# "Hnnnyessss?" Who was that guy?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785 "2004-04-19T05:57:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/1 "2004-04-19T05:57:39Z")
I think this has been asked before, but I have no way of searching for something without an exact spelling … There was this actor who did a lot of cameos, often as things like snooty waiters. His schtick was, someone would get his attention and he’d say “Hhhhhnnnnnnnyessssss?” in a kind of fruity voice. I know I’ve seen him do that in a bunch of different TV shows and movies, and even heard him in some radio shows, but I can’t for the life of me nail down exactly where. I’m pretty sure he showed up at least once in the original Batman TV series. I’ve scoured IMDb, I’ve harrassed my mother, I’ve asked my friends, nobody can remember his name or exactly where they’ve seen/heard him. _Who was that guy?!_ ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/2 "2004-04-19T06:01:33Z")
Gah. RIGHT as I hit the “submit” button, one of my friends identifies him as Frank Nelson. Figures, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/3 "2004-04-19T06:02:22Z")
His name was [Frank Nelson](http://imdb.com/name/nm0625372/). He was most famous for _The Jack Benny Show_ and later _Sanford & Son_, though he made quite a few movies as well (the last one, regrettably, _The Malibu Bikini Shop_. ---
**Author:** ![HumptysHamhole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f0a364/32.png) [@HumptysHamhole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumptysHamhole)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/4 "2004-04-19T13:24:31Z")
Oh, rheeeeeeeeeallllllllly! ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/5 "2004-04-19T13:57:55Z")
So to hijack, who was the Clifton-Webb-like guy who often portrayed an officious mgmt type & always concluded his statements with a _POP_ ? ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlySaneOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@TheOnlySaneOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOnlySaneOne)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/6 "2004-04-19T15:57:47Z")
Homer: Why do you keep talking like that? Waiter: I had a stroooooooooke! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/7 "2004-04-20T01:49:30Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > So to hijack, who was the Clifton-Webb-like guy who often portrayed an officious mgmt type & always concluded his statements with a _POP_ ? Fritz Feld, who was at one time married to Virginia “Mrs. Folger” Christine. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/8 "2004-04-20T01:55:16Z")
Feld, btw, probably holds the record for most guest appearances as the same character on the 60s “Lost in Space” series, as intergalactic department store manager “Mr. Zumdish”–although in his last appearance he had left the department store gig to become an intergalactic travel agent. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/9 "2004-04-20T02:50:44Z")
Karl Wiedergott does the character voice on _The Simpsons_ that is an homage to Frank Nelson. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hnnnyessss-who-was-that-guy/240785/10 "2004-04-20T03:22:47Z")
[sarcastic Frank Nelson style voice] That was Frank Nelson ??? Oh reeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaalllyyyyyyyyyy ??? I could have _sworn_ it was Laurence Olivier !!! [/sarcastic Frank Nelson style voice] Yes he and Fritz Feld were great at playing pompous, officious characters.