# The hotel manager character actor that goes "a-Yeeesssss!"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hotel-manager-character-actor-that-goes-a-yeeesssss/182471>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 17, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hotel-manager-character-actor-that-goes-a-yeeesssss/182471 "2003-06-17T15:12:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hotel-manager-character-actor-that-goes-a-yeeesssss/182471/21 "2003-06-18T13:37:06Z")

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OK, now I could be completely wrong, but the fellow that I keep hearing discribed on the Jack Benny radio and later television program in this thread was Jerry Colonna–wasn’t he? Moustache, big eyes, was in a number of “Road” pics with Hope and Crosby. The long “Yessssssss” delivery…

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**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hotel-manager-character-actor-that-goes-a-yeeesssss/182471/22 "2003-06-18T13:41:55Z")

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No, no—different actor. Jerry Colonna did this weird Italian/Greek sort of character. He _did_ use long, drawn-out vowels, usually when singing: “Ooooooooooh, carry me back to oooooooold Virginny!”

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**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:** [June 18, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hotel-manager-character-actor-that-goes-a-yeeesssss/182471/23 "2003-06-18T13:46:29Z")

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That’s Jerry Colonna, fer sure, but he had a different delivery. Frank Nelson’s. Nelson’s was almost effeminate. Colonna’s big trademark, other than his big mustache and eyes, was his invisible friend “Yehudi.” And I never heard him say “Yesssss.” Colonna was parodied in some of the old WB cartoons (when Bugs says "Hel-lo, Jer-ry! and for a second looks like him), and I think Frank Nelson even made an appearance as a game show host.

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