# Verrrrrrry interesting... but sad. (RIP Arte Johnson) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [July 4, 2019, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487 "2019-07-04T00:15:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/1 "2019-07-04T00:15:23Z")
[_Laugh-In_’s Arte Johnson Dead at 90](https://tvline.com/2019/07/03/arte-johnson-dead-laugh-in-cause-of-death/) > [@](#): > > Arte Johnson, an Emmy Award-winning comedian best known for his work on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, died Wednesday at the age of 90, our sister publication Variety reports, citing heart failure as his official cause of death. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/2 "2019-07-04T00:20:14Z")
I wonder if Gladys ever accepted that Walnetto? RIP, Mr Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/3 "2019-07-04T00:26:50Z")
I have a few audio books read by Arte Johnson. They’re a joy to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/4 "2019-07-04T00:41:45Z")
I’ll bet his last words were “… Would you call me an ambulance?” Sorry, I couldn’t resist it! 😃 RIP, Artie. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/5 "2019-07-04T00:45:24Z")
Circa 1970, he was a regular on _Can You Top This?_, a game show that featured comedians telling jokes which competed for laughter/applause in decibels with jokes sent in by viewers. A running meme featured one Moe Noodleman, which was mainly a cue for Yiddish dialect. Arte Johnson told a joke about a circus promising a show by the great daredevil Moe Noodleman, for which people stood in line and packed the place. At the appointed hour, a stooped, sickly old man appeared on the diving board, and introduced himself as the great Moe Noodleman. “Do you people want to see me dive 150 feet into that shallow pool?” _“No! No!”,_ shouted the crowd. ## “Thank you”, said Moe. “Next show, nine o’clock”. RIP Arte. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/6 "2019-07-04T00:53:13Z")
RIP Mr. Johnson. You were a funny man. You made me smile very often. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/7 "2019-07-04T01:03:46Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > RIP Mr. Johnson. You were a funny man. You made me smile very often. Seriously. The guy cracked me up with little head movements and that gleam in his eye; he always looked like he was having a fantastic time and like he thought it was so cool he was gonna make you laugh. RIP Mr. Johnson; you done [del]good[/del]funny. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/8 "2019-07-04T01:09:03Z")
RIP, I always liked his humor, and remember seeing him perform at the 1975 Calgary Stampede. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/9 "2019-07-04T04:30:05Z")
Before Yakov Smirnoff, Johnson told “old country” jokes on _Laugh-In_ in the familiar format of, “In old country, television watches YOU!” I’m sure those jokes were old even back then. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/10 "2019-07-04T04:35:39Z")
I loved watching _Laugh-In_ as a child. RIP, Arte, you dirty old man. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/11 "2019-07-04T10:08:04Z")
I can’t believe he was 90. RIP, Arte. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/12 "2019-07-04T12:36:58Z")
His brother [Coslough](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0424825/) was a writer for _Laugh-In_ and a bunch of other shows. Mainly variety but also _The Monkees_ and _The Partridge Family_. I was looking up the cast of _Laugh-In_ not long ago to see who is still alive. A high percentage of the women but not too many men. Johnny Brown and Moosie Drier are now the most famous males still left. Moosie and Lily Tomlin are the most active of the bunch. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/13 "2019-07-04T12:40:09Z")
Netflix has a salute to _Laugh-In_ that is pretty lousy. The best parts were the clips from the old show, and there Arte shone as bright as always. RIP, Mr. Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/14 "2019-07-04T13:25:05Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I can’t believe he was 90. > > RIP, Arte. I thought he was 90 in the 70s. Nobody could tip over a tricycle like him. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verrrrrrry-interesting-but-sad-rip-arte-johnson/836487/15 "2019-07-04T15:13:31Z")
Loved him as Renfield in “Love at First Bite.” How can you not enjoy a movie where the \* vampire\* has a deeper tan than the rest of the cast?