Joey Forman

Joey Forman (November 18, 1929 - December 9, 1982) was an American comedian and comic actor. He first attracted attention in Las Vegas as the opening act for Mickey Rooney. He also co-starred in Mickey Rooney's 1954-55 sitcom "Hey, Mulligan!" as Mickey's best friend, Freddy.

Forman was considered a standard Borscht Belt comic, and he performed standup comedy both live and on television (including shows like "The Hollywood Palace"). He also took on comedic roles in movies and on television. Forman appeared in two episodes of "The Monkees", first as jealous kids show host "Captain Crocodile" in an eponymous episode, then as Asian criminal "Dragonman" in "Monkees Chow Mein". He also appeared in two "Get Smart" episodes as "Harry Hoo", a parody of Charlie Chan.

Forman distinguished himself from the field by inventing a character called "The Mashuganishi Yogi", a parody of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 1968, working with Bill Dana, he produced a comedy album consisting of a faux press conference, in which he responded to mostly-straight questions with funny answers, speaking in a stereotyped Indian accent. He was accompanied with a sitarist, "Harvey Shankar", a parody of Ravi Shankar (played by Dana).

In later TV appearances, he would sometimes reprise his Yogi character.

Forman died in 1982 from pulmonary fibrosis.

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0286355/ IMDB entry for Joey Forman]