember his "Uncle Al, the Kiddies' Pal" skit where he would say "Uncle Al needs more of his medicine" and lift a flask to his lips. Can't believe he was 85. RIP.
Hard to believe he was 85! I must have been older than I remember. Condolences to the family.
This is a story about a man who was a great comedian. Laugh In was really a ground breaker in terms of TV comedy. WTF are you people bringing your silly political comments here for? Buckie and Charles, why don't you just take your @!$%# to a political forum and let us old folks remember the good old days before we had to put up with your crap?
Someone always has to ruin it for everyone.
85.................DAMN
He was such an enjoyable riot. You did great Alan!
how the f(**k do you get a political comment from this?? --charles, bucki, chief--you suck green turds! this was a funny show...hard to believe it was so long ago.
Condolences to his family. Its sad to see these guys pass on. As a kid I always watched at least half the show when basketball practice unfortunately interfered with my watching it during the basketball season. The show was so funny and entertaining.
RIP. Wow, 85? Good life and well done Alan.
Ditto.
Great show and cast. Thought my dad was crazy at the time;)
RIP Alan.
God speed Alan Sues, your comedy was great. This world could use some of that now.
That's the way comedy should be. Thank you Alan, RIP.
Thanks for the laughs Alan!
I was young but caught the show every week.
he was the first celebrity I ever met in person a the the Fresno airport.
Oh I wish thoes days were back agin.Sure would be great to laugh at something that was really funny agin !!
how do we get the morons that come up with t.v. shows to go back to shows like this ?? never forget goldie or artie in that show .. as he said VERY INTERESTING !! we need them back and i know we have people who can do this type of comedy . RIP you made us laugh
you do have a show like that...its called Saturday Night Live. Laugh-in was the forerunner. An ensemble of comedians. Not surprising that both shows were on NBC.
Saturday Night Live hasn't been really funny since "The Not Ready for Prime Time Players" and that has been decades.
Saturday Night Live hasnt been funny since Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Dana Carvey left!
85 huh? I was 27 then and am only 35 now. (just kidding - I am 75). Alan and the gang were a riot!
I fondly remember Alan Sues "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in". His time on that show were golden days for me; I had a brief crush on him whe I was a teen, which baffled my father who thought Alan was flat-out weird. Maybe he was, but he was too busy being screamingly funny for me to think about it. :)
RIP Mr. Sues. You provided some wonderful laughs, sure wish we had more right about now.
R.I.P. Mr. Sues-what an absolute hoot you were! I loved Laugh-In in my formative years!! The best group of comedians we willever see, and sadly never see again. This is a clasic example of "the good old days"
Isn't it too bad that everybody dies?
Well, not everybody.
Yeah Jimee, we all die. It's just that it's not always too bad!
I was small when laugh in was one, and haven't thought about that show in a long time. Funny cast, including Alan Sues. Very entertaining guy
little piece of me seems to die each week. couldn't wait for it to come on.All I know theres a long list out there and everytime someone dies their getting closer to my name.
Imagine if it was decided alphabetically.
Please, don't give me a reason to get married again, although my names have been alphabetical. My maiden name was Boggs, then I married a Chakeres, then I married a Kinney, then I married a Lodwick. I truly love Mr. Lodwick; he is the love of my life. Need to keep him around. lol
I would change my name to something like Zzigfrey, or something and be the last to leave.
Or that exit off the I-15 freeway in California - Zzyzx. Not only would it put you pretty far down on the list but it would be funny as hell listening to people try to pronounce it.
Wow, I find it very sad that the only person surviving him is a "sister-in-law"! No family, no wife or partner, no children? I don't think I could LIVE to be 85 with no-one there! :-(
Rest peacefully, sir.
According to IMDB, he was married for three years, but he apparently had a very private life.
I thought the same thing myself. He's outlived everyone in his family except his sister-in-law.
I was in the Navy back then attending Sonar School in San Diego. I tried hard not to miss any episode. "Uncle Al had tooo much medicine last night..." accompanied with his 'painful look' brought me to my knees. I agree, humor like that needs to be revived. RIP, Alan!! and thank you!!
Thank the comedians who make you laugh now; with a letter or note. Let them know through fan mail they make a difference while they are still living. I appreciate Ben Stiller and so many others for bringing joy in our lives.
I was in the Navy back then attending Sonar School in San Diego. I tried hard not to miss any episode. "Uncle Al had tooo much medicine last night..." accompanied with his 'painful look' brought me to my knees. I agree, humor like that needs to be revived. RIP, Alan!! and thank you!!
I was in the Navy back then attending Sonar School in San Diego. I tried hard not to miss any episode. "Uncle Al had tooo much medicine last night..." accompanied with his 'painful look' brought me to my knees. I agree, humor like that needs to be revived. RIP, Alan!! and thank you!!
Don't know Alan?
Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls!
...while you munch on a walnetto!
Charles 208...if you want a really GOOD laugh, look in the mirror...to use a mans obituary to spout your political bullschitt shows what a sad, desperate kind of people you dems really are.
aftman...i agree but hey he might not be a dem
aftman just because you can breed don't mean you should.
Stay on the rez chief where you belong...:p
It may be rice wine to you, but it's Saki to me!
Rest well Alan.
A great show,his passing just gave me rememberances on one of the best comedies of all time.Most tv is crap now. RIP Alan.