Ronnie Schell | |
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Born | Ronald Ralph Schell December 23, 1931 Richmond, California, U.S. |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1958–present |
Spouse | Janet Rodeberg (m. 1968) |
Children | 2 |
Ronald Ralph Schell (born December 23, 1931) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He appeared on the May 28, 1959, episode of the TV quiz show You Bet Your Life , hosted by Groucho Marx. Schell demonstrated a comic barrage of beatnik jive talk. [1] As a stand-up comedian, he first developed his act at the hungry i nightclub in San Francisco, California, and is heard (presumably as the opening act) introducing the Kingston Trio at the start of the group's 1962 College Concert album. Schell is probably best known for his 1960s television role as Duke Slater in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Schell was born in Richmond, California, on December 23, 1931. Upon graduation from high school, he served four years in the United States Air Force, where he became an airman first class.[ citation needed ]
In his role as Duke Slater on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. , Schell's character was cast for three seasons as a Marine private and best friend of Gomer Pyle. Schell left for a season to star as a disc jockey in his own sitcom, Good Morning World . He then returned to Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. as a corporal for its fifth and final season. Schell played Duke Slater as an urban, streetwise character, compared to Pyle's rural, bucolic character, as portrayed by Jim Nabors. Returning as a corporal, Slater acted more as a mediator between Pyle and Sgt. Carter, portrayed by Frank Sutton, than as a buddy to Pyle.
Schell lent his voice to "Jason" on the animated series Battle of the Planets and co-starred as "Mr. Brown" on The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World episode of The Wonderful World of Disney.
His other television guest credits include The Andy Griffith Show , The Patty Duke Show , Phil of the Future , Yes, Dear , The Wayans Bros. , Step by Step , Coach , The Golden Girls , 227 , Saved by the Bell , Empty Nest , Mr. Belvedere , Santa Barbara , Trapper John, M.D. , Too Close for Comfort , The Brian Keith Show , The New Temperatures Rising Show , The Love Boat , Love, American Style , Alice , Mork & Mindy , One Day at a Time , Charlie's Angels , The Dukes of Hazzard , Sanford and Son , Emergency! , Happy Days , Adam-12 , The New Dick Van Dyke Show , That Girl , Black Sheep Squadron , and Jessie .
Schell's gradual ascendency into the public's attention earned him the title "America's Slowest Rising Comedian". [2] [3] [4]
Schell also acted in a few Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) commercials such as "Smile Inspection" and "PSA Gives You A Lift Pageant". At the end of a Jerry Lewis PSA jingle, a voice said "That was Jerry Lewis for PSA, and this is Ronnie Schell. What did I do wrong?" [5] Schell was the voice for the hockey puck-shaped character on the Peter Puck cartoons, which aired during televised National Hockey League games in the 1970s. From the mid to late 1980s, Schell appeared in numerous television commercials for Shakey's Pizza.
In 2007, Schell was part of a touring cabaret show titled, 5 Star Revue with Gary Collins, Mary Ann Mobley, Ruta Lee, and Steve Rossi. He starred in the 2009 off-Broadway production of Don't Leave it All to Your Children!, a comedic and musical revue dedicated to aging baby boomers. [6]
Schell was the comedy advisor to Richard Dreyfuss in the 2019 Netflix film The Last Laugh .
He married Janet Rodeberg in 1968; they have two children, Greg and Chris Schell.[ citation needed ]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | The Strongest Man in the World | Referee | |
1976 | Gus | Joe Barnsdale | |
The Shaggy D.A. | TV Director | ||
1978 | The Cat from Outer Space | Jake / Sgt. Duffy | Voice |
1979 | Love at First Bite | Guy in Elevator | |
1980 | How to Beat the High Cost of Living | Bill Pike | |
1981 | The Devil and Max Devlin | Greg Weems | |
1986 | The Check Is in the Mail... | Dr. Brannigan | |
1987 | Dutch Treat | Lou Winters | |
Ultraman: The Adventure Begins | Samson | Voice; credited as Ronald Schell | |
1990 | Jetsons: The Movie | Rudy 2 | Voice |
1991 | Rover Dangerfield | Eddie | Voice |
1993 | Fatal Instinct | Conductor | |
Dorf Goes Fishing | DIP Host | Direct-to-video | |
1994 | Revenge of the Red Baron | Lou | |
1997 | The Good Bad Guy | Chief Harrison | |
Venus Envy | Simon Sayes | ||
2000 | Family Jewels | Bill Taller | |
The View from the Swing | Man in Diner | ||
2001 | Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street | Mayor Fitzhugh | Voice, direct-to-video |
2002 | The Biggest Fan | Mr. Wastedberg | |
2006 | Pennies | Mr. Tinker | Short film |
2010 | Soupernatural | Bob | |
2017 | The Candle | Grandpa Joe | Short film |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1964-1969 | Gomer Pyle: USMC | Duke Slater | Main cast, 92 episodes |
1967-1968 | Good Morning World | Larry Clarke | Main cast, 26 episodes |
1973 | Butch Cassidy | Additional voices | 13 episodes |
Goober and the Ghost Chasers | Gilly | Voice, 16 episodes | |
Peter Puck | Peter Puck | Voice, 9 episodes | |
1973-1974 | Wait Till Your Father Gets Home | Additional voices | 3 episodes |
1976 | Emergency! | Jasper | S5Ep16 |
Sanford and Son | Mr. Wilkens | Episode: "Committee Man" | |
1977 | The Skatebirds | Additional voices | 16 episodes |
The Wonderful World of Disney | Mr. Brown | Episode: "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World" | |
1977–1978 | Fred Flintstone and Friends | Gilly | Voice, 95 episodes (Goober and the Ghost Chasers segments) |
1977-1980 | Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels | Additional voices | 39 episodes |
1978 | Battle of the Planets | Jason / Additional voices | 85 episodes |
Yogi's Space Race | Additional voices | 13 episodes | |
1979 | Casper and the Angels | Additional voices | Episode: "Love at First Fright/Saving Grace in Outer Space" |
1982 | Jokebook | Additional voices | 3 episodes |
Madame's Place | Frederico Felluci | Episode: "I Am What I Am" | |
1982-1983 | Meatballs & Spaghetti | Additional voices | 25 episodes |
Shirt Tales | Rick Raccoon | Voice, main role (23 episodes) | |
1982-1988 | The Smurfs | Pushover Smurf / Reporter Smurf / Additional voices | 8 episodes |
1985 | Snorks | Additional voices | Episode: "Snorkitis is Nothing to Sneeze At/The Whole Toot and Nothing But" |
1986 | Pound Puppies | Buster / Mr. Hubert | Voice, 2 episodes |
1986-1988 | The Flintstone Kids | Yuckster | Voice, 4 episodes |
1987 | Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers | Freako / Demonstrator Ghost | Voice, television film |
DuckTales | Additional voices | Episode: "The Right Duck" | |
1988 | Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School | Colonel Calloway | Voice, television film |
Mr. Belvedere | Contest Judge | Episode: "Marsha's Secret" | |
1988-1989 | Fantastic Max | Additional voices | 3 episodes |
1989 | A Pup Named Scooby-Doo | Additional voices | 8 episodes |
Saved by the Bell | Principal Elliot Stingwell | Episode: "Save That Tiger" | |
1990 | The Golden Girls | Thomas | Episode: "Triple Play" |
Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone | Additional voices | 13 episodes | |
1991 | Out of This World | Pinky Starr | Episode: "Mayor Evie" |
Yo Yogi! | Calvin Klunk | Voice, 9 episodes | |
1992 | The Legend of Prince Valiant | Master Fezzick | Voice, 2 episodes |
Tom & Jerry Kids | Additional voices | Episode: "Penthouse Mouse/12 Angry Sheep/The Ant Attack" | |
Rugrats | Fish / Clerk | Voice, episode: "Visitors from Outer Space/The Case of the Missing Rugrat"; credited as Ronald Schell | |
Duckman | Eric Duckman | Voice, unaired pilot: "The Case of the Missing Chromosome" | |
1993 | I Yabba-Dabba Do! | Additional voices | Television film |
Droopy, Master Detective | Additional voices | 13 episodes | |
Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby | Additional voices | Television film | |
1995-1996 | Coach | Dr. Howard / Customer | 2 episodes |
1997 | What a Cartoon! | Mel | Voice, episode: "Strange Things" |
1997-1999 | Recess | Mayor Fitzhugh | Voice, 3 episodes |
2004 | Yes, Dear | Cliff Marshall | Episode: "Dead Aunt, Dead Aunt" |
Phil of the Future | 75-Year-Old Phil | Episode: "Age Before Beauty" | |
Megas XLR | Mac | Voice, 2 episodes | |
2004-2007 | The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy | Real Estate Agent / Toadblatt | Voice, 2 episodes |
2008 | Easy to Assemble | Ronnie Schell | 2 episodes |
2011 | Jessie | Ranger Bill | Episode: "Zuri's New Old Friend" |
2012 | Retired at 35 | Sal | Episode: "Poker Face" |
2014-2015 | You'll Be Fine | Harry | 3 episodes |
2017 | Heaven's Waiting Room | Vic | Unknown episodes |
2018 | Kaplan's Corner | Ronnie | Episode: "Marvin's Ghost" |
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in film and vaudeville and on television, radio, and the stage. He was a master of quick wit and is considered one of America's greatest comedians.
William Christopher was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. from 1965 to 1968 and Father John Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H from 1972 to 1983 and its spinoff AfterMASH from 1983 to 1985.
Arthur "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and harpist, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Groucho and Chico, Harpo's comic style was visual, being an example of vaudeville, clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish blond wig and was silent in all his movie appearances, instead blowing a horn or whistling to communicate. Marx frequently employed props such as a horn cane constructed from a lead pipe, tape, and a bulbhorn.
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James Thurston Nabors was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot episode was aired as the season finale of the fourth season of its parent series on May 18, 1964. The show ran for a total of 150 half-hour episodes spanning over five seasons, in black-and-white for the first season, and then in color for the remaining four seasons. In 2006, CBS Home Entertainment began releasing the series on DVD. The final season was released in November 2008.
Gomer Pyle is a fictional character played by Jim Nabors and introduced in the middle of the third season of The Andy Griffith Show.
Frank Spencer Sutton was an American actor best remembered for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C..
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George Watt Fenneman was an American radio and television announcer. Fenneman is best remembered as the show announcer and straight man on Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life. Marx, said of Fenneman in 1976, "There never was a comedian who was any good unless he had a good straight man, and George was straight on all four sides". Fenneman, born in Peking (Beijing), China, died from respiratory failure in Los Angeles, California, on May 29, 1997, at the age of 77.
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Frank Vincent Ferrante is an American stage actor, comedian and director known for his improvisation and audience interactive comedy. He has performed as Groucho Marx in the Arthur Marx/Robert Fisher play Groucho: A Life in Revue and in his own An Evening With Groucho. Ferrante was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for 'Comedy Performance of the Year' for the title role in Groucho: A Life in Revue in London's West End in 1987. He had previously won New York's 1987 Theatre World Award for 'Outstanding Debut' for the same role.
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