Alan Sues
Openly gay actor Alan Sues, 85, best known for his work on Laugh-In, died on Dec. 1.
Laugh-In was a pre-Stonewall, quick-paced comedy-sketch TV show that also featured another gay performer — Lily Tomlin. But Sues’ characters were all outrageously, unapologetically, screamingly gay. Among them was Big Al, a gay sportscaster (see clip below).
His campy characters even carried over into commercials. In the early 70s, Sues was featured in Peter Pan Peanut Butter ads as a very flamboyant Peter Pan.
According to the LA Times, Sues was openly gay but not publicly, because he was afraid it would ruin his career. At that time it was OK to be gay as long as you didn’t say you were gay out loud.
However, during a radio interview I did with Sues in the early 90s, he was open and talked freely about being gay.
Sues was in Dallas at the time to perform in Breck Wall’s Bottoms Up revue — a live sketch show that began at Jack Ruby’s Dallas night club and moved to Las Vegas in 1964 where it ran for years. Wall, who died last year, and Sues appeared on Lambda Weekly to promote the tour of Bottoms Up.
In person, Sues was as joyously flaming as his Laugh In characters. On the LGBT radio show, he talked freely about being gay and walking the fine line between his characters being gay and actually saying his characters were gay on a ’60s TV show.
Since a character couldn’t say he was gay on TV then, the only way to know the character was gay was through his flamboyant persona. Stereotype? Sure. Funny? Very. And without a few people like Alan Sues on TV then, we might not have Mitchell and Cam on Modern Family today.
For gay kids growing up in the 60s, Sues was the TV star who let us know there were others like us out there.
I was always a big fan of his. I would have loved to have interviewed him. Wish you had a tape of your interview with him.
Jack, I don’t think tape was invented yet back then.
Even for straight people, or hippies like myself, Alan was a landmark performer. After Al Alan Petersen, he was the ONLY really gay performer on TV in his era. We knew – and believe me, we knew – that there were a LOT of gay performers. But most of them were entirely closeted. Alan walked a very sharp line that allowed himself to be his characters AND be as obviously gay as others (Paul Lynde, anyone?) were known to be but kept it on the DL.
“For gay kids growing up in the 60s, Sues was the TV star who let us know there were others like us out there”. My sincere sympathies to Mr. Sues family and friends. I was a kid, it was a show my parents watched and I’m getting up there. I used to cringe knowing I was gay that I would be like this when I grew up (the gay stereotype), obviously, there’s camp stars from way back including Paul Lynde. I can appreciate them now, however, was always afraid that this is how all people would assume gay people would be which is so far from the truth. Nevertheless, these people paved the way and were brave in the face of hatred and prejudice which still exists but fortunately is getting better. We all have but a blink of time on this earth and it’s my opinion to accept the differences between us, for surely it would be boring if every single person was and acted the same. I’m of age where I can appreciate his humor and braveness for the work he did. R.I.P. Alan. God made and loves all of us.
David…I thought maybe you guys had it on 8 Track.
You’ve been in our studio and you know that although they look like 8 track players, they actually are only 2 track players.
Sock it to ’em Alan. Miss you already hon.
Only five or so years ago, Sues came to me to help coach him through a new comedy act. Still funny and a game performer, only failing health held him back from yet another career swell. He was a nice guy as well.
I wish we still had TV like that.
What happened?
I worked at the Champaign IL NBC TV station in around 1970, and Alan Seus dropped by for an appearance. I managed to zip out into the hall when he emerged from the studio, gushed about how I LOVED his work, shook his hand. Yes, he’d brought his bell with him 🙂
Pure Genius! Loved when he use to say “Uncle Al” had too much, either fire water or funny water last nite!