We are saddened to learn that comedian Arte Johnson has passed away.
Johnson was best known for his multiple roles on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, but you may also be not-so-surprised to learn that he also appeared on Sesame Street! What may be slightly shocking is that he reprised one of his Laugh-In characters for the appearances. What’s even shockinger is that the character was kind of, sort of, a Nazi.
“Wolfgang” was patterned after stereotypical Nazi soldiers as seen in movies, and through Wolfgang, Johnson created the well-known catchphrase “Verrry interesting!”
Here’s a sample of Johnson on Sesame Street from 1970:
Unsurprisingly, viewers didn’t appreciate Nazi pastiches on their preschool programs, and protest letters were sent to the Children’s Television Workshop requesting that they be removed. Due to the negative letters (and the lack of positive ones), Johnson only made a few appearances before turning away from Sesame, never to return.
Still, we are grateful for Arte Johnson’s Sesame connections, and we’ll miss him.
Click here to help us remember Arte Johnson on the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
