Jack Carter

Jack Carter (born Jack Chakrin; June 24, 1922 – June 28, 2015) was an American comedian, actor and television presenter. Born in Brooklyn, Carter had a long-running comedy act similar to fellow rapid-paced contemporaries Milton Berle and Morey Amsterdam.

Life and career

Carter was born in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants Anna ( Borofsky) and Harry Chakrin. His parents owned a candy store there where he began to dance on tables at the age of 3.

Carter served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He hosted an early television variety program called Cavalcade of Stars on the DuMont Network. He was lured to NBC to host his own program titled The Jack Carter Show. Carter recommended Jackie Gleason take his place as host of Cavalcade of Stars, though DuMont did not hire Gleason until the network's choice, Jerry Lester, also jumped to NBC. The Jack Carter Show appeared under the banner of the Saturday Night Revue, NBC's -hour Saturday night programming slot. Carter hosted his show for one hour each week followed by the 90-minute Your Show of Shows starring Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris. Carter remained friends with Caesar his entire life and delivered the eulogy at his funeral.

His only major Broadway appearance was opposite Sammy Davis Jr. in the 1956 musical Mr. Wonderful. He earlier replaced Phil Silvers in the Broadway show Top Banana. He was a frequent guest on The Ed Sullivan Show during the 1960s and early 1970s, and was known for his impression of Ed Sullivan. He appeared as himself (along with his then-wife Paula Stewart) in the comedy series The Joey Bishop Show. In the late 1960s, he was the host of a game-show pilot called Second Guessers. The pilot did not sell. He was also a frequent panelist on the television game show Match Game during the 1973–1974 season and again during the early 1980s. In 1975, he appeared as a guest star on the quiz show $10,000 Pyramid with contestant Liz Hogan Schultz, and appeared as the ill-fated mayor in the cult horror film Alligator in 1980.

Starting in the 1970s, Carter was on more than ten Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts for some popular television stars and sports personalities. In 1981, Carter starred as Fagin in the stage performance of Oliver! at the Birmingham Theater in Birmingham, Michigan alongside Shani Wallis as Nancy.

He made appearances on many television series, including Diagnosis: Unknown, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Combat!, The Love Boat, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Rockford Files, Emergency!, Mannix, Cannon, The Wild Wild West, Tales of Tomorrow, The Kallikaks, Password, $weepstake$, The Ren & Stimpy Show, 7th Heaven, Diagnosis Murder, The Road West, Sanford and Son, Tattletales, Monk, Rules of Engagement, Living Single, iCarly, Desperate Housewives, and Shameless and voice work on King of the Hill. He was a guest on Norm Macdonald's video podcast, Norm Macdonald Live, in 2014.

In 1994, Carter was offered the role of Wilbur Cobb in The Ren & Stimpy Show, a character intended to be named Raymond Spum, but was renamed after John Kricfalusi was fired. Showrunner Bob Camp felt sorry for Carter's lack of work, so he shoehorned the character in episodes at every opportunity he could, to the detriment of the show and criticism by crew members such as William Wray. Death Carter died on June 28, 2015 at his home in Beverly Hills, California, of respiratory failure.

Filmography Film

Television

1969 Wild Wild West "Night of the Janus" Season 4 Episode 18

Video games