Frank Fontaine
Encyclopedia
Frank Fontaine was an American
comedian
and singer.
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, he is best known for his appearances on television
shows of the 1950s and 1960s, including The Jackie Gleason Show
, The Jack Benny Show
, and The Tonight Show
.
One of his earliest appearances was on the radio show, The Jack Benny Program. During an episode which aired on April 16, 1950, Fontaine played a bum (named "John L. C. Silvoney") who asked Benny for a dime for a cup of coffee. The smallest coin Benny had to offer was a fifty-cent piece, so he gave it to him. The story Benny told about this event became a running gag during later shows. Fontaine's goofy laugh and other voice mannerisms made a hit with the audience, and Benny brought him back for several more radio shows between 1950 and 1952. He also later appeared in several of Benny's televisions shows.
On the Jackie Gleason show, he played the character Crazy Guggenheim during Gleason's "Joe The Bartender" skits. His trademark was a bug-eyed grin and the same silly laugh he had done on Jack Benny's radio show. At the end of his Guggenheim sketch, he would usually sing a song, demonstrating a surprisingly good singing voice. In 1963, he released the album Songs I Sing on the Jackie Gleason Show, which collected some of these songs and reached number one on Billboard
magazine's Top LP's chart in 1963.
Stan Freberg
's voice characterization for Pete Puma in a 1952 cartoon was based on Fontaine's character voice. Fontaine received mention in satirist Tom Lehrer
's 1965 song "National Brotherhood Week", from the album That Was the Year That Was
. In the live show, Lehrer mentioned National Make-Fun-of-the-Handicapped Week
, "Which Frank Fontaine and Jerry Lewis
are in charge of, as you know." He also was the voice of Rocky the Rhino in Walt Disney's The Jungle Book
until Disney cut the creature from the picture.
Fontaine died in Spokane, Washington
from a heart attack
, at the age of 58. He had just completed a benefit show and accepted a check for $25,000, which he planned to donate for heart research, when he collapsed. He was interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford, Massachusetts
, near to his last residence in Winchester, Massachusetts
-- a substantial house on Highland Avenue that is now the home of Winchester Community Music School.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian
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 singer.
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, he is best known for his appearances on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows of the 1950s and 1960s, including 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:...
, The Jack Benny Show
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
, and The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
.
One of his earliest appearances was on the radio show, The Jack Benny Program. During an episode which aired on April 16, 1950, Fontaine played a bum (named "John L. C. Silvoney") who asked Benny for a dime for a cup of coffee. The smallest coin Benny had to offer was a fifty-cent piece, so he gave it to him. The story Benny told about this event became a running gag during later shows. Fontaine's goofy laugh and other voice mannerisms made a hit with the audience, and Benny brought him back for several more radio shows between 1950 and 1952. He also later appeared in several of Benny's televisions shows.
On the Jackie Gleason show, he played the character Crazy Guggenheim during Gleason's "Joe The Bartender" skits. His trademark was a bug-eyed grin and the same silly laugh he had done on Jack Benny's radio show. At the end of his Guggenheim sketch, he would usually sing a song, demonstrating a surprisingly good singing voice. In 1963, he released the album Songs I Sing on the Jackie Gleason Show, which collected some of these songs and reached number one on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine's Top LP's chart in 1963.
Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
's voice characterization for Pete Puma in a 1952 cartoon was based on Fontaine's character voice. Fontaine received mention in satirist Tom Lehrer
Tom Lehrer
Thomas Andrew "Tom" Lehrer is an American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, mathematician and polymath. He has lectured on mathematics and musical theater...
's 1965 song "National Brotherhood Week", from the album That Was the Year That Was
That Was the Year That Was
That Was the Year That Was is a live album recorded at the hungry i in San Francisco, containing performances by Tom Lehrer of satiric topical songs he originally wrote for the NBC television series That Was The Week That Was, known informally as TW3...
. In the live show, Lehrer mentioned National Make-Fun-of-the-Handicapped Week
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
The MDA Labor Day Telethon is an annual telethon in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association . The first MDA telethon was during the Thanksgiving Day weekend of 1952 and titled Party for MDA. It has been held annually since 1966...
, "Which Frank Fontaine and Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
are in charge of, as you know." He also was the voice of Rocky the Rhino in Walt Disney's The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
until Disney cut the creature from the picture.
Fontaine died in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, at the age of 58. He had just completed a benefit show and accepted a check for $25,000, which he planned to donate for heart research, when he collapsed. He was interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, near to his last residence in Winchester, Massachusetts
Winchester, Massachusetts
Winchester is a town located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, eight miles north of Boston. With its agricultural roots having mostly disappeared, it is now an affluent suburb...
-- a substantial house on Highland Avenue that is now the home of Winchester Community Music School.
Filmography
- The Godmothers (1973)
- Scared StiffScared StiffScared Stiff is a musical comedy film starring the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. One of the 17 movies made by the Martin and Lewis team, it was released on April 27, 1953 by Paramount Pictures and directed by George Marshall.-Plot:...
(1953) - The Model and the Marriage BrokerThe Model and the Marriage BrokerThe Model and the Marriage Broker is a 1951 comedy film about a model who is so pleased with the work of a marriage broker, she decides to return the favor.-Cast:* Jeanne Crain as Kitty Bennett* Scott Brady as Matt Hornbeck* Thelma Ritter as Mae Swasey...
(1951) - Here Comes the GroomHere Comes the GroomHere Comes the Groom is a 1951 musical romantic comedy film starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Directed and produced by Frank Capra, the film was released by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:...
(1951) - Call Me MisterCall Me Mister (film)Call Me Mister is a 1951 musical film released by Twentieth Century-Fox. The feature was directed by Lloyd Bacon, and re-written from the Broadway version by Albert E...
(1951) - Hit Parade of 1951 (1950)
- StellaStella (film)Stella is a 1955 Greek film is a retelling of Carmen featuring Melina Mercouri. The film was directed by the Greek Cypriot, Michael Cacoyannis and written by Cacoyannis and Iakovos Kambanelis...
(1950) - Nancy Goes to RioNancy Goes to RioNancy Goes to Rio is a musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1950. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Joe Pasternak from a screenplay by Sidney Sheldon, based on a story by Ralph Block, Frederick Kohner and Jane Hall...
(1950) - Pie (1949)