Frank Nelson

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Frank Nelson (May 6, 1911 - September 12, 1986) was an American comedic actor best known for playing put-upon foils on radio and television.

[edit] Biography

Nelson first gained fame as the put-upon foil to Jack Benny on Benny's radio show during the 1940s and 1950s. Nelson's entrance usually went like this: Jack would need something such as airline tickets. He would go up to the agent, saying "Oh Mister? Mister?" Then would come the "reveal," with Frank turning to bellow "Yeeeeees?" The two men would banter with each other. Frank gleefully delivered one-liners such as "Is that a hairpiece or did someone plant moss on your head?" and sarcastic responses like "Do I work at this airport? No, I'm a 707 with a mustache." Frank continued to appear on Jack's show when Jack came to television in 1950, doing the same "rude clerk" schtick. His other catchphrase, that would be worked into every routine, would have Benny asking something mundane, such as, "Do these shirts come in a medium?" and Frank would bellow, "Oo-oo-oo-ooh, do they!" He also appeared on several other radio programs. Nelson's sudden appearances usually led to spontaneous laughter or applause on the part of the audience. After Jack Benny, Nelson continued to work in sitcoms in similar roles, most notably in The Hank McCune Show and I Love Lucy during the 1950s and Sanford and Son during the 1970s. In 1981, Nelson did a string of commercials for McDonalds doing his trademark "Yeeeeees?" catchphrase. Garfield in Paradise (1986) (TV) was the last time he used his signature phrase.

In addition to his onscreen work, Nelson was an in-demand voiceover artist for animated cartoons, appearing on The Jetsons among other programs. He also served as the head of AFTRA (a performers union) between 1954 and 1957. Nelson also worked in radio, and played dramatic roles in CBS Radio's Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in 1956.

Nelson was not as prolific in motion pictures, but he did appear occasionally in variations of his oily clerk characterization. One of his larger roles is in Down Memory Lane (1949), in which he plays the apoplectic manager of a TV station, He also appears memorably in So You Want to Know Your Relatives, a Joe McDoakes spoof of This Is Your Life; Nelson plays the master of ceremonies, happily ushering unsavory guests onstage.

His distinctive appearance and manner of saying "Yeeeeees?" has been parodied frequently in film and television, most notably with the character on The Simpsons called the "Frank Nelson Type".^[1]

Jack Benny co-star and cartoon voice artist Mel Blanc would sometimes pay homage to Nelson by working a "Yeee-es" into one of his voice portrayals.