Larry Storch biography

Synopsis

Early Career

Actor. Born on January 8, 1923, in New York, New York. A veteran stand-up comic and character actor, Larry Storch is most commonly remembered for his work on the 1960s western comedy F Troop. A natural born mimic, he dropped out of school to pursue a comedy career at the age of 16. Over the years, Storch developed a popular comedy act.

One of his first appearances on television was on The Ed Sullivan Show in the late 1940s. Storch later filled in for Jackie Gleason as the emcee on Cavalcade of Stars, a popular variety show, in the early 1950s. Also around this time, he also made his film debut in The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951) with Tony Curtis. In 1953, he got his own program, The Larry Storch Show, which appeared as a summer replacement for The Jackie Gleason Show. Storch entertained viewers with characters from his stand-up act, such as television cowboy Smilie Higgins, as a part of the show.

In the later part of the decade, Storch worked on television, films, and the stage. He impressed audiences with his comedic talents on such programs as The Steve Allen Show. On Broadway, Storch appeared in the comedy Who Was That Lady I Saw You With? in 1958. (He later reprised his role for the 1960 film adaptation, which starred Tony Curtis, Dean Martin, and Janet Leigh.) The following year, he had a role in the war drama The Last Blitzkrieg (1959) with Van Johnson and Dick York.

F Troop

In the early 1960s, Storch had a recurring role on the police comedy series, Car 54, Where Are You? This was soon followed by his leading role as goofy Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop. Premiering in the fall of 1965, the show followed the exploits of a dysfunctional military unit at Fort Courage in the West. Agarn was in cahoots with Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and the pair were involved in a number of schemes under the nose of their commander, Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry). The soldiers also had interesting encounters with Native Americans in the region, usually Chief Wild Eagle (Frank deKova) and Crazy Cat (Don Diamond). In addition to the series regulars, the show featured a number of guest stars, including Don Rickles, Paul Lynde, and Milton Berle.