Pay tribute to [link=/name/nm0000469/]James Earl Jones[/link], [link=/name/nm0001167/]Shelley Duvall[/link], and more stars we lost in 2024.

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Avery Schreiber's 1960s and 1970s partner on the comedy stage was Jack Burns, the chatty, clean-cut dunderhead. Avery Schreiber was the Oliver Hardy counterpart who bore the brunt of Burns' verbal drone. This rumpled, gap-toothed, hefty-sized master of the slow boil stood out among the crowd with his huge trademark walrus mustache, thick thatch of curly black hair, teddy bear eyes and mischievous grin. Together the pair became a staple of TV variety shows, mainstays on such classic entertainment as "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Dean Martin Show" and "The Hollywood Palace."

Born in 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, Schreiber's father was a laborer, and his mother a secretary. At 17 Schreiber enlisted in the Armed Services and eventually became a part of the All-Army Talent Show. This satisfaction of putting on variety shows and entertaining prompted his move into a career of comedy. Winning a scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse, he instead decided to stay closer to home and attend night school at the University of Chicago while studying his craft at the Goodman Theatre. A cabaret show brought him to the attention of the renowned improv troupe Second City in 1960, where he remained for five years developing sketches and characters.

It was at Second City that Schreiber met Jack Burns, a former Boston news anchorman, in 1962. The Irish/Jewish duo began performing together on cruise ships and elsewhere. Jack Paar first introduced "Burns & Schreiber" to TV on his "Tonight Show" program in 1964. The duo's most identifiable skit was the "taxi cab" routine with Avery as a beleaguered cabbie at the mercy of Burns' relentlessly gabby and nonsensical customer, with Burns punctuating every conversation with a repeated "Huh?...Huh?...Huh?" Political satire was also a strong, popular platform for Schreiber both with Burns (the album "The Watergate Comedy Hour") and without. Schreiber was at his very best skewering politicos.

Both trained actors, they also gave each other the freedom to work solo. Burns would repeat as Deputy Warren Ferguson on The Andy Griffith Show (1960) for a time and Schreiber was a regular as the broadly villainous Captain Mancini on My Mother the Car (1965), a well-known 60s TV show.

At their peak, the duo appeared as regulars on the summer replacement musical variety series Our Place (1967), then earned the right to front their own summer series with The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour (1973). It was hard to figure out who in this duo was the funnyman and who was the straight man although Avery was considered the more reactive of the two.

Breaking up once in 1968 because they felt stale, they re-teamed for a time in 1972, but split again later when Burns decided to leave the limelight and devote himself exclusively to writing. Schreiber continued providing guest comedy relief on "Alice," "The Rockford Files" and "The Dukes of Hazzard" and sitting on game show panels.

He also kept close ties to the stage throughout his career. Directing a Broadway revue entitled "How to Be a Jewish Mother" in 1967, he performed in (Second City) Paul Sills' production of "Ovid's Metamorphosis." Schreiber also performed in productions of "Hamlet," "Showboat" and "Fiddler on the Roof." He last appeared on Broadway in "Welcome to the Club" in 1989, which was a short-lived Cy Coleman musical.

Households knew him best for his various Doritos corn chip ads in a sundry of disguises (chef, sultan, pilot), all of them perturbed by people loudly crunching on the popular snack. In addition to acting, Schreiber taught improv theater in and out of his L.A.-based area.

In 1994, Schreiber suffered a heart attack, aggravated by his diabetes. Although he survived triple by-pass surgery, he never fully recovered. He died at age 66 in Los Angeles of a heart attack and was survived by his wife of 40 years, Rochelle Isaacs, and their two children, Jenny and Joshua.

&quot;The Watergate Comedy Hour&quot; (comedy album)

In 1972 he starred with Kenneth Gilman and Anthony Holland as three oddballs who do odd jobs in an unsold sitcom pilot for ABC called &quot;Help, Inc.&quot;

Provided the announcer&#39;s voice for ads for Doritos snacks.

(1979) He acted in the play, &quot;A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,&quot; at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

(1967 - 1989) Active on Broadway in the following productions:

(1967) Stage Play: How to Be a Jewish Mother. Revue.

(1989) Stage Play: Welcome to the Club. Musical.

(1981) Stage Play: Can-Can. Musical (revival).

(1974) Stage Play: Dreyfus in Rehearsal. Comedy. Written by Jean-Claude Grumberg. Book adapted by <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0437717/?ref_=nmwrk">Garson Kanin</a>. Scenic Design by <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm1006472/?ref_=nmwrk">Boris Aronson</a>. Directed by Garson Kanin. Ethel Barrymore Theatre: 17 Oct 1974- 26 Oct 1974 (12 performances + 3 previews that began 15 Oct 1974). Cast: <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0033458/?ref_=nmwrk">Allan Arbus</a>, Harry Davis, Tovah Feldshuh, <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0002106/?ref_=nmwrk">Ruth Gordon</a> (as &quot;Zina&quot;), Anthony Holland, Peter Kastner, <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0505249/?ref_=nmwrk">Sam Levene</a> (as &quot;Arnold&quot;), Michael Pendrey, <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0775213/?ref_=nmwrk">Avery Schreiber</a> (as &quot;Mendl&quot;), Rex Williams. Understudy: <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm2485740/?ref_=nmwrk">May Muth</a> (as &quot;Zina&quot;) [final Broadway role]. Produced by <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0581195/?ref_=nmwrk">David Merrick</a>. Associate Producer: Jack Schissel.

(1971) Stage Play: Ovid&#39;s Metamorphoses.

(1970) Stage Play: Paul Sills&#39; Story Theatre.

(December 1983) TV commercial: Bubble Yum Pink Lemonade flavored bubble gum with <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0323098/?ref_=nmwrk">Bruce Glover</a> and <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0596959/?ref_=nmwrk">Richard Moll</a>

(1968) He acted in Neil Simon&#39;s play, &quot;The Odd Couple,&quot; at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey with Harvey Stone in the cast. Mike Kellin was director.

(April 5 to May 27, 1984) He acted in Peter Shaffer&#39;s play, &quot;Light Comedies,&quot; at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California with Keene Curtis, David Dukes, Elizabeth Franz, Harry Groener, Melora Marshall and Caitlin O&#39;Heaney in the cast. Paul Giovanni was director.

(January 23 to March 21, 1971) He acted in Ovid,Paul Sills and Arnold Weinstein&#39;s play, &quot;Metamorphoses,&quot; in a world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Paul Sills was also director. H.R. Poindexter was lighting designer.

Other works

Avery Schreiber

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