OM DENNE EPISODE
Meet "Lonesome" George Gobel who turned a gift for low-key stories and funny songs into a comedy career that lasted over 40 years. George was a pioneer of television comedy, starring in his own show beginning in 1954 and winning an Emmy in the process. George's playful meandering (plus completely clean material) made him a favorite on variety and talk shows, and he became a welcome guest star on sitcoms during the 60s and 70s. Later George could often be seen working the game show circuit and he became a regular on Hollywood Squares. For a guy who's nickname was "Lonesome" he sure seemed to have a lot of friends. As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!
Want more Gobel?
George was there in the early days of television and a feature of his show was a monologue, often reference his TV wife -- "Spooky old Alice." https://youtu.be/BJoOKG-laZU?si=uMgkVa-DDw9CJyd0
Here's a real time capsule for you. Set the wayback machine for 1969, set the location for Burbank, and settle yourself in for a bit of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show with George -- PLUS Bob Hope and Dean Martin. https://youtu.be/hLIZPOvQQrE?si=tE-2CeQUMvRbv-Tu
George was an influence on other comedians who mixed music and comedy -- especially Victor Borge and Tommy Smothers (who cited George as his motivation when he got into comedy). Here's George on the Smothers Brothers' show in 1968.https://youtu.be/G_jSnpw5RIQ?si=i5cCYl4_ZXB2wIVn
