In Remembrance: Joey Bishop

     Joey Bishop, the nightclub comic who who parlayed his success into film and a position in Frank Sinatra’s fabled Rat Pack, has passed away on October 17, 2007. He was 89.

     Born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb on February 3, 1918 in the Bronx, New York, Bishop grew up in south Philadelphia. Forming a music and comedy act with two friends, he dropped out of school midway through his senior year to perform in nightclubs throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Calling themselves the Bishop Brothers after their driver, he continued to use the stage of Joey Bishop after the other two members of the group were drafted. Following his own stint in the army, Bishop resumed his standup career. It was while performing at the New York nightclub the Latin Quarter that Bishop was seen by Frank Sinatra, who hired the comic to be his opening act.

     Despite his standing as a popular club comic, Bishop’s first roles in film were dramatic pictures such as The Deep Six, The Naked And The Dead and Onionhead (all 1958). He still managed to keep his sense of humor about his career, describing his performance in Naked And The Dead by saying “I played both roles.”

     Bishop’s biggest role was in the 1960 caper film Ocean’s Eleven, where he appeared as one of the gang assembled by Sinatra to rob five Las Veags casinos in one night. Bishop would also appear in one other flm with Sinatra’s Rat Pack of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Peter Lawford- 1962’s Sergeants 3. Bishop and Sinatra came to a disagreement during the preparation of the next Rat Pack film, Robin And The 7 Hoods (1964), and Bishop found himself replaced by Peter Falk in the cast.

     Turning to television, Bishop starred in the sitcom The Joey Bishop Show for four seasons playing a put upon host of a television talk show before becoming an actual talk show host with the identically titled The Joey Bishop Show. Intended to rival late night chat King Johnny Carson, Bishop’s show only lasted two years. Bishop would go on to guest host for the occassional vacationing Carson.

     Bishop still found time for the occasional supporting or comedic cameo roles in films like Johnny Cool (1963), Texas Across The River (1966), Who’s Minding The Mint? (1967), Valley Of The Dolls (1967) and Betsy’s Wedding (1990). His final film was 1996’s Mad Dog Time.