1. Charlie Callas was most commonly known for his work with Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin, and his many stand-up appearances on television talk shows in the 1970s.
21 Facts About Charlie Callas
1. 2.
Charlie Callas was known for his role as Malcolm Argos, the restaurant owner and former con man, on the Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner television series Switch.
3.
Charlie Callas was born on December 20,1924, in Brooklyn, New York, as Charles Callias, the son of a Greek father and German mother.
4.
Charlie Callas served in the United States Army during World War II.
5.
Charlie Callas began his career as a drummer playing in groups with Bernie Cummins, Tommy Dorsey, Claude Thornhill, and Buddy Rich.
6.
Charlie Callas dropped a vowel from his legal name, Callias, when he took to the stage.
7.
Charlie Callas was known for his rubbery face, trademark nervous chattering, and dark comedy.
8.
Charlie Callas did the shotgun bit countless times on talk shows.
9.
Charlie Callas ran through the act on an episode of The Merv Griffin Show in 1965, and one of the guests, Jerry Lewis, practically fell off his chair in hysterics.
10.
Lewis recalled the story on his short-lived 1984 talk show, in which Charlie Callas served as his sidekick and performed the shotgun routine.
11.
Charlie Callas was a regular guest on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast where he was called on to poke fun at celebrities, including Frank Sinatra and Don Rickles.
12.
Occasionally Charlie Callas showed up in an Army uniform, impersonating vaudeville comic George Jessel, much to the celebrities' amusement.
13.
Charlie Callas had met and befriended Bobby Vinton in Las Vegas and when Vinton hit it big with a new TV show in 1975 Charlie Callas agreed to make a special appearance on The Bobby Vinton Show in October of that year.
14.
Charlie Callas appeared on The Andy Williams Show at various times as "Captain Weird", a parody of superheroes.
15.
Charlie Callas's only known dramatic role was that of a restaurant owner, Malcolm Argos, in the 1970s show, Switch.
16.
Charlie Callas was a regular performer on The ABC Comedy Hour in 1972.
17.
Charlie Callas was a semiregular on The Flip Wilson Show and co-host of The Joey Bishop Show.
18.
On January 27,2011, Charlie Callas died of natural causes at age 86, in his home in Las Vegas, Nevada.
19.
Charlie Callas was survived by his sons, Mark and Larry.
20.
Charlie Callas could think very fast on his feet, and he had an unbelievable number of sounds that he made with his voice.
21.
Charlie Callas would tell a joke about two guys hunting.