Rip Taylor

The nicknames, "The Prince of Pandemonium", "The Master of Mayhem" and "King of Camp and Confetti", are but a few valid applications that were thrust upon zany comedian 'Rip Taylor' (qv), whose flamboyant blend of burlesque and self-deprecating humor entertained audiences for over four decades. He headlined the top showrooms of Las Vegas, appeared on scores of television shows, starred in various musical stage slapstick comedies and even toyed with dramatic material over the years.He was born Charles Elmer Taylor, Jr. in Washington, D.C., on January 13, 1931 to Charles Elmer Taylor Sr. and Elizabeth Evans Taylor. He began his career by tossing out one-liners in nightclubs and had his first big break on 'Ed Sullivan' (qv)'s The 'Ed Sullivan' (qv) Show (1948) TV show in 1964. The tacky costumes, ridiculous props, handlebar mustache, wacky wigs and manic confetti-tossing didn't take long to follow as professional trademarks, and they soon made their way into the 1970s pop culture.Frequently appearing on television, he appeared in everything from variety shows to talk shows ('Merv Griffin' (qv) and 'David Letterman' (qv)) to sitcoms like _The Monkees (1966)_ (qv). He was the gag man who delightfully wrangled out of every groan-inducing one-liner there was, eventually finding the perfect avenue for his brand of insanity via producer 'Chuck Barris' (qv) and his syndicated TV shows of the 1970s and 1980s. Rip became a favorite panelist judge, along with 'Jaye P. Morgan' (qv), on Barris' _The Gong Show (1976)_ (qv), and later served as host of the equally tacky _The $1.98 Beauty Show (1978)_ (qv).A mainstay in Las Vegas, whether as ringleader of a topless chorus line or opening act to a major entertainer, Rip also slayed 'em on Broadway ("Sugar Babies") and has demonstrated a fine singing instrument in musicals including "Anything Goes", "Oliver!" (as "Fagan"), "Peter Pan" (as "Captain Hook") and in a 1999 production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (as "Pseudolus").On a more serious side, he played 'Demi Moore' (qv)'s crusty boss in _Indecent Proposal (1993)_ (qv) and showed up sans confetti as 'Kate Hudson' (qv)'s father in the 'Rob Reiner' (qv) feature, _Alex & Emma (2003)_ (qv).For the most part, he continued merrily in such campy films as Barris' _The Gong Show Movie (1980)_ (qv); the "Exorcist" spoof, _Repossessed (1990)_ (qv), with 'Linda Blair' (qv) and 'Leslie Nielsen' (qv); the foreign-made _The Silence of the Hams (1994)_ (qv)and _Jackass: The Movie (2002)_ (qv). Beginning in the early 1960s, when he first provided additional voices for _The Jetsons (1962)_ (qv), Rip continued making voice-over work a viable means of income. His voice can be heard in such animated films as _DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990)_ (qv), _Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992)_ (qv) and _Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico (2003)_ (qv), and animated TV series as _Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? (2002)_ (qv) and _The Emperor's New School (2006)_ (qv). He was nominated for an Emmy award for voicing "Uncle Fester" in the TV cartoon program, _The Addams Family (1992)_ (qv).Having suffered an epileptic seizure the week prior, 88-year-old Rip died of congestive heart failure on October 6, 2019, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Once briefly married to Las Vegas showgirl Rusty Rowe, whom he divorced in the early 1960s, Rip was involved in a long-term relationship with 'Robert Fortney' (qv) at the time of his death.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net