Actor, voice artist and comedian Larry Storch was best known for his role as
the bungling Corporal Randolph Agam on F Troop, which earned him an Emmy Award
nomination in 1967. Storch notably also provided the voices for several characters
in a variety of animated shows, including that of Mr. Whoopee on Tennessee Tuxedo.
He got his start in Hollywood in 1939 when he was just 16 and remained active until 2005,
when he retired at the age of 82, although he would briefly come out
of retirement in the early 2010s to appear in several stage productions.
Throughout his six-plus decades in show business,
Storch accomplished more than most, and in his personal life,
he had rich and fulfilling relationships that proved to be one of his biggest sources of joy.
With his wife Norma Catherine Greve, whom he married in 1961, Storch was the father
of three children. Storch remained happily married to Norma until her death in 2003.
In this video, we'll be discussing the last public appearance Larry Torch made
one year prior to his death. We'll also be taking the time to reflect back on
his life and career so as to celebrate his many contributions to the world of
entertainment. He may not be the most famous television star of all time, but there's no
denying the fact that Larry Torch left behind a legacy that will endure for many years to come.
Larry Storch’s Early Life
Lawrence S. Storch was born on the 8th of January, 1923 in New York City. He was
the son of a cab driver and broker named Alfred Storch and a telephone operator,
jewelry store owner, and boarding house operator named Sally Kupperman Storch.
Larry grew up in the Bronx where he attended DeWitt Clinton High School with fellow actor
and comedian Don Adams. The two would remain close friends for the entirety of their lives.
After falling on hard times during the Great Depression,
Storch dropped out of high school and picked up a job as a comic,
working for $12 a week in Sheepshead Bay, where he got the chance to open for bandleader Al Donahue.
Larry’s Military Career And F Troop
During the second world war, Larry served his country in the Navy. While in the service,
he was shipmates with actor Tony Curtis on the USS Proteus. It’s fascinating how stars all seem
to know each other like that, isn’t it? First Don Adams and then Tony Curtis? Small world!
Anyway, after gaining some experience as a comic, Storch eventually landed guest roles on television
series such as Mannix, Hennessy, Car 54, Where Are You, Chips, The Flying Nun, and dozens of others.
His most famous role, however, was playing Corporal Randolph
Adam on the sitcom F Troop. Storch played that character from 1965 to
1967 alongside actors Forest Tucker and Ken Berry and actress Melody Peterson.
In 1967. Storch's performance on the iconic,
albeit short-lived series, earned him an Emmy Award nomination.
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Larry’s Post F-Troop Television Work
In 1975, Larry Storch co-starred with Bob Burns, who donned a gorilla suit,
and his old pal Forrest Tucker on the short-running yet popular Saturday
morning children's program The Ghost Busters. Despite the similarity in name,
the series was unrelated to the 1984 film starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis.
Storch's next significant television experience was a recurring role on The Love Boat. Later on,
he played Al Bundy’s childhood hero on Married With Children. In the episode he was featured in,
Al Bundy’s daughter Kelly attended an acting school that was operated by Larry.
From January 16 to April 3, 1969, Storch co-starred in the sitcom The Queen & I.
That series was about a junior officer serving on a rundown and aging cruise ship that once upon a
time was very popular. After finding out that the new owners of the vessel intended to scrap it,
Larry's character and several of the Amsterdam Queen's other crewmates got involved in a number
of 'get rich quick schemes' in order to try to save it from the chopping block.
He Made Many Appearances On Variety Shows And Was A Prolific Voice Actor
Storch frequently was a guest star on the variety and game shows that were popular
during the mid-20th century. He made appearances on shows such as Sonny
and Cher, Hollywood Squares, Laugh-in, The Hollywood Palace, and Playboy After Dark.
Storch was likewise invited on many late-night talk shows such as The Ed
Sullivan Show, The Steve Allen Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
In 1953, Jackie Gleason asked Storch to fill in for him while he was taking a hiatus. This led
to Larry hosting The Larry Storch Show for ten episodes. During that time, he got the chance to
sit down and chat with guest stars Rise Stevens, Janet Blair, Dick Haymes, and Cab Calloway.
In addition to his other credentials, Storch was also a talented impressionist who faithfully
recreated hundreds of voices and accents ranging from Claude Reins to Julius Caesar.
Because of this gift, Storch found work voicing dozens of characters in animated television and
film projects, including The Inspector, The Pink Panther, Groovie Goolies, Treasure Island, Koko
The Clown, and most memorably Tennessee Tuxedo, in which he voiced the character Mr. Whoopee.
At Warner Brothers – Seven Arts, Storch got to work with June Fory and Mel Blanc,
voicing characters such as Cool Cat and Merlin the Magic Mouse. From there, he continued his work
with Filmation as a voice actor contributing to other films and series that the studio produced,
including 1972s Journey Back Oz, in which he voiced Uncle Henry and Aunt Em's farmhand Amos.
He Had A Successful Film Career
Lary Storch appeared in more than two dozen Hollywood films. A few of
his most notable credits include roles in movies like 1958s Gun Fever, 1964s Wild and
Wonderful, 1969s The Great Bank Robbery, 1974s Airport 1975, 1986s A Fine Mess, and the two
sci-fi cult classics 1969s The Monitors and 1980s Without Warning.
In 2003, Storch and his lifelong friend Tony Curtis reunited for a
revival of the musical Some Like It Hot. In 2005, He worked with Sixteen
Candles actor and filmmaker Anthony Michael Hall in Funny Valentine.
His last film appearance was in 2005s The Aristocrats.
Larry Storch’s Stage Work And Recording Career
Storch was a lifelong lover of stage productions. After finding success in
television and film, he returned to New York City where he first performed on Broadway in
the 1950s. He later received rave reviews for his performance in the off-Broadway production
Breaking Legs, in which he co-starred with Vincent Gardenia and Philip Bosco.
Some of Storch’s most significant Broadway roles included parts in
productions of Porgy and Bess, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Annie Get Your Gun.
In 2004, Storch teamed up with Richard Dreyfus and Irvin Corey in a play called
Sly Fox. Even at the age of 81, Storch did eight weeks' worth of shows. Amazingly,
Storch celebrated his 50th anniversary on Broadway in 2008.
In 2012, Storch and Marie Wallace of Dark Shadows appeared in a production of A.R.
Gurney’s Love Letters for a benefit performance supporting the Actor’s Temple in New York City.
In addition to all of his work on the stage and screen, Larry also recorded several albums
of his comedy. His first LP, Larry Storch at The Bon Soir, hit record stores in the 1960s.
He later released the record Larry Storch Reads Phillip Roth's Epstein and even a few
musical singles such as "I'm Walkin", "The Eighth Wonder of the World" and "Popped"
Just one month before his death, Storch recorded a blues track called "Wine Spo-Dee O-Dee" with
Mike Clark and his band. Unfortunately, the song was only released after his death.
Larry Storch’s Last Public Appearance
Once Larry was in his 90s, he made fewer and fewer appearances. On July 11, 2021,
he made what he said would be his last public appearance at what was one of
his favorite places in the world, Wild West City in Byram, New Jersey.
Wild West City is a family-friendly 'living museum' that presents visitors with an
interactive experience that tells the tale of the wild west through various historical characters.
It's basically an old-timey recreation of a western town from the mid-late 19th century
featuring live-action dramatizations and demonstrations by craftsmen in period attire.
A tribute to Stoch’s career was held at the event. Over the years, he had become a regular
at Wild West City. He was such a familiar face that a saloon there was even named after him.
The tribute included Civil War reenactors forming an honor guard
and several resolutions were made by the town of Byram and various state officials.
A year after attending the event, Larry Storch died at his home on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan, New York City, on the eighth of July, 2022. He was 99 when he passed. The
Washington Post reported that Storch died from complications of Alzheimer's disease,
while the AP reported that he died of natural causes.
We’re just about out of time, but we’d love to hear from you.
Were you a fan of F Troop, and what are some of your fondest memories
of Larry Storch? Let us know in the comments section down below.
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