Buddy Hackett
Encyclopedia
Buddy Hackett was an American comedian
and actor
.
, New York
, New York
, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn
, across from Public School 103 (now a yeshiva
). Living next door was a yet-to-be-famous aspiring baseball player named Sandy Koufax
. He graduated from New Utrecht High School
in 1942. While still a student, he began performing in nightclubs in the Catskills Borscht Belt
resorts. He appeared first at the Golden Hotel in Hurleyville, New York
, and he claimed he did not get one single laugh.
Hackett enlisted in the United States Army
during World War II
and served in an anti-aircraft battery.
and Las Vegas
, and continued to perform in the Catskills. He acted on Broadway
, in Lunatics and Lovers, where Max Liebman saw him and put him in two television specials.
In the late 1940s, Hackett's friend, Jules White
, asked him if he would like to replace Curly Howard
in The Three Stooges, due to Curly's stroke. According to the The Love Bug
audio commentary, Hackett turned down the role.
Hackett's movie career began in 1950 with a 10-minute "World of Sports" reel for Columbia Pictures
called King of the Pins. The film demonstrated championship bowling techniques, with expert Joe Wilman demonstrating the right way and Hackett (in pantomime) exemplifying the wrong way. Hackett would not return to movies until 1953, after one of his nightclub routines attracted attention. With a rubber band around his head to slant his eyes, Hackett's "The Chinese Waiter" lampooned the heavy dialect, frustration, and communication problems encountered by a busy waiter in a Chinese restaurant: "No, we no have sprit-pea soup ... We gotta wonton, we got eh-roll ... No orda for her, juss orda for you!" The routine was such a hit that Hackett made a recording of it, and was hired to reprise it in the 1953 Technicolor
musical Walking My Baby Back Home, produced by Universal-International.
Hackett was an emergency replacement for Lou Costello
in 1954. Abbott and Costello
were set to make a feature-length comedy Fireman, Save My Child, with a guest appearance by Spike Jones
and His City Slickers. Several scenes had been shot with stunt doubles when Lou Costello
was forced to withdraw due to illness. Universal-International salvaged the project by hiring Hugh O'Brian
and Hackett to take over the Abbott and Costello roles; Jones and his band became the main attraction.
Hackett became known to a wider audience when he appeared on television in the 1950s and 1960s as a frequent guest on such talk shows as those of Jack Paar
and Arthur Godfrey
, telling brash, often off-color jokes, and mugging at the camera. He was on the Johnny Carson show as a frequent guest. During this time, he also appeared as a panelist on What's My Line?
.
, a situation comedy that also featured Carol Burnett and the voice of Paul Lynde. It aired live on NBC before a studio audience. Stanley revolved around the adventures of the namesake character (Hackett) as the operator of a newsstand in a posh New York City hotel.
In 1960, he appeared as himself in an episode of NBC
's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven
, starring Skip Homeier
, set on the Sunset Strip
of West Hollywood
. Hackett also appeared many times on the game show Hollywood Squares
, in the late 1960s. In one particularly notable episode, Hackett suggested Israel
as the country with the highest ratio of doctors to populace, or in his words, "the country with the most Jews". Despite the audience roaring with laughter, the answer turned out to be correct.
After starring on Broadway
in I Had a Ball
, Hackett appeared opposite Robert Preston
in the 1962 film adaptation of The Music Man
. Hackett became widely known from his role in the 1963 box-office success It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
. Children became familiar with him as lovable hippie auto mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz in Disney
's The Love Bug
(1968). He appeared as Art Carney
's replacement on The Jackie Gleason Show
, and in the 1958 film God's Little Acre. His later career was mostly as a guest on variety shows and prime time
sitcoms, such as Boy Meets World
in its 4th season.
in the television movie
Bud and Lou opposite Harvey Korman
as Bud Abbott
. The film told the story of Abbott and Costello
, and Hackett's portrayal was widely praised. He and Korman did a memorable rendition of the team's famous "Who's on First?
" routine.
Hackett starred in the 1980 film Hey Babe!
with a 13-year-old Yasmine Bleeth
, in her first screen appearance. That same year, he hosted a syndicated revival of the quiz show You Bet Your Life
which lasted for one year
Throughout the 1970s Hackett appeared regularly doing TV ads for Tuscan Dairy popsicles and yogurt. But his most famous television campaign was for Lay's potato chips ("Nobody can eat just one!") which ran for 3 years, 1968-1971.
Hackett guest-starred in the Space Rangers episode, "To Be Or Not To Be", as has-been comedian Lenny Hacker, a parody of his stage persona. The character's name was Hackett's own real name.
In 1983, he was the subject of an HBO special, "Buddy Hackett Live and Uncensored" that revived interest in his stage routine. In it, he provides a classic Catskills era comedy routine while interacting with and jokingly harassing various audience members with an irreverent and decidedly NSFW comedy routine.
A notable film performance was voicing Scuttle, the goofy little seagull, in Disney's
The Little Mermaid
(1989) and the direct-to-video sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
in 2000. Hackett also appeared in the short term comedy series Action
which starred Jay Mohr
as movie producer Peter Dragon. He played Dragon's uncle Lonnie. He appeared again with Mohr as a judge in the reality show Last Comic Standing
.
Hackett's final film role was in the 1998 film Paulie
, in which he played Artie, a pawnbroker
. The film reunited Hackett with Jay Mohr once again.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Hackett was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
In April 1998, Hackett guest starred in an episode of LateLine
called "Buddy Hackett." The episode focuses on a news broadcast paying tribute to Hackett following his death, only to discover that the report of his death was a mistake. Robert Reich
and Dick Gephardt
also appeared in the episode, paying tribute to Hackett.
in the late 1950s, they lived in a house previously owned by crime boss Albert Anastasia
.
In his later years, Hackett and his wife established the Singita Animal Sanctuary in California's San Fernando Valley
.
, said his father had been suffering from diabetes for several years which was aggravated by his obesity.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Early life
Hackett was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn
Borough Park, Brooklyn
Borough Park , is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City in the United States....
, across from Public School 103 (now a yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
). Living next door was a yet-to-be-famous aspiring baseball player named Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
. He graduated from New Utrecht High School
New Utrecht High School
New Utrecht High School is a coeducational public high school in Brooklyn, New York City, serving 3,114 pupils. It is part of New York City Region 7....
in 1942. While still a student, he began performing in nightclubs in the Catskills Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
resorts. He appeared first at the Golden Hotel in Hurleyville, New York
Hurleyville, New York
Hurleyville, New York is a hamlet in the Town of Fallsburg, New York in Sullivan County, New York. The town lies along County Road 104 and was originally developed because it was on the main route between the Villages of Liberty and Monticello...
, and he claimed he did not get one single laugh.
Hackett enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and served in an anti-aircraft battery.
Early career
Hackett's first job after the war was at the Pink Elephant, a Brooklyn club. It was here that he changed his name from Leonard Hacker to Buddy Hackett. He made appearances in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, and continued to perform in the Catskills. He acted on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, in Lunatics and Lovers, where Max Liebman saw him and put him in two television specials.
In the late 1940s, Hackett's friend, Jules White
Jules White
Jules White born Julius Weiss was a film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring the Three Stooges.-Early years:...
, asked him if he would like to replace Curly Howard
Curly Howard
Jerome Lester "Jerry" Horwitz , better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and vaudevillian. He is best known as a member of the American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges, along with his older brothers Moe Howard and Shemp Howard, and actor Larry Fine...
in The Three Stooges, due to Curly's stroke. According to the The Love Bug
The Love Bug
The Love Bug is the first in a series of comedy films made by Walt Disney Productions that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie...
audio commentary, Hackett turned down the role.
Hackett's movie career began in 1950 with a 10-minute "World of Sports" reel for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
called King of the Pins. The film demonstrated championship bowling techniques, with expert Joe Wilman demonstrating the right way and Hackett (in pantomime) exemplifying the wrong way. Hackett would not return to movies until 1953, after one of his nightclub routines attracted attention. With a rubber band around his head to slant his eyes, Hackett's "The Chinese Waiter" lampooned the heavy dialect, frustration, and communication problems encountered by a busy waiter in a Chinese restaurant: "No, we no have sprit-pea soup ... We gotta wonton, we got eh-roll ... No orda for her, juss orda for you!" The routine was such a hit that Hackett made a recording of it, and was hired to reprise it in the 1953 Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
musical Walking My Baby Back Home, produced by Universal-International.
Hackett was an emergency replacement for Lou Costello
Lou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
in 1954. Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
were set to make a feature-length comedy Fireman, Save My Child, with a guest appearance by Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
and His City Slickers. Several scenes had been shot with stunt doubles when Lou Costello
Lou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
was forced to withdraw due to illness. Universal-International salvaged the project by hiring Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
and Hackett to take over the Abbott and Costello roles; Jones and his band became the main attraction.
Hackett became known to a wider audience when he appeared on television in the 1950s and 1960s as a frequent guest on such talk shows as those of Jack Paar
Jack Paar
Jack Harold Paar was an author, American radio and television comedian and talk show host, best known for his stint as host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962...
and Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
, telling brash, often off-color jokes, and mugging at the camera. He was on the Johnny Carson show as a frequent guest. During this time, he also appeared as a panelist on What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
.
Stanley
Hackett starred as the title character in StanleyStanley (1956 TV series)
Stanley is an American situation comedy starring Buddy Hackett, Carol Burnett, and the voice of Paul Lynde. It aired on NBC during the 1956–57 television season, produced by Max Liebman, who had previously produced Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, co-sponsored by American Tobacco and The...
, a situation comedy that also featured Carol Burnett and the voice of Paul Lynde. It aired live on NBC before a studio audience. Stanley revolved around the adventures of the namesake character (Hackett) as the operator of a newsstand in a posh New York City hotel.
In 1960, he appeared as himself in an episode of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven
Dan Raven
Dan Raven is a crime drama starring Skip Homeier , a former child actor in films, which aired on NBC between January 23, 1960, and January 6, 1961. The setting of the series is the famous Sunset Strip of West Hollywood, California...
, starring Skip Homeier
Skip Homeier
-Career:Homeier began acting as Skippy Homeier at the age of six, on the radio show Portia Faces Life. From 1943 until 1944 he played the role of Emil in the Broadway play, Tomorrow the World. Cast as a child indoctrinated into Nazism, who is brought to the United States from Germany following the...
, set on the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
of West Hollywood
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
. Hackett also appeared many times on the game show Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
, in the late 1960s. In one particularly notable episode, Hackett suggested Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
as the country with the highest ratio of doctors to populace, or in his words, "the country with the most Jews". Despite the audience roaring with laughter, the answer turned out to be correct.
After starring on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in I Had a Ball
I Had a Ball
I Had a Ball is a musical with a book by Jerome Chodorov and music and lyrics by Jack Lawrence and Stan Freeman.Set on the Coney Island boardwalk, it focuses on matchmaking fortune teller Garside, who finds love with floozy Addie, and recent parolee Stan, who becomes involved with Ferris wheel...
, Hackett appeared opposite Robert Preston
Robert Preston (actor)
-Early life:Preston was born Robert Preston Meservey in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth L. and Frank Wesley Meservey, a garment worker and billing clerk for American Express. After attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California, he studied acting at the Pasadena Community...
in the 1962 film adaptation of The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
. Hackett became widely known from his role in the 1963 box-office success It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer about the madcap pursuit of $350,000 in stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers...
. Children became familiar with him as lovable hippie auto mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz in Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
's The Love Bug
The Love Bug
The Love Bug is the first in a series of comedy films made by Walt Disney Productions that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie...
(1968). He appeared as Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
's replacement on The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
, and in the 1958 film God's Little Acre. His later career was mostly as a guest on variety shows and prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
sitcoms, such as Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...
in its 4th season.
Later career
In 1978, Hackett surprised many with his dramatic performance as Lou CostelloLou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
in the television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Bud and Lou opposite Harvey Korman
Harvey Korman
Harvey Herschel Korman was an American comedic actor who performed in television and movie productions beginning in 1960...
as Bud Abbott
Bud Abbott
William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.-Early life:...
. The film told the story of Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
, and Hackett's portrayal was widely praised. He and Korman did a memorable rendition of the team's famous "Who's on First?
Who's on First?
Who's on First? is a vaudeville comedy routine made most famous by Abbott and Costello. In Abbott and Costello's version, the premise of the routine is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team to Costello, but their names and nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers...
" routine.
Hackett starred in the 1980 film Hey Babe!
Hey Babe!
Hey Babe!, also known as Babe! and also known as Rise and Shine, was a 1980 movie which was a musical drama that starred Yasmine Bleeth and Buddy Hackett. This was Yasmine's first film at the age of 12-years-old.-Plot:...
with a 13-year-old Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Amanda Bleeth is an American actress. Her television roles include Caroline Holden in the long-running series Baywatch.-Early life and career:...
, in her first screen appearance. That same year, he hosted a syndicated revival of the quiz show You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in September...
which lasted for one year
Throughout the 1970s Hackett appeared regularly doing TV ads for Tuscan Dairy popsicles and yogurt. But his most famous television campaign was for Lay's potato chips ("Nobody can eat just one!") which ran for 3 years, 1968-1971.
Hackett guest-starred in the Space Rangers episode, "To Be Or Not To Be", as has-been comedian Lenny Hacker, a parody of his stage persona. The character's name was Hackett's own real name.
In 1983, he was the subject of an HBO special, "Buddy Hackett Live and Uncensored" that revived interest in his stage routine. In it, he provides a classic Catskills era comedy routine while interacting with and jokingly harassing various audience members with an irreverent and decidedly NSFW comedy routine.
A notable film performance was voicing Scuttle, the goofy little seagull, in Disney's
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (1989 film)
The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
(1989) and the direct-to-video sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
The film's official soundtrack was released on September 19, 2000. The soundtrack was released internationally on October 31, 2000 in a special edition double pack with the original film's soundtrack...
in 2000. Hackett also appeared in the short term comedy series Action
Action (TV series)
Action is a comedy series about a Hollywood producer named Peter Dragon, who is trying to recover from his last box-office failure. It aired on FOX during the 1999-2000 season. The series was critically praised for its irreverent, and sometimes hostile look at Hollywood culture. Thirteen episodes...
which starred Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
as movie producer Peter Dragon. He played Dragon's uncle Lonnie. He appeared again with Mohr as a judge in the reality show Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
.
Hackett's final film role was in the 1998 film Paulie
Paulie
Paulie is a 1998 family film about a talking parrot named "Paulie". It was directed by John Roberts and written by Laurie Craig, and it was produced by Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, and Allyson Lyon Segan for Mutual Film Company and DreamWorks...
, in which he played Artie, a pawnbroker
Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
. The film reunited Hackett with Jay Mohr once again.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Hackett was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.
In April 1998, Hackett guest starred in an episode of LateLine
LateLine
LateLine is an American TV sitcom that ran on NBC from March 17, 1998, through March 16, 1999. Due to an abrupt cancellation, there were seven unaired episodes .Created by John Markus and Al Franken , LateLine depicted the...
called "Buddy Hackett." The episode focuses on a news broadcast paying tribute to Hackett following his death, only to discover that the report of his death was a mistake. Robert Reich
Robert Reich
Robert Bernard Reich is an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997....
and Dick Gephardt
Dick Gephardt
Richard Andrew "Dick" Gephardt is a lobbyist and former prominent American politician of the Democratic Party. Gephardt served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri from January 3, 1977, until January 3, 2005, serving as House Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995, and as Minority Leader from 1995 to...
also appeared in the episode, paying tribute to Hackett.
Personal life
On June 12, 1955, Buddy Hackett married Sherry Cohen. Before moving to Fort LeeFort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
in the late 1950s, they lived in a house previously owned by crime boss Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia was boss of what is now called the Gambino crime family, one of New York City's Five Families, from 1951-1957. He also ran a gang of contract killers called Murder Inc. which enforced the decisions of the Commission, the ruling council of the American Mafia...
.
In his later years, Hackett and his wife established the Singita Animal Sanctuary in California's San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
.
Death
Hackett died on June 30, 2003, at his beach house in Malibu, California, at the age of 78. His son, Sandy HackettSandy Hackett
Sandy Hackett is the son of the famous actor/comedian Buddy Hackett.* Writer/Producer/Creator/Performer in the 'Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show' currently performing six nights a week at the Riviera Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip and in venues all around the U.S...
, said his father had been suffering from diabetes for several years which was aggravated by his obesity.
Discography
- How You Do (Coral CRL 757422)
- The Original Chinese Waiter (Dot 3351, reissued as Pickwick SPC 3198)
Features
- Walking My Baby Back Home (19531953 in filmThe year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
) - Fireman Save My ChildFireman Save My Child (1954 film)Fireman Save My Child is a 1954 American comedy film starring Hugh O'Brian and Buddy Hackett in a movie originally meant for Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, a last-minute substitution when Costello fell ill. Comical musical band "Spike Jones and His City Slickers" also appear at great length, with...
(19541954 in filmThe year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
) - God's Little AcreGod's Little AcreGod's Little Acre is a 1933 novel by Erskine Caldwell, which was made into a film of the same name in 1958.The novel was so controversial that the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice attempted to censor it, leading to the author's arrest and trial for obscenity...
(19581958 in filmThe year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
) - All Hands on Deck (19611961 in filmThe year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
) - Everything's DuckyEverything's DuckyEverything's Ducky is a 1961 film directed by Don Taylor and starring Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, and Jackie Cooper.-Plot:Two sailors sneak a talking duck aboard their ship. Complications ensue. The duck waddles all over the ship until he escapes....
(1961) - The Music ManThe Music Man (1962 film)The Music Man is a 1962 musical film starring Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The film is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Meredith Willson...
(19621962 in filmThe year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
) - The Wonderful World of the Brothers GrimmThe Wonderful World of the Brothers GrimmThe Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is a 1962 American film directed by Henry Levin and George Pal. The latter was the producer and also in charge of the stop motion animation. The film was one of the highest grossing films of 1962. It won one Oscar and was nominated for three additional...
(1962) - It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad WorldIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad WorldIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer about the madcap pursuit of $350,000 in stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers...
(19631963 in filmThe year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
) - Muscle Beach PartyMuscle Beach PartyMuscle Beach Party is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It was made in 1964 and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series...
(19641964 in filmThe year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
) - The Golden HeadThe Golden HeadThe Golden Head is a 1964 American-Hungarian drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and James Hill and starring George Sanders, Buddy Hackett, Jess Conrad, Lorraine Power and Robert Coote.-Synopsis:...
(1964) - The Love BugThe Love BugThe Love Bug is the first in a series of comedy films made by Walt Disney Productions that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie...
(19681968 in filmThe year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
) - The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (19691969 in filmThe year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
) - Bud and Lou (19781978 in filmThe year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
) (TV Movie) - Hey Babe!Hey Babe!Hey Babe!, also known as Babe! and also known as Rise and Shine, was a 1980 movie which was a musical drama that starred Yasmine Bleeth and Buddy Hackett. This was Yasmine's first film at the age of 12-years-old.-Plot:...
(19801980 in film- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
) - Loose ShoesLoose ShoesLoose Shoes is a 1980 comedy film directed by Ira Miller and featuring Bill Murray. The film is presented as a series of movie trailers with titles such as The Howard Huge Story, Skate-boarders from Hell and The Invasion of the Penis Snatchers...
(1980) - ScroogedScroogedScrooged is a 1988 American comedy film, a modernization of Charles Dickens' novella, A Christmas Carol. The film was produced and directed by Richard Donner, and the cinematography was by Michael Chapman. The screenplay was written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue...
(19881988 in film-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) - The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid (1989 film)The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
(19891989 in film-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
) Scuttle - PauliePauliePaulie is a 1998 family film about a talking parrot named "Paulie". It was directed by John Roberts and written by Laurie Craig, and it was produced by Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, and Allyson Lyon Segan for Mutual Film Company and DreamWorks...
(19981998 in film-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
) - The Little Mermaid II: Return to the SeaThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the SeaThe film's official soundtrack was released on September 19, 2000. The soundtrack was released internationally on October 31, 2000 in a special edition double pack with the original film's soundtrack...
(20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
) (direct-to-video) Scuttle
Short subjects
- King of the Pins (19501950 in filmThe year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
) (pantomime) - The Shoes (1961)
- Jack Frost (1979) (animation short; voice of Pardon Me Pete)
- Mouse Soup (19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
) (voice)