“Ocean’s Eleven” was remade in 2003 with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the lead roles and was followed by two sequels.īefore the renaissance, Bishop defended his fellow performers’ rowdy reputations in a 1998 interview.
#THE RAT PACK HBO MOVIE#
The late ’90s brought a renaissance of the Rat Pack, with the group depicted in an HBO movie and portrayed by imitators in Las Vegas and elsewhere. He also co-starred in the Jacqueline Susann potboiler “Valley of the Dolls” and “A Guide for the Married Man.”īishop co-starred with his Rat Pack chums in “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Sergeants 3,” an irreverent take on “Gunga Din.” Throughout the ’60s, he appeared sporadically in movies, including “Texas Across the River” with Martin and Alain Delon.
and appeared the following year as an Army private in “The Naked and the Dead.” His next film was “Deep Six” with Alan Ladd and William Bendix. In 1956, Bishop won a movie contract with Warner Bros. Sinatra saw him there one night and hired him as his opening act. Within five years he was earning $1,000 a week at New York’s Latin Quarter. He served as an Army medic from 1941-45.Īfter the war, Bishop segued into comedy. He got his start in show business as a teenager, singing in a vaudeville trio called the Bishop Brothers (none was named Bishop, and they weren’t brothers). He also made numerous guest appearances, including “Richard Diamond, Private Detective,” “Get Smart,” “Hardcastle and McCormick,” and “Murder, She Wrote.”īishop was born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb on Feb.
#THE RAT PACK HBO TV#
Throughout his long career, Bishop was a popular fixture on a number of TV quiz and variety shows, including “What’s My Line?” “Toast of the Town,” “The Andy Williams Show,” “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” “Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters,” “Match Game” and “The Hollywood Squares.” The show was spun off from Bishop’s appearance on “The Danny Thomas Show” as a beleaguered press agent. He parlayed that popularity into his own sitcom, “The Joey Bishop Show” (1961-65), which also featured Bill Bixby. He was a master comedian and a great teacher, and I will never forget those days or him.”īefore his talk-show stint, Bishop was a popular stand-up comic. … I learned a lot about the business of making people laugh. “It was my introduction to the highly competitive late-night show world. “It was the thrill of my life to be chosen by Joey as the announcer for his talk show on ABC back in the ’60s,” Regis Philbin said Thursday. After two years of struggling in head-to-head competition with Carson, Bishop was succeeded by Dick Cavett, a futile attempt to flank Carson with a “brainy” demographic. From 1967-69, Bishop hosted his own eponymous late-night show, which competed against “Tonight.” Featuring an endless parade of Borscht Belt comedians, as well as infrequent visits from his Rat Pack buddies, the show floundered.
Mumbling “son of a gun” was his signature response to life’s overwhelming circumstances.īishop guest-hosted “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” 177 times, more than anyone else. He fit right in like an old shoe,” Hollywood honorary mayor Johnny Grant said Thursday.īishop also was a popular regular on the “Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts.” Known for his dour expression and self-deprecating shtick, Bishop’s persona was of a befuddled and overwhelmed average Joe. “He was the perfect match for the Rat Pack. Belying his Rat Pack notoriety, Bishop was honored with a citation from Pope John XXIII for his assistance with the Boys’ Towns of Italy. Yet Sinatra called him “the Hub of the Big Wheel,” recognizing that Bishop often was the originator of the group’s comic material.īishop’s role in their boozing/gambling/womanizing antics was that of comic straight man.
and Peter Lawford - Bishop had the lowest profile. Among its members - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. The Rat Packers became a show business sensation in the late 1960s when they appeared together at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner. He was 89.īishop had been ill for several months and died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, Calif.
Joey Bishop, the comedian and actor who was the last surviving member of the Rat Pack, has died.
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