Or was he a character specifically made up for that movie?
shareI think he was an amalgam of many old time stand up comics. Apparently there were a lot of Mr Not Very Nice Guys in that field.
I guess it's like looking at clouds. You see one thing and I see another. Peace.
I think Sid Caesar was the inspiration. He owned Saturday night TV back in his time. Even appears in the movie. Just like Buddy, Sid was known for having an explosive temper and could be very tough on those around him.
"An astute observation has led to laughter." -Ron Burgundy
I thought more of Red Buttons, if only because he was physically more like Buddy Young than the strapping Caesar was. Like, Caesar, Buttons was known as an SOB to work for.
May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?
I always thought he was a variety of comics. So many bits came from different people. The Saturday night TV came from Milton Berle and Sid Casear. He mentions how his daughter came up on stage while he sang "Daddys Little Girl" like Buddy Hackett did with his daughter. The Catskill comics like Jan Murray and Jackie Mason are in there too. Near the end when he is up for the movie part it was like George Burns in SUNSHINE BOYS-in fact he mentions Burns role in that film.
shareI always thought it was based on Milton Berle
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