Harvey Lembeck

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Harvey Lembeck as Cpl. Rocco Barbella in The Phil Silvers Show.
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Harvey Lembeck as Cpl. Rocco Barbella in The Phil Silvers Show.

Harvey Lembeck (15 April 1923 Brooklyn, New York- 5 January 1982 Los Angeles, California) was an American comedic actor best-remembered for his role as Cpl. Rocco Barbella in The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sgt. Bilko) in the late 1950s, and as the stumbling, overconfident outlaw biker Eric Von Zipper in the Beach Party movie series, during the 1960s. He also turned in a noteworthy performance in both the stage and screen versions of Stalag 17. He is father of actor/director Michael Lembeck and actress Helaine Lembeck.

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[edit] Early life

Harvey Lembeck started his career not as an actor, director, or teacher, but right out of New Utrecht High School, as a dancer at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. He was one half of an exhibition dance team known as The Dancing Carols. His partner, Caroline Dubs, was his future wife.

The son of a Brooklyn button manufacturer, Lembeck yearned for a career as a radio sports announcer. Following his discharge from the service at war’s end in 1945, he attended New York University, obtaining a degree in radio arts in 1947. However, he chose the stage as a career upon the advice of one of his instructors, Prof. Robert Emerson, who had seen him perform in college plays.

[edit] Career

[edit] 1940s-1950s

Two weeks after graduation, Lembeck won the key role of Sam Insigna in "Mr. Roberts", and played it on Broadway for nearly three years, winning runner-up honors to James Whitmore as New York’s best new actor of 1948.

In 1950, Lembeck made three motion pictures in Hollywood for 20th Century Fox ("Fourteen Hours", "You’re In The Navy Now", and "The Frogmen"). He then went back to Broadway as Army Sgt. Harry Shapiro in "Stalag 17", which he subsequently played in the Billy Wilder directed film version, earning the Theater Owners of America Laurel Awards for outstanding comedy performance and best possibility for stardom. During this period (1952-54) he also made nine other movies, including the "Willie and Joe" films, based on Bill Mauldin’s popular World War II G.I. cartoon characters. Tom Ewell was Willie, Lembeck played Joe.

In 1954 he returned to Broadway again, appearing in the play, "Wedding Breakfast". His stint with Phil Silvers’ popular Bilko series began in 1955. Lembeck played Bilko’s sidekick, Corporal Rocco Barbella. The legendary show ran for four years and is still repeated on BBC TV.

[edit] 1960s-1970s

Having spent a great deal of his adult life in uniform, in 1962, Lembeck once again donned Navy togs to co-star as Seaman Gabby diJulio in the NBC comedy series "Ensign O’Toole" with Dean Jones.

After co-starring with Steve McQueen in "Love with the Proper Stranger", Lembeck spent part of the early 60s playing the loveable bad guy, Eric Von Zipper, in six of the seven "American International" Beach movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello including "Bikini Beach", "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini", and "Beach Blanket Bingo". Among other things, "Eric Von Zipper" displayed a notable penchant for pronouncing his judgements on others by saying "Him, I like", or "Him, I do not like". Although most sites state that he appeared in all seven of the films, the character Eric Von Zipper and his motorcycle gang did not appear in the second 'beach' outing, 1964's "Muscle Beach Party". In 1964 he also co-starred with Debbie Reynolds in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown".

It was during 1964 that Jack Kosslyn, of the Mercury Theatre, asked Lembeck to take over his actors’ workshop. Lembeck took this opportunity to create his comedy workshop. Initially working with comedy scripts, he soon ran out of good comedy material and found that improv was a wonderful tool to teach and exercise comedy. He realized that the improv method, so new in the early 60’s, was one of the best ways to develop actors’ comedy instincts.

Lembeck again returned to the theatre to star as Sancho Panza on Broadway and in the first national company of "Man of LaMancha" starring Richard Kiley. President Lyndon B. Johnson chose this company to give a command performance at the White House.

During the late 60’s and 70’s Lembeck became a mainstay on television making over 200 guest starring appearances in some of the most popular sitcoms and dramas of that time. These shows included "Ben Casey", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "Route 66", "The Monkees", "Night Gallery", "It Takes a Thief", "Chico and the Man", "Vegas", "All in the Family", and "Mork and Mindy" – just to name a few.

Lembeck also had the joy of directing the road companies of "Stalag 17" and "Mr. Roberts" along with the revues "A Night at the Mark" in San Francisco, and "Flush" in Las Vegas.

[edit] Late life

Lembeck continued to perform and teach up until his death from a heart attack on January 5, 1982.

[edit] Theatre appearances

  • Mister Roberts (2/18/48; Alvin Theatre) - Insigna. Also appearing: Karl Lukas, Tige Andrews, Murray Hamilton (all from The Phil Silvers Show)
  • Stalag 17 (5/8/51, 472 performances). Also appearing: Robert Strauss, Allan Melvin, Bob Shawley (all from The Phil Silvers Show; Strauss and Lembeck appeared in the filmed version.)
  • Wedding Breakfast (11/20/54-2/26/55, 113 performances, Forty-eighth Street Theatre) - Norman
  • Phoenix '55 (with Nancy Walker)
  • Oklahoma! (3/19/58-3/30/58; 16 performanes, New York City Center) - Ali Hakim
  • Man of La Mancha - Sancho Panza (touring company, also performed at the White House for Lyndon B. Johnson)

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Producer credits

  • Something Evil (Associate Producer, TV, 1972)

[edit] Television credits

[edit] External links

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