Skiles and Henderson

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Skiles and Henderson
BornBill Skiles:
William Al Skiles
(1931-07-05)July 5, 1931
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Pete Henderson:
Peter Carroll Henderson
(1938-04-28)April 28, 1938
Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
DiedBill Skiles:
May 16, 2011(2011-05-16) (aged 79)
St. Cloud, Florida, U.S.
Pete Henderson:
March 1, 2018(2018-03-01) (aged 79)
Branson, Missouri, U.S.
Cause of deathBill Skiles: Kidney cancer
Pete Henderson: Unknown
NationalityAmerican
OccupationComedians
Spouse(s)Bill Skiles:
Marilynn Lorraine Pierson (m. 1960 - 196?; 3 children)
Arlene Adams
(m. 1963; died 2011)

Pete Henderson:
Linda Hartley (m. 1976 - ?)

Skiles and Henderson was a long-running American

straight man and Skiles as the joker, they performed live and on many popular television shows. Their act began in 1958 at Disneyland
, and they continued to perform together until 2010. Skiles died on May 16, 2011, and Henderson died on March 1, 2018.

Performance style

Bill Skiles acted as the "frenzied, jabbering, sound-effecting clown to the straight man Pete Henderson".[2] The act consisted mainly of improvised humor featuring sound effects and a variety of antics by Skiles, interfering with Henderson's attempts to tell a story[1] or sing a popular song. During a serious rendition of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", Henderson sang the lyric, "She'll probably stop at lunch--" only to be interrupted by Skiles imitating the screech of brakes and shouting,"Gimme a Big Mac!"

History

The two men met in 1953 in Orange County, California. Their act started in 1958 at Disneyland as a song-and-dance act featuring musical instruments made by Skiles' father.[2] Turning more towards comedy, in 1960 they had their professional debut at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas.[1]

The duo played at nightclubs, showrooms and corporate events, and as a supporting act they toured with

Skiles and Henderson last performed in Arizona in March 2010.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Woo, Elaine (2011-05-20). "Bill Skiles, half of Skiles and Henderson comedy team, dies at 79". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  2. ^ a b c d Dennis Hevesi, Bill Skiles, was in comic duo, New York Times, May 20, 2011

External links