He was something like a B-list Paul Lynde. For those not familiar or who need a reminder, he was a flamboyant comic actor most famous for his ability to wiggle his eyes. His most notable gig was Laugh In where among other characters he was drunken kid’s show host Uncle Aland barely closeted sportscaster Big Al. Less well known: he was the recipient of a very famous make-up job (as in still included in many textbooks on theatre and make-up) when he played Professor Moriarty on Broadway.
While I don’t know if he ever officially came out (he really didn’t need to) he was one of the early visible obviously (and unapologetically) gay men on primetime. In a book I read that mentioned Laugh In (would cite but it’s not online), the show’s producers did get complaint letters about his “swishiness”, and thus in articles about the show it was frequently mentioned that Sues was a decorated World War II veteran and had in fact been married- to a a sexy Latina no less- I suppose as a way of saying “He can’t be gay, he fought in the war used to live with a woman!”.
In fact that same ex-wife, Phyllis Sues, keeps a blogand interviewed him at length more than 50 years after their divorce.
Anyway, Alan Sues dead at 85. From a younger pooftah who doesn’t have to put up with a fraction of the shit you probably had to put up with, thanks for your contributions to the trail.