CLASSIC VIDEO SHOWPLACE: Frank Nelson

 For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on the Astound TV Network with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

 

Frank Nelson is another character who worked in the entertainment industry from 1926 right up until his death in 1986.  While the name may not ring a bell, it’s hard to imagine the early days of television without his memorable contributions.

Frank Brandon Nelson (he never adopted a “stage name”) on May 6th, 1911 in Colorado Spring, Colorado.

Frank’s signature deep voice came to him at an early age.

At 15, he got a job portraying a “thirtysomething” character on a radio drama on KOA AM in Denver.  By 18 he moved to Hollywood and immediately got jobs portraying leading men in radio drama series.

His first experiences in the genre in which he would work for nearly the rest of his career occurred three years later when he was hired for the serial comedy show, Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel – a vehicle created to showcase Groucho and Chico Marx.

His venerable voice allowed him to portray characters on many of radio’s most popular comedy shows, like Fibber Magee and Molly, as well as dramas, like Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Nelson continued to attract various roles on radio throughout the 1930s, but became a frequent “guest star” on The Jack Benny Show, although his characters were never given a name.  He would simply play general characters to help advance that evening’s show’s plot, but his versatility allowed him to play different characters from week to week.

In the early 1940s Frank was portraying a train ticket clerk (another role he would return to throughout the program’s run on radio and TV).  When Benny approached him to buy a ticket, Nelson responded with a loud and ecstatic, “yyyyyeeeeeeeeesssssssss”…and the radio audience went wild with laughter.

Over the next few years, Nelson would garnish some of the biggest laughs ever heard on radio.

Probably his biggest laugh was when Announcer Don Wilson mispronounced a man’s name in the news as “Drear Pewson.”  When Nelson’s character of the day arrived on the scene and ask who he was, Frank improved by saying, “who do you think I am, Drear Pewson,” and the cast and audience erupted.

While Nelson was featured in a few films in the early 1950s, he mostly stayed on the small screen.

One of his most popular television appearances was when he was on a parody of Perry Mason trying a “chicken murder” case against Raymond Burr himself. Nelson “won” the case when he got “Perry” to admit that he was the killer himself!

Nelson’s versatility won the sometimes incredibly high standards of Lucille Ball, who used Nelson in six different characters during the first several seasons of I Love Lucy and asked Frank back frequently for her first solo spinoff, The Lucy Show.

In the early 1960s, McDonald’s hired Nelson as their main character on their commercials and would frequently utilize his trademark, “yyyyeessssssss” to get a laugh.  His legendary voice would lend itself to numerous characters on some of televisions most popular cartoon shows, including The Jetsons and The Flintstones.

Frank continued acting in shows, frequently using his trademark lines and demenours in television shows through the 60s and 70s, with his last guest appearance on the Linda Lavin-centered sitcom, Alice.  While his last on-screen role was in 1986’s Malibu Bikini Shop, which was released a month after he passed away, he was still referred to frequently in more contemporary shows.

When John Stewart hosted The Daily Show, he often used Frank’s trademark “yyyesssss” and other similar traits.

The Simpsons based characters on all of Nelson’s mannerisms and would give a nod to the late actor by crediting those characters names as “the Frank Nelson type” or the “Yes, Sir” guy.  Many other cartoons use characters with many of Nelson’s different quirks on their shows to this day.

Be on the lookout for Frank Nelson’s signature voice and trademark sayings in roles in films like, The Lucy Show, The Jack Benny Program, and other projects seen on the Astound TV Network.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.