Joey Forman (November 18, 1929 – December 9, 1982) was an American comedian and comic actor. He first attracted attention in Las Vegas as the opening act for Mickey Rooney. He also co-starred in Mickey Rooney's 1954–1955
NBC sitcom Hey, Mulligan, as Mickey's best friend, Freddy.
Forman was considered a standard
Borscht Belt comic, and he performed standup comedy both live and on television (including shows like
The Hollywood Palace). He also took on comedic roles in movies and on television. Forman appeared in two episodes of
The Monkees, first as jealous
kids show host "Captain Crocodile" in an eponymous episode, then as
Asian criminal "Dragonman" in "Monkees Chow Mein". He also appeared in three
Get Smart episodes, including two episodes as "Harry Hoo", a parody of
Charlie Chan. He also appeared in the final episode of the first season of
M*A*S*H as a touring comedian performing for U.S. troops in the
Korean War.
Forman distinguished himself from the field by inventing a character called "The Mashuganishi Yogi", a parody of the
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 1968, working with
Bill Dana, he produced a comedy album consisting of a faux press conference, in which he responded to mostly-straight questions with funny answers, speaking in a stereotyped Indian accent. He was accompanied with a
sitarist, "Harvey Shankar", a parody of
Ravi Shankar (played by Dana).
In later TV appearances, he would sometimes reprise his...
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