Will Jordan (born Wilbur Rauch, July 27, 1927^{[citation needed]} – September 6, 2018) was an American character actor and stand-up comedian best known for his resemblance to, and impressions of, television host and newspaper columnist Ed Sullivan.

Early life

Born in the Bronx, Rauch grew up in Flushing, Queens.[1] His father was a pharmacist and his mother owned a hat store.[1] Jordan graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.^{[citation needed]}

Career

In his act, Jordan came up with the catch-phrase, "Welcome to our Toast of the Town 'Shoooo'", which became a stereotypical joke for nearly every Sullivan impersonator after that, usually as the more generic "Really Big 'Shoooo'" (or "shoe").[2]^{[self-published source]}

Jordan performed on the 1970 P.D.Q. Bach recording The Stoned Guest in the role of Milton Host, a send-up of Metropolitan Opera radio announcer Milton Cross.

In virtually all of his film appearances since the 1970s, Jordan portrayed Sullivan in films that feature characters appearing on Sullivan's famous variety series such as I Wanna Hold Your Hand, which depicted the Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964.^{[citation needed]} Sullivan died in 1974. In 1983, Jordan appeared as Sullivan in the 1960s-TV-style video for "Tell Her About It", the Billy Joel hit single.

Jordan impersonated Sullivan in the 2003 film Down with Love. Jordan appeared as Sullivan in the Broadway revival of the musical Bye Bye Birdie, which ran from October 15, 2009, through January 24, 2010. Jordan appeared in the original Broadway production in 1960–1961. He also participated in a recording project, called "The Sicknicks", with Sandy Baron. The pair produced a comedy single, "The Presidential Press Conference", which was a minor hit in 1961.

Jordan's other impressions included Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx and Jack Benny. He imitated Peter Lorre and James Mason as one of the actors in "Psycho Drama" on Rupert Holmes's 1974 debut album Widescreen.

Personal life and death

Jordan had a son, Lonnie Saunders.[1]

September 6, 2018, writer Mark Evanier announced Jordan died that morning at his Manhattan home at age 91.[1]

Filmography

Television Year Title Role Notes 1950 Ford Star Revue Two episodes 1951 The Steve Allen Show 1952–1953 The Arthur Murray Party Four episodes 1954–1968 The Ed Sullivan Show Eleven episodes 1954 Your Chevrolet Showroom 1954–1956 Tonight Starring Steve Allen Two episodes 1955 The Martha Raye Show Two episodes 1956 Good Morning! with Will Rogers Jr. 1958 Make Me Laugh 1958–1962 Tonight Starring Jack Paar Two episodes 1959 Today 1961 American Bandstand 1962–1964 The Red Skelton Show Two episodes 1962 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 1965 That Regis Philbin Show 1965 The Jimmy Dean Show 1966–1971 The Merv Griffin Show Six episodes 1966–1975 The Mike Douglas Show Two episodes 1968 The Joey Bishop Show 1968–1971 Kraft Music Hall Four episodes 1972 The ABC Comedy Hour 1972 The Bob Braun Show 1974 Funny Farm 1978 The Comedy Shop 1979 Elvis Ed Sullivan Television film Film Year Title Role Notes 1962 Cool Cat Blues The Cat, Smiling Ed Solvent Animated voice role; uncredited 1967 Think or Sink Narrator, Roscoe, Professor Rhinestine Animated voice role; uncredited Forget-Me-Nuts Narrator, Roscoe, Professor Rhinestine Animated voice role; uncredited 1977 A Doonesbury Special Sportscaster Animated voice role 1978 I Wanna Hold Your Hand Ed Sullivan Feature film debut The Buddy Holly Story Ed Sullivan 1983 Billy Joel - Tell Her About It Ed Sullivan Music video 1984 Broadway Danny Rose Himself 1991 The Doors Ed Sullivan 1992 Mr. Saturday Night Ed Sullivan 2003 Down with Love Ed Sullivan Final appearance References "Will Jordan, Who Mimicked the Famous, Is Dead at 91 - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. 1927-07-27. Retrieved 2018-09-20. A Party for Wences Archived 2006-09-09 at the Wayback Machine External links Will Jordan at IMDb Will Jordan at the Internet Broadway Database Will Jordan at the Internet Off-Broadway Database This article about a United States film actor born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e