Dig A Hole: Joey Bishop was 89… Son of a Gun!

October 19th, 2007 by Scott Marks

Aside from looking good in Alpaca sweaters, hanging with the Rat Pack and a putting green haircut, just why the hell should we remember Joey Bishop?

He wasn’t a song and dance man, nor do I recall him delivering standup in nightclubs. His big screen roles were few and far between. In The Naked and the Dead, Bishop made the perfect foil for anti-Semitic jabs and his death scene always guarantees giggles. (Wasn’t he the one who had his little bird crushed? Ahahahahahaha!)

The Rat Pack connection offered him deeper access to Hollywood. Blending in with Frank Sammy, Dean and Henry Silva is one thing. You try sitting through Texas Across the River, Joey’s big solo shot.

He was on television, but the funniest thing about The Joey Bishop Show was that it provided Joe Besser steady income.

As a talk show guest he gave good panel. So good, that Bishop was the first (along with sidekick Regis Philbin) to have balls big enough to go up against the unconquerable Johnny Carson.

After his late night talk show crashed and burned Joey adopted a Brigadoon-like deportment. In the past 20 years, it seems the only time Joey surfaced was to eulogize a passing Rat Packer. I can’t even recall a Telethon appearance.

His groundskeeper manicured hairdo eventually gave way to a style that bore more than a passing resemblance to Gary Oldman’s cut and blow in Coppola’s Dracula.

Next to Ocean 11’s Mushy, he will best be remembered (at least in my heart) for his cameo as the used car salesman in Johnny Cool. Directed by Bewitched auteur William Asher, this late period noir-wannabe is a Rat Pack opus minus Frank and Dean. Sammy’s in it, but it’s basically a showcase for Henry Silva that houses loads of star cameos.

Joey was a natural as a used car pitchman. He missed his true calling. Instead, the Son of a gun became famous by being famous.

Tags: Joey Bishop, Obituary

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2 Responses to “Dig A Hole: Joey Bishop was 89… Son of a Gun!”

Rob on October 19th, 2007 8:21 am

“The Delta Force”, Chuck Norris’ epic 1986 turd, gave us a Joey Bishop performance that must be seen to be believed.

Bishop plays Harry Goldman, a simple Jewish tourist celebrating his anniversary by flying with his wife Sylvia (played to the hilt by Lainie Kazan) to the Holy Land.

The flight is naturally hijacked and the terrorists zero in on the scared Jewish couple sitting up front.

Joey’s performance is dreadful and as you watch him, you’ll notice varying degrees of his trademark Miami tan he acquired late in life. At one point, he’s nearly a shade of glowing gold!
Scott Marks on October 20th, 2007 10:07 am

How right you are. Isn’t he married to Shelly Winters in the film? I have a six hour VHS copy somewhere that needs dusting. What better way to remember the man?