Soupy Sales

Acting

Soupy Sales

Born
Died
(aged 83)
Birthplace
Franklinton, North Carolina, USA
Credits
43 titles

Biography

Milton Supman, known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio/television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television show Lunch with Soupy Sales, a series of comedy sketches frequently ending with Sales receiving a pie in the face, which became his trademark. From 1968 to 1975 he was a regular panelist on the syndicated revival of What's My Line? and appeared on several other TV game shows. During the 1980s, Sales hosted his own show on WNBC-AM in New York City.

Sales is best known for his daily children's television show, Lunch with Soupy Sales. The show was originally called 12 O'Clock Comics, and was later known as The Soupy Sales Show. Improvised and slapstick in nature, Lunch with Soupy Sales was a rapid-fire stream of comedy sketches, gags, and puns, almost all of which resulted in Sales receiving a pie in the face, which became his trademark. Sales developed pie-throwing into an art form: straight to the face, on top of the head, a pie to both ears from behind, moving into a stationary pie, and countless other variations. He claimed that he and his visitors had been hit by more than 20,000 pies during his career. He recounted a time when a young fan mistakenly threw a frozen pie at his neck and he "dropped like a pile of bricks."

Signature work

Known For

Acting credits 43

YearTitleRole
2016 Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words Film Self (archive footage)
2001 Black Scorpion Returns Film Sonny Dey / Professor Prophet
2000 Behind the Seams Film Doorman
2000 A Little Bit of Lipstck Film Max
1999 Palmer's Pick-Up Film Ernie Bolza
1998 Holy Man Film Soupy Sales
1996 The Rosie O'Donnell Show TV Self (1 ep)
1994 The Making of '...And God Spoke' Film Moses
1993 Boy Meets World TV Mr. Martini (1 ep)
1990 Wings TV (1 ep)
1989 True Blue TV (1 ep)
1988 Monsters TV Howard Filby (1 ep)
1986 Let's Go Mets Film Self
1983 Saturday Supercade TV Donkey Kong (voice) (32 ep)
1983 Donkey Kong TV Donkey Kong (voice) (20 ep)
1977 Don't Push, I'll Charge When I'm Ready Film Santola
1977 The Love Boat TV Victor Marshall (1 ep)
1975 Saturday Night Live TV Self (uncredited) (1 ep)
1969 Love, American Style TV (2 ep)
1969 The Barbara McNair Show TV Self (2 ep)
1969 The Johnny Cash Show TV Self (1 ep)
1967 The Carol Burnett Show TV Self (3 ep)
1967 Bill's Hat Film
1966 Murder at N.B.C. Film
1966 Birds Do It Film Melvin Byrd
1965 The Dean Martin Show TV (1 ep)
1965 Hullabaloo TV Self, Self - Host (1 ep)
1964 The Hollywood Palace TV Self (1 ep)
1963 The Judy Garland Show TV Self (1 ep)
1963 Burke's Law TV Henry Geller (1 ep)
1963 Vacation Playhouse TV Fireman Smokey, Fred Brady (1 ep)
1962 The Merv Griffin Show TV Self (2 ep)
1962 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson TV Self (4 ep)
1962 The Beverly Hillbillies TV (2 ep)
1961 The Mike Douglas Show TV Self - Co-Host (6 ep)
1961 The Two Little Bears Film Officer McGovern
1960 Route 66 TV (1 ep)
1959 The Rebel TV Stable Owner, Meyers (1 ep)
1959 Hennesey TV (1 ep)
1958 Kraft Music Hall TV Self (1 ep)
1957 Tonight Starring Jack Paar TV Self - Guest Host (2 ep)
1950 What's My Line? TV Self (3 ep)
1948 The Ed Sullivan Show TV Self (3 ep)
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