Soupy Sales....and The New Year's Day Incident

[RagAss]

New Year's Day incident
On New Year's Day 1965, miffed at having to work on the holiday, Sales ended his live broadcast by encouraging his young viewers to tiptoe into their still-sleeping parents' bedrooms and remove those "funny green pieces of paper with pictures of U.S. Presidents" from their pants and pocketbooks. "Put them in an envelope and mail them to me," Soupy instructed the children. "And I'll send you a postcard from Puerto Rico!" He was then hit with a pie.<4>

Several days later, a chagrined Soupy announced that money was unexpectedly being received in the mail. He explained that he had been joking and announced that unreturnable contributions would be donated to charity. As parents' complaints increased, WNEW's management felt compelled to suspend Sales for two weeks. Young viewers picketed Channel 5. The uproar surrounding Sales' suspension increased his popularity.

Sales describes the incident in his 2001 autobiography Soupy Sez! My Life and Zany Times.<5>


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soupy_Sales

[kentauros]

1. I remember Soupy, but not that incident

so I'll have to ask my parents if they remember it :D

Thanks for the laugh! I can just imagine the whole thing :rofl:

[RagAss]

2. It was classic. Nobody ever said how much money was sent in.

[Iggo]

3. I loved that guy when I was a little kid.

A few jokes for the kids, and according to my dad some light blue stuff that went right over our heads but had the parents rolling. Big, big laugh.

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. A recent comedian jokes, "That's why there are instructions on toothpaste and shampoo".

Go Soupy. May you gain the reknown you deserve!

[RagAss]

5. and the kids who sent the money in..they're the ones who grew up to listen to Rush and believe him!

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. How could they get it together to get the address and stamps,

and not know, to not rob their parents?

[hunter]

7. Oh, that incident, not this one:

Topless dancer pranks

The show's set included a door in the background. During the show, Sales would answer a knock at the door and interact with an actor seen only as an arm. Occasionally, the guy at the door was a celebrity (Burt Lancaster, Fess Parker, Alice Cooper.)

One time during the Los Angeles years, as Sales was ending the show, he opened the door and saw a topless dancer gyrating with a balloon. A second, nonbroadcasting camera captured the uncensored version, while a stagehand moved a balloon back and forth in the doorway, giving at least some indication to the home viewers what was supposed to be behind the door. Sales was forced to try to keep the show going without revealing the risque events backstage. This event, in censored and uncensored variations, has been featured on many blooper compilations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soupy_Sales#Topless_dancer_pranks

[A-Schwarzenegger]

8. Soupy ruleds.

Ruh-roh!