On Saturday, April 24 at 6 p.m. WLIW21 will present the exclusive broadcast premiere of Soupy Sales: The Whole Gang is Here. A loving tribute to the late entertainer, the one-hour retrospective features the funniest moments from the 1964-1966 run of The Soupy Sales Show, many of which haven't been seen in over 30 years. Memorable sketches include a restaurant pie-fight between Soupy, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Trini Lopez.. Other guest appearances include Dick Clark, Frankie Valli, Fess Parker, Dick Van Patten, and William B. Williams, plus a rare 1966 TV pilot called The Hoofer starring Soupy and Donald O'Connor.
Written and directed by Long Island native Marino Amoruso (Of Moose & Men: The Rocky & Bullwinkle Story, Pride & Passion: The Italians In America, Frank Sinatra: The Man & The Myth), Soupy Sales: The Whole Gang is Here also features interviews with TV historian Joe Varsalona and comedian "Uncle Floyd" Vivino.
Born Milton Supman on January 8, 1926, in Franklinton, North Carolina and raised in Huntington, West Virginia, Soupy would go on to make over 5,000 television appearances before his passing in October, 2009. Most famous for his 1960s children's TV series The Soupy Sales Show, Sales
became a beloved icon of Baby Boomer generation kids and their parents with his unpredictable sketches, slapstick humor, witty puns, and puppet gags - almost all of which resulted in a pie in the face.
In 1967, Soupy Sales appeared on Broadway in the comedy Come Live With Me at the Billy Rose Theatre.
Soupy Sales: The Whole Gang is Here will air nationwide on public television stations beginning Monday, July 26 and throughout August (check local listings).
New York public media company WNET.ORG is a pioneering provider of television and web content. For more information, visit www.wnet.org.
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