Frank Nelson
Encyclopedia
Frank Brandon Nelson was an American
comedic actor best known for playing put-upon foils
on radio and television and his "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase. He has made numerous guest appearances on television shows, including The Jack Benny Program
, I Love Lucy
and Sanford and Son
and in his career he made over 10,000 television appearances.
radio station
serving the Denver, Colorado
market. In 1929, Nelson moved to Hollywood, California and worked in local radio dramatic shows, usually playing the leading man
. The first sponsored radio show he appeared in to reach a national market was "Flywheel, Shyster & Flywheel," a situation comedy
radio show airing from November 28, 1932, and ending May 22, 1933, starring two of the Marx Brothers
, Groucho
and Chico
, and written primarily by Nat Perrin
and Arthur Sheekman
.
Nelson first found fame as the put-upon foil to Jack Benny
on Benny's radio show
during the 1940s and 1950s. Nelson typically portrayed a sales clerk or customer service worker. For example, needing airline tickets, Benny would call the ticket agent, "Oh Mister? Mister?" Nelson's appearance began with his catchphrase, a bellowed "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?". The two men would banter, with Nelson gleefully delivering one-liners such as "Is that a hairpiece or did someone plant moss on your head?" and sarcastic responses like "Do I work at this airport? No, I'm a DC-4 with a moustache."
Nelson performed on a number of Hollywood-based radio shows during this time, including Fibber McGee and Molly
, and did radio work well into the late 1950s, on the few shows that remained on the air, including dramatic roles on such programs as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
.
Nelson continued to appear on Benny's television show in 1950, doing the same "rude clerk" shtick. His other catchphrase, that would be worked into every routine, would have Benny asking something mundane, such as, "Do these shirts come in a medium?" and Frank would bellow, "Oo-oo-oo-ooh, DO they!" He also appeared on several other radio programs. Nelson's sudden appearances usually led to spontaneous laughter or applause on the part of the audience.
After Jack Benny, Nelson continued to work in sitcoms in similar roles, most notably in: The Hank McCune Show
and I Love Lucy
(including a hilarious turn as a train conductor in "The Great Train Robbery" episode from 1955 as the Ricardos and Mertzes begin heading home to New York after Ricky's stay in Hollywood courtesy of MGM) during the 1950s; The Addams Family
in the 1960s; and Sanford and Son
during the 1970s. In the 1960s, Nelson voiced Mr. Cow in the Tootsie Pop commercial once again using his "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase.
Towards the end of his life, Nelson enjoyed some newfound stardom among a new generation of fans. In 1981, he did a string of commercials for McDonald's
doing his trademark "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase, as part of the fast-food chain's highly successful "You Deserve a Break Today" sweepstakes promotional campaign, where he played an over-the-top passport agent. Garfield in Paradise
in 1986 was the last recorded time he used his signature phrase. He also did a cameo appearance in the 80s on SNL as a newsstand vendor when Tim Curry
was the guest host.
In addition to his onscreen work, Nelson was an in-demand voiceover
artist for animated cartoons
, appearing on The Flintstones
, The Jetsons
and as Governor Wetworth on The Snorks
among other programs. He also served as the head of AFTRA (a performers union) between 1954 and 1957.
Nelson was not as prolific in motion pictures, but he did appear occasionally in variations of his oily clerk characterization. One of his larger roles is in Down Memory Lane (1949), in which he plays the apoplectic manager of a TV station. He also appears memorably in So You Want to Know Your Relatives, a Joe McDoakes
spoof of This Is Your Life
; Nelson plays the master of ceremonies, happily ushering unsavory guests onstage.
After a years-long battle with cancer, Nelson died on September 12, 1986 in Hollywood and was entombed in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
, where he shares a columbarium niche with his friend and fellow radio actor, Hanley Stafford
.
called the "Frank Nelson Type" (aka "Yes Guy").
Jack Benny co-star and cartoon voice artist Mel Blanc
would sometimes pay homage to Nelson by working a "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss" into one of his voice portrayals. Other performers have done the same. For example, in an episode of the sitcom Three's Company
("Doctor In The House", Season 6), Ralph Furley (Don Knotts
) consults with a doctor who is actually Jack Tripper (John Ritter
) disguised in a surgeon's mask. When Furley calls out to the doctor in his office, Jack responds with Nelson's famous "Y-e-e-e-s?" catchphrase. Jack also responds with a "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss" to a caller looking to make a reservation at Jack's new restaurant in the Season 7 episode "Opening Night".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedic actor best known for playing put-upon foils
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
on radio and television and his "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase. He has made numerous guest appearances on television shows, including The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
, I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
and Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
and in his career he made over 10,000 television appearances.
Life and career
Nelson began his entertainment career in radio and later moved into television and movies. In 1926, at age 15, Nelson played the role of a 30-year-old man in a radio series broadcast from the then 5,000 Watt KOA (AM)KOA (AM)
KOA is a clear channel, news/talk radio station serving the Denver-Boulder and Colorado Springs, Colorado markets. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is nicknamed "the Blowtorch of the West" for its 50,000 watt signal.KOA was originally owned by General Electric and began...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
serving the Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
market. In 1929, Nelson moved to Hollywood, California and worked in local radio dramatic shows, usually playing the leading man
Leading man
Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...
. The first sponsored radio show he appeared in to reach a national market was "Flywheel, Shyster & Flywheel," a situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
radio show airing from November 28, 1932, and ending May 22, 1933, starring two of the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
, Groucho
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
and Chico
Chico Marx
Leonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian and film star as part of the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat.As the first-born of the...
, and written primarily by Nat Perrin
Nat Perrin
Nat Perrin was an American comedy writer, who contributed gags and storylines to several Marx Brothers films and co-wrote the play Hellzapoppin that was adapted in to a film. He is credited with writing the screenplay or story for over 25 films, including The Great Morgan and Song of the Thin Man...
and Arthur Sheekman
Arthur Sheekman
Arthur Sheekman , a graduate from the University of Minnesota, started his career as columnist and drama critic during the 1920s and the early 1930s for the Manhattan Newspaper. He then entered the film industry in 1931 when he became a scenarist for the Marx Brothers' movie Monkey Business where...
.
Nelson first found fame as the put-upon foil to Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
on Benny's radio show
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
during the 1940s and 1950s. Nelson typically portrayed a sales clerk or customer service worker. For example, needing airline tickets, Benny would call the ticket agent, "Oh Mister? Mister?" Nelson's appearance began with his catchphrase, a bellowed "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?". The two men would banter, with Nelson gleefully delivering one-liners such as "Is that a hairpiece or did someone plant moss on your head?" and sarcastic responses like "Do I work at this airport? No, I'm a DC-4 with a moustache."
Nelson performed on a number of Hollywood-based radio shows during this time, including Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
, and did radio work well into the late 1950s, on the few shows that remained on the air, including dramatic roles on such programs as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a radio drama of "the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account — America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator." The show aired on CBS Radio from January 14, 1949 to September 30, 1962...
.
Nelson continued to appear on Benny's television show in 1950, doing the same "rude clerk" shtick. His other catchphrase, that would be worked into every routine, would have Benny asking something mundane, such as, "Do these shirts come in a medium?" and Frank would bellow, "Oo-oo-oo-ooh, DO they!" He also appeared on several other radio programs. Nelson's sudden appearances usually led to spontaneous laughter or applause on the part of the audience.
After Jack Benny, Nelson continued to work in sitcoms in similar roles, most notably in: The Hank McCune Show
The Hank McCune Show
The Hank McCune Show was an American television situation comedy. Filmed without a studio audience, it was notable for being the first program to incorporate a laugh track....
and I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
(including a hilarious turn as a train conductor in "The Great Train Robbery" episode from 1955 as the Ricardos and Mertzes begin heading home to New York after Ricky's stay in Hollywood courtesy of MGM) during the 1950s; The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
in the 1960s; and Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
during the 1970s. In the 1960s, Nelson voiced Mr. Cow in the Tootsie Pop commercial once again using his "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase.
Towards the end of his life, Nelson enjoyed some newfound stardom among a new generation of fans. In 1981, he did a string of commercials for McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
doing his trademark "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase, as part of the fast-food chain's highly successful "You Deserve a Break Today" sweepstakes promotional campaign, where he played an over-the-top passport agent. Garfield in Paradise
Garfield in Paradise
Garfield in Paradise is a half-hour animated television special based on the Garfield comic strip. It once again featured Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield . Wolfman Jack guest starred as the voice of the tribal chief and Frank Nelson guest starred as the voice of the motel manager and rental...
in 1986 was the last recorded time he used his signature phrase. He also did a cameo appearance in the 80s on SNL as a newsstand vendor when Tim Curry
Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
was the guest host.
In addition to his onscreen work, Nelson was an in-demand voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
artist for animated cartoons
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, appearing on The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
, The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...
and as Governor Wetworth on The Snorks
The Snorks
Snorks is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera which ran on NBC from September 15, 1984 to May 13, 1989. Although not as popular as the animated series The Smurfs, the program continued to be available in syndication from 1986 to 1989, on the BBC in the late 1990s, and from...
among other programs. He also served as the head of AFTRA (a performers union) between 1954 and 1957.
Nelson was not as prolific in motion pictures, but he did appear occasionally in variations of his oily clerk characterization. One of his larger roles is in Down Memory Lane (1949), in which he plays the apoplectic manager of a TV station. He also appears memorably in So You Want to Know Your Relatives, a Joe McDoakes
Joe McDoakes
Joe McDoakes is the protagonist of a series of 63 black and white live action comedy one reel short subjects released between 1942 and 1956. The Joe McDoakes shorts are also known as the Behind the Eight Ball series or the So You Want... series...
spoof of This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
; Nelson plays the master of ceremonies, happily ushering unsavory guests onstage.
After a years-long battle with cancer, Nelson died on September 12, 1986 in Hollywood and was entombed in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
, where he shares a columbarium niche with his friend and fellow radio actor, Hanley Stafford
Hanley Stafford
Hanley Stafford . An actor principally on radio, he is remembered best for playing Lancelot Higgins on The Baby Snooks Show. He is commemorated by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-External links:...
.
Legacy
His distinctive appearance and manner of saying "Y-e-e-e-s?" has been parodied frequently in film and television, most notably with the character on The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
called the "Frank Nelson Type" (aka "Yes Guy").
Jack Benny co-star and cartoon voice artist Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
would sometimes pay homage to Nelson by working a "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss" into one of his voice portrayals. Other performers have done the same. For example, in an episode of the sitcom Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
("Doctor In The House", Season 6), Ralph Furley (Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
) consults with a doctor who is actually Jack Tripper (John Ritter
John Ritter
Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively...
) disguised in a surgeon's mask. When Furley calls out to the doctor in his office, Jack responds with Nelson's famous "Y-e-e-e-s?" catchphrase. Jack also responds with a "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss" to a caller looking to make a reservation at Jack's new restaurant in the Season 7 episode "Opening Night".