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George Leslie Gobel (May 20, 1919 - February 24, 1991) was an American comedian, best known as the star of his own weekly NBC television show, The George Gobel Show, from 1954 to 1960. Gobel was born in Chicago. Initially a country music singer, he appeared on the National Barn Dance on WLS radio and, after service in World War II, turned to comedy. During World War II, Gobel served as a flight instructor on AT-9 aircraft at Altus, Oklahoma, and later on B-26 aircraft at Frederick, Oklahoma. In 1954 he got his own network TV show on NBC, a comedy show that showcased Gobel's quiet, homespun style of humor. Its centerpiece was a monologue that usually recounted humorous stories about things that had supposedly happened to him, as well as stories about his wife, "Spooky Old Alice" (played by actress Jean "Jeff" Donnell). Gobel's hesitant delivery and penchant for getting tangled in digressions were the chief sources of comedy, more important than the actual content of the stories he told. His monologues popularized several catch phrases, notably "Well then there now" (repeated by James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause ) and "Well, I'll be a dirty bird." Gobel described himself as "Lonesome George," and the nickname stuck for the rest of his career. The TV show typically included a segment in which Gobel appeared with a guitar, started to sing, then got sidetracked into a story, with the song always left unfinished after fitful starts and stops. He had a special version of the Gibson L-5 archtop guitar built, featuring diminished dimensions of neck scale and body depth, befitting his own small stature; a series of several dozen of this "L-5CT" or "George Gobel" model was produced in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He also played harmonica. In 1957 three B-52 Stratofortress bombers made the first nonstop round-the-world flight by turbojet aircraft. One of the aircraft was christened "Lonesome George." The crew appeared on George Gobel's prime-time television show and recounted their mission which took them 45 hours, and 19 minutes. Gobel appeared in several films and as a guest on various TV programs, including Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show . He became a regular panelist on the TV show Hollywood Squares. In the early 80's, Gobel played Otis Harper, Jr, the mayor of Harper Valley in the television series based on the film Harper Valley PTA . George Gobel died in 1991, survived by his wife Alice and three children. He is interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California. Lonesome George, the tortoise, is believed to be named after a character played by George Gobel.
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