Thank you for this lovely tribute. I'm proud to say I knew Wally very well when I was a boy. He was a very close friend of my father's and was, for a time, engaged to my mother's twin sister. He was like an uncle to me and a wonderful man, as kind in real life as he seemed on TV. Smart as hell. I loved him.
Thank you for watching! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. I only knew a little bit about Wally before I started researching him, but the more I uncovered, the more I realized how fascinating and wildly talented he was. I really got the impression that he was an incredible person
@@AnthonyScibelliUnsungLegends He was. My father wrote his eulogy in the NY Times and in it he called Wally, "a country boy with a city mind." Brando said of him, "he is a delicately brocaded Chinese robe, with a few spots of 3-in-1 Oil on the lapels." He was the least pretentious performer imaginable, which is why Peter Marshall nicknamed him Mr. Show Business.
I was born in November of 1964, and I remember becoming immediately charmed by Mr. Cox, as I would also be by Mr. Jack Benny (who died not long after Mr. Cox). I couldn't tell you where I first saw him - maybe in 'The Beverly Hillbillies"? - but I first heard him as Underdog. I know for a fact I saw him on Hollywood Squares when I was still in elementary school. And he's still one of my favorite classic TV actors.
Wasn't Wally in the very first episode of the original Mission Impossible as a safe cracker? Just checked: yes, he played Terry Tango in the Pilot episode. Strangely they never utilized him again even though I imagine that skill would have come in quite handy over the years.
IIRC, in that episode, Wally’s safecracker character was smuggled into the room where the safe was *in a suitcase carried by the strongman character Willie*. This plot device seemed feasible, because of Mr. Cox’s small stature.
@@chasbodaniels1744 Yep. Season one of that series was great. But then after that they really started reusing a lot of the same plot devices over and over, but still some golden nuggets here and there for the rest of the series' run. Martin Landau really helped that series succeed, IMO.
Always enjoyed seeing Wally Cox on TV growing up in the latter 50's and 60's. 'Underdog' was one of our favorite cartoons back then. Always thought he sounded and was intelligent.
I've gotten a couple of comments likening me to Cox, whom I had never heard of before (though I do vaguely remember watching Underdog in my younger years). Having seen this, I can now say that I take that association as a compliment. Seems like he was a pretty sharp and interesting human being. Too bad he left us so soon.
Great actor. Seemed like, after "Mr. Peepers," he spent the rest of his career playing parts specifically written (or rewritten) for him. And his "There Is a Tavern" is one of my favorites.
Thanks for the retrospective on Wally! That yodeling song was released in the early 50s as There Is a Tavern in the Town and was a top 40 hit. Sorry to learn he was in the closet, lol.
I remember Wally Cox being a fairly regular guest star on Hollywood Squares, including the version for youngsters where he dressed up as Sir Lancelot. I believe he also did a few commercials for Gulf gasoline just before he passed away...
This was excellent. I grew up in the 70s with the 60s reruns in syndication and Wally Cox played generally milquetoast characters, like 2D versions of Mr. Peepers. I’m sure that’s why he was a beloved Squares contestant and talk show guest. His sharp humor surprised folks. I vaguely remember that Wally did stand-up and was buds with Marlon Brando. The NYC Scene must have been a great place to be as an artist in the late 40s to mid sixties
I always liked the guy, knew him mainly from game shows such as "Hollywood Squares" primarily but he also appeared occasionally in regular-series, both comedy & drama, e.g., Beverly Hillbillies(as is commented elsewhere here), Ozzie & Harriet, Bonanza, Twilight Zone, etc. A few movies, too, such as "A Guide for the Married Man"(I think) & "The Yellow Rolls-Royce", both in the way of cameos. I've know of "Mr. Peepers" for years but have never seen an episode of it, except for brief-clips. I'd forgotten he was in commercials but now have a very-vague memory of this. It now would be difficult to classify or find a place for Cox in today's media-world. I just don't know where he'd fit.
Based on the following excerpt from the New York Times article "Babies to Heroes: A Field Guide to Big-Screen Men," I think there is a place in contemporary media where Wally Cox would fit in: "Born to be mild, the Wimp exists to have sand kicked in his face and submit to wedgies and worse, or, like Woody Allen, to overcome adversity by being smarter and funnier than everyone else in the room. The Wimp - subsets include the Nerd, the Geek, the Nebbish and, often offensively, the Gay Guy - serves a variety of useful narrative functions as the sexually neutered sidekick, the nervous ninny (the Cowardly Lion) or resident genius. Every tough guy has a Wimp to bounce off, sometimes violently, as does every Hero. Even so, the Wimp has been able to trade on his meekness to sometimes triumphant, even heroic end, as Buster Keaton’s news photographer does by getting the job and the girl in the 1928 comedy “The Cameraman.” Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera, the reigning Wimps of current mainstream cinema, employ a singular repertory of vocal tics and gestural mannerisms: Mr. Cera has a wonderfully funny run (he doesn’t lean), while the slightly more feral Mr. Eisenberg clocks more words per minute. Yet they’re also more alike than not, and each radiates intelligence and a palpable vulnerability that they work hard with their doe eyes. Unlike Keaton’s their Wimps do cross over into drama, though the transition can be rough. In the age of Bill Gates, the 97-pound weakling may own a Fortune 500 company or specifically Facebook, but as “The Social Network” indicates, he still may not get his happy ending. In American indie cinema, by contrast, the Wimp frequently triumphs because he’s a stand-in for the guy calling the shots behind the camera." I think Johnny Galecki's portrayal of David in Roseanne and Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory also fits the classic "Wimp" persona described above, and could have been played to great effect by Wally Cox.
@@luminiferous1960 Very interesting. I think you're right. A big difference, though, I'd say, between Cox's persona & the movie & TV wimps of today, is that Cox never ACTED like a wimp or nerd that I can recall. I feel he played his characters naturalistically, not in an exaggerrated, obvious, or self-consciously "wimpish" style. Others may've perceived him as such but at some point in the story usually learned what a fine---and often superior---person he was to them, whether he was playing an impractical daydreamer, an academic professor unrelatable to his students, a bookworm isolating himself in libraries, a guy too shy & awkward for women to notice or like, someone pursuing a quirky, offbeat hobby or obsession, etc. Cox's characters always seemed to possess an innate goodness or at least presented a guy who, though maybe something of a misfit, nonetheless generated sympathy & respect. I have no recollection of Cox ever portraying an overtly stupid or insipid-behaving type of character. He may've been playing a so-called wimp at times but one with believable realism & an inner soul of quiet warmth & humanity. Would you agree? Of course, he had broader comedic roles, too, such as a poker-faced, by-the-book bureaucrat, an emotionless computer analyst, etc. Occasionally, Cox may've played against type, I'm not sure---maybe something like an egotistical Romeo, irresistable(in his mind)to the ladies, a solid, no-nonsense, married suburbanite getting drunk and/or otherwise corrupted at a business convention, etc. Things like that. Seeing Cox in these kinds of against-type comedic situations would've been very funny indeed. I just don't have any recollection of such. Any comments?
@@jackbuckley7816 I agree with your assessment of Cox's roles. However, I think your statement about Cox's roles that "at some point in the story [others] usually learned what a fine---and often superior---person he was to them" also applies to some wimps in some contemporary shows and movies. That is what the New York Times article I cited means when it states "Born to be mild, the Wimp exists ...to overcome adversity by being smarter and funnier than everyone else in the room." And the article lists Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera as actors who are currently known for such roles and each of whom "radiates intelligence" as the article puts it. I think that Johnny Galecki portrays Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory as someone who was intelligent and "seemed to possess an innate goodness" and "who, though maybe something of a misfit, nonetheless generated sympathy & respect." After all he won over the love of his life, Penny, and married her in the show. Although Eisenberg, Cera and Galecki are very good in these types of roles, I would not say that they are as good as Wally Cox or Woody Allen, who was also mentioned in the article. Certainly, Cox and Allen played the wimp characters differently, with Allen's portrayals being overtly neurotic, and Cox's portrayals being more reserved, but both were iconic portrayals. I think one can see both their influences on the portrayals of the intelligent wimp by Eisenberg, Cera, and Galecki, but each actor brings something of their own to their roles, as they should. In closing, I would point out that the triumphant wimp is a perennial character type that keeps occurring in each movie era dating back to the silent movie era, as indicated by the article citing Buster Keaton when stating "the Wimp has been able to trade on his meekness to sometimes triumphant, even heroic end, as Buster Keaton’s news photographer does by getting the job and the girl in the 1928 comedy 'The Cameraman.'" I think there is a place for this type of character in contemporary cinema, perhaps mostly in independent films.
@@luminiferous1960 We've done quite a thorough analysis of Mr. Cox's career! If you can obtain a copy of a book by Steve Allen titled "The Funny Men", written in the 50's, a chapter on Cox is included. Of course, he only was known for "Mr. Peepers" at that time & from which he gained national fame. In addition to "Mr. Peepers", Allen discusses Cox's early, pre-Peepers career, info I never knew, such as the years when Cox performed as a stand-up comic in small, local nightclubs, apparently quite appealing & popular. Essentially, Cox could be classified as an everyman-humorist in an almost Will Rogers-style tradition(minus the rope tricks!). Of course, Cox was less folksy than Rogers, engaging audiences on a more sophisticated or intellectual level, doing a kind of milquetoast-monologue. I don't think he rattled off jokes but was more of a personalized storyteller, whose "jokes" consisted of amusing , perceptive observations on life & people. There may be some snippets of these early Cox appearances on You Tube, I don't recall offhand. I own a copy of Allen's book, which I ordered online. I remember being quite surprised to learn about Cox's early biography, as I had no idea. You may like to get a copy for yourself. One thing's for sure---Allen took comedy seriously & was an excellent analyst of the famous comedians of his era!
@@melmen2379 Evening, Actor Brad Garrett of "Everybody loves Raymond" played Jackie Gleason and Garrett is tall, Jackie is not so tall. Thanks for the reply and have a great one :)
he's probably why all things being equal I root for the Underdog
Thank you for this lovely tribute. I'm proud to say I knew Wally very well when I was a boy. He was a very close friend of my father's and was, for a time, engaged to my mother's twin sister. He was like an uncle to me and a wonderful man, as kind in real life as he seemed on TV. Smart as hell. I loved him.
Thank you for watching! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. I only knew a little bit about Wally before I started researching him, but the more I uncovered, the more I realized how fascinating and wildly talented he was. I really got the impression that he was an incredible person
@@AnthonyScibelliUnsungLegends He was. My father wrote his eulogy in the NY Times and in it he called Wally, "a country boy with a city mind." Brando said of him, "he is a delicately brocaded Chinese robe, with a few spots of 3-in-1 Oil on the lapels." He was the least pretentious performer imaginable, which is why Peter Marshall nicknamed him Mr. Show Business.
I was born in November of 1964, and I remember becoming immediately charmed by Mr. Cox, as I would also be by Mr. Jack Benny (who died not long after Mr. Cox). I couldn't tell you where I first saw him - maybe in 'The Beverly Hillbillies"? - but I first heard him as Underdog. I know for a fact I saw him on Hollywood Squares when I was still in elementary school. And he's still one of my favorite classic TV actors.
He passed away at such an early age! I remember seeing Wally Cox on an episode or two of McHale's Navy as well.
Wasn't Wally in the very first episode of the original Mission Impossible as a safe cracker? Just checked: yes, he played Terry Tango in the Pilot episode. Strangely they never utilized him again even though I imagine that skill would have come in quite handy over the years.
@Hunter Emory Flixzone is full of malware and has a ransomware virus. Do not download. Also, "Hunter" is not a real person.
IIRC, in that episode, Wally’s safecracker character was smuggled into the room where the safe was *in a suitcase carried by the strongman character Willie*.
This plot device seemed feasible, because of Mr. Cox’s small stature.
@@chasbodaniels1744 Yep. Season one of that series was great. But then after that they really started reusing a lot of the same plot devices over and over, but still some golden nuggets here and there for the rest of the series' run. Martin Landau really helped that series succeed, IMO.
Always enjoyed seeing Wally Cox on TV growing up in the latter 50's and 60's. 'Underdog' was one of our favorite cartoons back then. Always thought he sounded and was intelligent.
I've gotten a couple of comments likening me to Cox, whom I had never heard of before (though I do vaguely remember watching Underdog in my younger years). Having seen this, I can now say that I take that association as a compliment. Seems like he was a pretty sharp and interesting human being. Too bad he left us so soon.
Marlon Brando sure liked Wally Cox and said many nice things about him
Yeah. He said nice things about him that would make any woman jealous, lol.
Great actor. Seemed like, after "Mr. Peepers," he spent the rest of his career playing parts specifically written (or rewritten) for him. And his "There Is a Tavern" is one of my favorites.
Wally Cox just had a very cute way of talking and you never expected that guy to be the voice of underdog
hes soooo cute!
Every day after school
Speed of lightning, sound of thunder... Under Dog!
Thanks for the retrospective on Wally! That yodeling song was released in the early 50s as There Is a Tavern in the Town and was a top 40 hit. Sorry to learn he was in the closet, lol.
Wonderful!! Love this man.
amazing video thank you
I remember Wally Cox being a fairly regular guest star on Hollywood Squares, including the version for youngsters where he dressed up as Sir Lancelot. I believe he also did a few commercials for Gulf gasoline just before he passed away...
This was excellent. I grew up in the 70s with the 60s reruns in syndication and Wally Cox played generally milquetoast characters, like 2D versions of Mr. Peepers. I’m sure that’s why he was a beloved Squares contestant and talk show guest. His sharp humor surprised folks. I vaguely remember that Wally did stand-up and was buds with Marlon Brando. The NYC Scene must have been a great place to be as an artist in the late 40s to mid sixties
Wally was great !!😊
Wonderful!
I always liked the guy, knew him mainly from game shows such as "Hollywood Squares" primarily but he also appeared occasionally in regular-series, both comedy & drama, e.g., Beverly Hillbillies(as is commented elsewhere here), Ozzie & Harriet, Bonanza, Twilight Zone, etc. A few movies, too, such as "A Guide for the Married Man"(I think) & "The Yellow Rolls-Royce", both in the way of cameos. I've know of "Mr. Peepers" for years but have never seen an episode of it, except for brief-clips. I'd forgotten he was in commercials but now have a very-vague memory of this. It now would be difficult to classify or find a place for Cox in today's media-world. I just don't know where he'd fit.
I know him from The Twilight Zone. He was great in "From Agnes with love "
Based on the following excerpt from the New York Times article "Babies to Heroes: A Field Guide to Big-Screen Men," I think there is a place in contemporary media where Wally Cox would fit in:
"Born to be mild, the Wimp exists to have sand kicked in his face and submit to wedgies and worse, or, like Woody Allen, to overcome adversity by being smarter and funnier than everyone else in the room. The Wimp - subsets include the Nerd, the Geek, the Nebbish and, often offensively, the Gay Guy - serves a variety of useful narrative functions as the sexually neutered sidekick, the nervous ninny (the Cowardly Lion) or resident genius. Every tough guy has a Wimp to bounce off, sometimes violently, as does every Hero. Even so, the Wimp has been able to trade on his meekness to sometimes triumphant, even heroic end, as Buster Keaton’s news photographer does by getting the job and the girl in the 1928 comedy “The Cameraman.”
Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera, the reigning Wimps of current mainstream cinema, employ a singular repertory of vocal tics and gestural mannerisms: Mr. Cera has a wonderfully funny run (he doesn’t lean), while the slightly more feral Mr. Eisenberg clocks more words per minute. Yet they’re also more alike than not, and each radiates intelligence and a palpable vulnerability that they work hard with their doe eyes. Unlike Keaton’s their Wimps do cross over into drama, though the transition can be rough. In the age of Bill Gates, the 97-pound weakling may own a Fortune 500 company or specifically Facebook, but as “The Social Network” indicates, he still may not get his happy ending. In American indie cinema, by contrast, the Wimp frequently triumphs because he’s a stand-in for the guy calling the shots behind the camera."
I think Johnny Galecki's portrayal of David in Roseanne and Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory also fits the classic "Wimp" persona described above, and could have been played to great effect by Wally Cox.
@@luminiferous1960 Very interesting. I think you're right. A big difference, though, I'd say, between Cox's persona & the movie & TV wimps of today, is that Cox never ACTED like a wimp or nerd that I can recall. I feel he played his characters naturalistically, not in an exaggerrated, obvious, or self-consciously "wimpish" style. Others may've perceived him as such but at some point in the story usually learned what a fine---and often superior---person he was to them, whether he was playing an impractical daydreamer, an academic professor unrelatable to his students, a bookworm isolating himself in libraries, a guy too shy & awkward for women to notice or like, someone pursuing a quirky, offbeat hobby or obsession, etc. Cox's characters always seemed to possess an innate goodness or at least presented a guy who, though maybe something of a misfit, nonetheless generated sympathy & respect. I have no recollection of Cox ever portraying an overtly stupid or insipid-behaving type of character. He may've been playing a so-called wimp at times but one with believable realism & an inner soul of quiet warmth & humanity. Would you agree? Of course, he had broader comedic roles, too, such as a poker-faced, by-the-book bureaucrat, an emotionless computer analyst, etc. Occasionally, Cox may've played against type, I'm not sure---maybe something like an egotistical Romeo, irresistable(in his mind)to the ladies, a solid, no-nonsense, married suburbanite getting drunk and/or otherwise corrupted at a business convention, etc. Things like that. Seeing Cox in these kinds of against-type comedic situations would've been very funny indeed. I just don't have any recollection of such. Any comments?
@@jackbuckley7816 I agree with your assessment of Cox's roles. However, I think your statement about Cox's roles that "at some point in the story [others] usually learned what a fine---and often superior---person he was to them" also applies to some wimps in some contemporary shows and movies. That is what the New York Times article I cited means when it states "Born to be mild, the Wimp exists ...to overcome adversity by being smarter and funnier than everyone else in the room." And the article lists Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera as actors who are currently known for such roles and each of whom "radiates intelligence" as the article puts it.
I think that Johnny Galecki portrays Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory as someone who was intelligent and "seemed to possess an innate goodness" and "who, though maybe something of a misfit, nonetheless generated sympathy & respect." After all he won over the love of his life, Penny, and married her in the show.
Although Eisenberg, Cera and Galecki are very good in these types of roles, I would not say that they are as good as Wally Cox or Woody Allen, who was also mentioned in the article. Certainly, Cox and Allen played the wimp characters differently, with Allen's portrayals being overtly neurotic, and Cox's portrayals being more reserved, but both were iconic portrayals. I think one can see both their influences on the portrayals of the intelligent wimp by Eisenberg, Cera, and Galecki, but each actor brings something of their own to their roles, as they should.
In closing, I would point out that the triumphant wimp is a perennial character type that keeps occurring in each movie era dating back to the silent movie era, as indicated by the article citing Buster Keaton when stating "the Wimp has been able to trade on his meekness to sometimes triumphant, even heroic end, as Buster Keaton’s news photographer does by getting the job and the girl in the 1928 comedy 'The Cameraman.'" I think there is a place for this type of character in contemporary cinema, perhaps mostly in independent films.
@@luminiferous1960 We've done quite a thorough analysis of Mr. Cox's career! If you can obtain a copy of a book by Steve Allen titled "The Funny Men", written in the 50's, a chapter on Cox is included. Of course, he only was known for "Mr. Peepers" at that time & from which he gained national fame. In addition to "Mr. Peepers", Allen discusses Cox's early, pre-Peepers career, info I never knew, such as the years when Cox performed as a stand-up comic in small, local nightclubs, apparently quite appealing & popular. Essentially, Cox could be classified as an everyman-humorist in an almost Will Rogers-style tradition(minus the rope tricks!). Of course, Cox was less folksy than Rogers, engaging audiences on a more sophisticated or intellectual level, doing a kind of milquetoast-monologue. I don't think he rattled off jokes but was more of a personalized storyteller, whose "jokes" consisted of amusing , perceptive observations on life & people. There may be some snippets of these early Cox appearances on You Tube, I don't recall offhand. I own a copy of Allen's book, which I ordered online. I remember being quite surprised to learn about Cox's early biography, as I had no idea. You may like to get a copy for yourself. One thing's for sure---Allen took comedy seriously & was an excellent analyst of the famous comedians of his era!
Wally wore funky old dungarees and rode a motorcycle. He and Woody Allen were small and slender young men that were actually quite athletic.
He was also in a movie called The Boatniks
One of the old fells at the church told me I looked like Wally Cox tonight. Now I know who that was 😁
Cox and Brando were lovers. In fact Brando had Coxs ashes mixed with his ashes and scattered not simply scattered together but mixed.
Actor Tom Hanks would be a great choice to play Wally Cox if they ever film the bio movie of Wally Cox.
@@melmen2379 Evening, Actor Brad Garrett of "Everybody loves Raymond" played Jackie Gleason and Garrett is tall, Jackie is not so tall. Thanks for the reply and have a great one :)
I was thinking Tobey Maguire
@@eaqua56I Second that
Left us too soon
Is Radar on Mash based on Mr. Peepers?
no, radar was based on a real person
he was some yodeler too.
he got typecast playing meek mild guys unfortunately. he was more versatile than that.
Underdog was the only role Wally did that doesn't fit the typecast. All I can hear is Shoeshine Boy whenever he spoke, blame the cute voice.
@@annelivalkama7451 Wally did play a safecracker on the IMF team in the pilot episode of Mission Impossible, which was a serious role.
@@mubirshu And he did it well, too.