Soupy Sales (January 8, 1926-October 22, 2009) was born as Milton Supman to Milton & Sadie Berman Supman in Franklinton, North Carolina, where theirs was the only Jewish family. His parents nicknamed him “Soup Bone” and his brothers “Ham Bone” and “Chicken Bone.” His nickname evolved into Soupy.
In the Navy, he entertained WWII shipmates over the PA system. His TV career began with Soupy’s Soda Shop, a Cincinnati dance program. The national Soupy Sales Show featured non-stop jokes, slapstick, and signature pie-in-the-face routines. Famous musicians often appeared as guests on the show, which also featured such puppets as “White Fang,” “Black Tooth,” “Pokie the Lion,” and “Hippy the Hippo.”
Sales was married to Barbara Fox, 1950-1979, and to Trudy Carson (1980-2009). Two sons, Tony Sales, are rock musicians. His gravestone describes him as an “Innovative TV pioneer,” “a nice person,” and “A funny guy.”
Tomorrow, January 9: Chaim Bialik
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SDJW condensation of a Wikipedia article