Biografia
George Gobel, a squat, easygoing, crew-cut blond, was born George Leslie Goebel in Chicago on May 20, 1919. Of Austrian and Scottish heritage, his immigrant father, Hermann Goebel, worked as a butcher and grocer. After graduating from Chicago's Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1937, George first gained Midwest attention as a radio singer under the name "Little Georgie Gobel." He also toured with country music bands billed as "The Littlest Cowboy."
His career was interrupted by World War II, during which he served as a pilot instructor in the Army Air Force. While in service, he began performing stand-up comedy for fellow soldiers and later took his act to nightclubs, hotels, and county fairs. His gentle comic style, paired with a warm, folksy charm, gained widespread appeal when he debuted on television at age 33 in 1952. From that point, he focused primarily on comedy rather than singing.
George entered television in 1950 as a guest on "The Bill Slater Show" and continued appearing on variety shows hosted by Garry Moore, Spike Jones, and Dinah Shore. As his popularity grew, he was given his own program, The George Gobel Show, in 1954, which earned him an Emmy Award. His stage persona was that of a hapless, unassuming, hen-pecked husband attempting to navigate life with ease. This "Lonesome" George character resonated on TV but failed to translate well to film. His two light comedies, The Birds and the Bees (1956) and I Married a Woman (1958), were met with lukewarm responses.
After his TV series ended, Gobel's momentum declined. From 1958 to 1961, he returned to performing in clubs, headlining in Las Vegas at the El Rancho Vegas and in Reno at the Mapes Hotel. In 1961, he co-starred with Sam Levene in the Broadway musical Let It Ride, based on the 1935 play Three Men on a Horse, which had a brief run. He also appeared on television series such as Wagon Train, Death Valley Days, Daniel Boone, F Troop, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, The Red Skelton Show, Love, American Style, Chico and the Man, and The Love Boat.
In the late 1960s, Gobel experienced a resurgence on talk shows, notably engaging in banter with Johnny Carson on his popular late-night program. In 1974, he regained widespread recognition by replacing the late Cliff Arquette ("Charley Weaver") as a regular panelist on the game show The Hollywood Squares. He also acted in several TV movies, often in cameo roles, including Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover (1977), A Guide for the Married Woman (1978), Better Late Than Never (1979), The Invisible Woman (1983), and Alice in Wonderland (1985). His film appearances were limited to two comedies: Rabbit Test (1978), in which he played the President, and Ellie (1984), where he portrayed a preacher.
Gobel secured a role as a tipsy mayor on the short-lived television series Harper Valley P.T.A. (1981). He passed away in Encino, California, on February 24, 1991, at age 71 following bypass surgery. He was survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Alice, and their three children.
