Stanley Ralph Ross
Encyclopedia
Stanley Ralph Ross was raised in Brooklyn
New York
, starting his career in advertising, then soon going to work as a writer and actor on various television shows, most notably cult-classics such as the 1960s Batman
series starring Adam West
and also The Monkees
. Ross was sometimes credited as Sue Donem.
to write and record the novelty record "Chaos, parts 1 and 2". When it came out (on Liberty Records
), it sold 10,000 copies in three days and then was banned from radio play on the fourth day - when stations realized that it satirized "Top 40" radio. Dr Demento has kept "Chaos" alive. They later co-wrote an album of parody songs titled My Son, the Copycat (a parody of Allan Sherman
's albums) and the book, Speak When You Hear the Beep.
(1973) as Sears Wiggles, Tony Rome
(1967) as Sam Boyd, The Flight of the Phoenix
(1965) as Arab Singer, John Goldfarb, Please Come Home
(1964) as Muezzin.
executive, he wrote (and directed) the classic opening segment to ABC's Wide World of Sports:
He wrote a third of the 1960s Batman
episodes, including one in which he played "Ballpoint Baxter." The character had no lines. Baxter was his nickname in real life.
Although most recognized for his work on Batman
, Ross also wrote for The Monkees
, Wonder Woman
, All in the Family
, and G.I. Joe
.
He also did the voice of Gorilla Grodd
on Challenge of the SuperFriends and Super Friends cartoons, as well as taking over as Brainiac
in Super Friends, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
, Perry White
in the 1988 Superman
cartoon, Dark Paw in Paw Paws
, and has had numerous smaller parts (voice and acting) on television, movies, and over 1000 commercials.
He was also the voice of the Doberman and Bull Terrier characters in the movie, Babe: Pig in the City
.
His radio vignettes were heard on KFI, Los Angeles during 1973.
by Musashi Miyamoto, Believe and Achieve based on the writings of Napoleon Hill
and Awakening Your Mind Power, Channeling Your Higher Self, Explore Your Past Lives, Meditation and Self Hypnosis all based on the writings of Edgar Cayce
.
.
He also taught at the University of Southern California
film school.
Two of his famous quotes: "Jesus was a Jew, yes, but only on his mother's side", "Never give up. That’s the key. That’s it. Just remember that if you get rejected, wait a while. They’ll get fired. They rotate the rascals."
Ross became an ordained minister, marrying Burt Ward
, who starred as Robin
on the 1960s Batman
series, to his third wife.
. His grave reads: Larger Than Life Beloved Son, Husband, Father, Grandfather STANLEY RALPH ROSS July 22, 1935 * March 16, 2000 "Thanks, I Had A Wonderful Time!"
Brooklyn
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
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...
, starting his career in advertising, then soon going to work as a writer and actor on various television shows, most notably cult-classics such as the 1960s Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
series starring Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
and also The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
. Ross was sometimes credited as Sue Donem.
Career
In 1958, Ross teamed with Bob ArbogastBob Arbogast
Robert "Bob" Arbogast was an American radio broadcaster, voice actor, and television host.-Biography:...
to write and record the novelty record "Chaos, parts 1 and 2". When it came out (on Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
), it sold 10,000 copies in three days and then was banned from radio play on the fourth day - when stations realized that it satirized "Top 40" radio. Dr Demento has kept "Chaos" alive. They later co-wrote an album of parody songs titled My Son, the Copycat (a parody of Allan Sherman
Allan Sherman
Allan Sherman was an American comedy writer and television producer who became famous as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, My Son, the Folk Singer , became the fastest-selling record album up to that time...
's albums) and the book, Speak When You Hear the Beep.
Actor
Burn Hollywood Burn (1998) as Himself, Romantic Comedy (1983) actor, Helter Skelter (1976) as Sgt. Ross, Candy Stripe Nurses (1974) as Dr. Kramer, SleeperSleeper
A sleeper is a person who is sleeping. It may also refer to:-Music:* Sleeper , a Britpop band in the 1990s* The Sleepers , a punk/post-punk band active from 1978 until 1981...
(1973) as Sears Wiggles, Tony Rome
Tony Rome
Tony Rome is a 1967 detective film starring Frank Sinatra and directed by Gordon Douglas, adapted from Marvin Albert's novel Miami Mayhem. Filming took place on location in Miami, Florida, with some scenes being shot during the day at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, where Sinatra was performing in...
(1967) as Sam Boyd, The Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1964 novel by Elleston Trevor. The plot involves the crash of a transport aircraft in the middle of a desert and the survivors' desperate attempt to save themselves...
(1965) as Arab Singer, John Goldfarb, Please Come Home
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home is a 1963 novel by William Peter Blatty that was adapted as a film by the same title, released in 1965.-Synopsis:...
(1964) as Muezzin.
Television writing
Ross made his mark on television with writing. As an ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
executive, he wrote (and directed) the classic opening segment to ABC's Wide World of Sports:
He wrote a third of the 1960s Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
episodes, including one in which he played "Ballpoint Baxter." The character had no lines. Baxter was his nickname in real life.
Although most recognized for his work on Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, Ross also wrote for The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (TV series)
Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
, All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, and G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
.
Voice over work
Ross also was known for his distinctive voice and did much voiceover work.He also did the voice of Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino....
on Challenge of the SuperFriends and Super Friends cartoons, as well as taking over as Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
in Super Friends, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1984 to 1985 on ABC...
and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1985 to 1986. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.-Summary:In the fall of 1985,...
, Perry White
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
in the 1988 Superman
Superman (1988 TV series)
Superman is a 1988 animated Saturday morning television series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and Warner Bros. Television that aired on CBS featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name...
cartoon, Dark Paw in Paw Paws
Paw Paws
Paw Paws, sometimes known as Paw Paw Bears, debuted as one of the original segments of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. A group of small bears that lived in a tribal society, the cubs spent every day defending themselves from their enemies, The Meanos, led by the evil sorcerer, Dark Paw...
, and has had numerous smaller parts (voice and acting) on television, movies, and over 1000 commercials.
He was also the voice of the Doberman and Bull Terrier characters in the movie, Babe: Pig in the City
Babe: Pig in the City
Babe: Pig in the City is a 1998 sequel to the 1995 film Babe. It occurs in the fictional city of Metropolis. Due to the unexpected darker and more mature subject matter , the film was not received as well as the first Babe film was, as it flopped at the box office and reviews were generally...
.
His radio vignettes were heard on KFI, Los Angeles during 1973.
Audio books
In addition to his other work Ross also recorded audio books. Some of his recordings are A Book of the Five Rings based on the book of the same nameThe Book of Five Rings
is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. There have been various translations made over the years, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for instance, some business leaders find its...
by Musashi Miyamoto, Believe and Achieve based on the writings of Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success...
and Awakening Your Mind Power, Channeling Your Higher Self, Explore Your Past Lives, Meditation and Self Hypnosis all based on the writings of Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce was an American psychic who allegedly had the ability to give answers to questions on subjects such as healing or Atlantis while in a hypnotic trance...
.
Being Prolific, Etc...
Ross was also a song writer, composing over 200 pieces, collaborating with such talent as Henry ManciniHenry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
.
He also taught at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
film school.
Two of his famous quotes: "Jesus was a Jew, yes, but only on his mother's side", "Never give up. That’s the key. That’s it. Just remember that if you get rejected, wait a while. They’ll get fired. They rotate the rascals."
Ross became an ordained minister, marrying Burt Ward
Burt Ward
Burt Ward is an American television actor and activist. He is best known for his portrayal of Robin in the television series Batman and its theatrical film spin-off.-Early life:...
, who starred as Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
on the 1960s Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
series, to his third wife.
Death
Ross died of lung cancer on March 16, 2000 leaving behind a wife and three children. He was buried in Hillside Memorial Park CemeteryHillside Memorial Park Cemetery
The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California, USA. Many Jewish people from the entertainment industry are buried here.-Notable interments:*Irving Aaronson, composer...
. His grave reads: Larger Than Life Beloved Son, Husband, Father, Grandfather STANLEY RALPH ROSS July 22, 1935 * March 16, 2000 "Thanks, I Had A Wonderful Time!"
External links
- http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/54390/filmography.jhtml
- http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/21861.html
- http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/stanley-ralph-ross