Biography for
Soupy Sales More at IMDbPro »

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Father of Hunt Sales and Tony Fox Sales, who have played in bands with such rock notables as David Bowie, Todd Rundgren and Iggy Pop.

Once claimed to have been hit in the face with 25,000 pies in the course of his career.

A prank was played on him by the studio crew during a live broadcast of one of his shows. Upon opening a prop door on his set, a nude dancer was gyrating in front of him as a recording of "The Stripper" was playing over the studio loudspeakers. While the woman was out of camera shot for the television feed, the studio monitors were rigged so Sales could see the nude dancer on them, giving the impression that she was being broadcast live on his children's show. Convinced that his career was over, yet still laughing with his crew, he asked that they cut to a commercial. Only then was he told that the nude dancer wasn't shown on the live feed. He later joked, "All I really wanted from her was her autograph." The clip from the show has circulated in several videotape collections of "bloopers" and out-takes.

In a 1964 incident that nearly ended his career, Sales jokingly told his young viewers on his syndicated show to "take some of those green pieces of paper with pictures of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Lincoln and Jefferson on them" from their parents' wallets and send them to him, and he would send them a postcard from Puerto Rico. Several young viewers did send Sales some money, but all were returned. He was suspended from television for a week, but the incident made his show "cool" and boosted his ratings when he returned to the air.

Mr. Sales attended the "Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show", at Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn, in North Hollywood, California, on October 6th & 7th, 2001.

Soupy was born Milton Supman, the youngest of three sons born to dry-goods store owners Irving and Sadie Supman in Franklinton, North Carolina.

1995 - Broke his leg, which has since limited his walking ability.

2000 - Had surgery to repair damage to his vocal cords.

Recorded a novelty song entitled "Do the Mouse", which, oddly enough, became a modest hit single.

Has been a popular New York City area radio personality since the early 1980s.

Numerous celebrities have been on the receiving end of Soupy's pies over the years, including, on one memorable occasion (c. 1965), Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Trini López, all on the same program, in the same sketch.

According to Sales' autobiography, the name Soupy Sales was derived from two things. "Soupy" came from "Soupbone", a nickname he got in his youth which was a mispronunciation of his real last name, Supman; and Sales came from the suggestion of an Ohio television manager who knew of a comic named "Chick Sales". Soupy knew that the man was referring to 1920s comic actor Charles 'Chic' Sale, but didn't correct him and accepted the name. Sales also went by the name of "Soupy Hines" for a while, which was a reference to (and a misspelling of) the famous soup company.

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