George Gobel
Biography
George Gobel was an American comedian and actor who became one of television's biggest comedy stars in the 1950s. Born in Chicago in 1919, he sang country music on radio as a teenager and moved from singing to comedy after serving in the Army Air Forces during World War II. His weekly variety series, The George Gobel Show, aired on NBC from 1954 to 1959, then on CBS until 1960, and in 1955 he won an Emmy for most outstanding new personality. His act relied on a hesitant delivery and tangled digressions, and he later became a regular panelist on Hollywood Squares. He starred in two film comedies, The Birds and the Bees (1956) and I Married a Woman (1958), appeared on Broadway in Let It Ride in 1961, and voiced Father Mouse in the 1974 holiday special 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
71years old at death
- Born Chicago
- Died Los Angeles
- Star sign: TaurusLast day of the sign, on the Gemini cusp
- Also credited as George Leslie Goebel
Movie Career
- Films
- 5
- Career span
- 31 years1956 to 1987
Every film, newest first
- 1987Alice Through the Looking GlassIMDb rating 5.4
- 1984The Fantastic World of D.C. CollinsIMDb rating 5.4
- 1974'Twas the Night Before ChristmasIMDb rating 7.3
- 1958I Married a WomanIMDb rating 5.3
- 1956The Birds and the BeesIMDb rating 5.3
Genres
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A role that slipped away
Walt Disney thought about Gobel for the voice of Winnie-the-Pooh. After reading the books, Gobel said no because he found Pooh to be an awful bore.
Behind the camera
With his business manager David P. O'Malley, Gobel formed Gomalco, a production company whose name blended their surnames. It produced the first four years of Leave It to Beaver along with Gobel's own series.
A change of course
Gobel sang country music on the National Barn Dance, broadcast on Chicago's WLS radio, and afterward on KMOX in St. Louis, all before he graduated from high school in 1937.
Own stunts
Gobel was a skilled guitar player, and in 1959 the Gibson Guitar Company commissioned a specially designed electric guitar bearing his name, the George Gobel Model. He used this guitar to accompany himself on several comedy routines.
Beyond film
Gobel played Erwin in Let It Ride, a Broadway musical drawn from Three Men on a Horse. The show ran at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre from October 12 to December 9, 1961, lasting 68 performances plus one preview.
George Gobel movies on Netflix
Worked with
George Gobel shares two films with John McGiver, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
John McGiver's page
Marilyn Hanold's page
Bess Flowers's page
John Wayne's page
Jason Bateman's page
David Niven's page
Arthur Rankin Jr.Director, 1 film, 1974
All films by Arthur Rankin Jr.
Jules BassDirector, 1 film, 1974
All films by Jules Bass
Hal KanterDirector, 1 film, 1958
All films by Hal Kanter
Awards
Three awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| Emmy Award | Won | ||
| Other honors | |||
| 1954 | Peabody Awards | Won | |
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.