Martin Ingerman (March 9, 1936 – October 21, 2015), known professionally as Marty Ingels, was an American actor, comedian, comedy sketch writer, and theatrical agent, who is best known as the co-star of the 1960s television series I'm Dickens, He's Fenster.
Early life Ingels was born as Martin Ingerman to a Jewish family in 1936 in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Jacob and Minnie (née Crown) Ingerman.Marty Ingels (1936-) - Film Reference. Accessed April 21, 2020. His uncle was Abraham Beame, the mayor of New York City from 1974 to 1977.
Ingels joined the Army where a talent scout spotted him for the televised quiz show Name That Tune. He won several thousand dollars and became known for his humorous repartee. He used his winnings to study at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Career
Ingels' acting career dates back to the early 1960s. He co-starred in the ABC sitcom, I'm Dickens, He's Fenster (1962–63) with John Astin, which lasted one season of thirty-two episodes.
Ingels guest-starred on the CBS sitcoms Pete and Gladys, The Ann Sothern Show, Hennesey, and appeared twice as Sol Pomeroy, an army buddy of the character Rob Petrie, on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He also appeared in one episode of ABC's Bewitched as "Diaper Dan", who plants a microphone bug in Tabitha's rattle so a competing advertising agency can scoop and steal Darrin's ideas. In 1978, Ingels guest starred in Season Two, episode One of The Love Boat.
His voice-overs and commercials include those for Paul Masson wines. He played Autocat in the Motormouse and Autocat cartoons featured first on The Cattanooga Cats and then in a series of their own, and was Beegle Beagle in The Great Grape Ape Show. He was also the voice of the title character in the animated series adaptation of the 1980 video game Pac-Man. In 2010, Ingels was cast in an episode of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
He also acted in films, including Armored Command (1961), The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962), Wild and Wonderful (1964), The Busy Body (1967), A Guide for the Married Man (1967), For Singles Only (1968), The Picasso Summer (1969), If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), Linda Lovelace for President (1975), and Instant Karma (1990).
Beginning in the 1970s, Ingels worked primarily as an agent, specializing in representing actors in celebrity endorsement ads.
Personal life Ingels was married twice: first to Jean Marie Frassinelli in 1960; they divorced in 1969 after nine years of marriage. On November 13, 1977, he married singer/actress Shirley Jones. Despite some drastically different personalities, and several separations (Shirley filed, then withdrew, a divorce petition in 2002), the couple remained married until his death in 2015.
Lawsuits Ingels was also known for frequent legal actions, so much that in his The New York Times obituary Margalit Fox wrote: "[Ingels] always seemed to be suing someone, and someone always seemed to be suing him".
In 1993, Ingels sued actress June Allyson for his talent agency commission. Allyson had appeared in commercials for Depend undergarments; Ingels alleged that he was not paid his proper commission as her agent. Allyson denied this and countersued. Ingels pleaded no contest to making harassing phone calls to Allyson.
In 2003, he sued radio personality Tom Leykis and Westwood One, saying that comments made about him constituted age discrimination. Ingels had called into Leykis's radio program objecting to the content, and Leykis declared on the air that Ingels was "not just older than my demographic, you're the grandfather of my demographic."Ingels vs. Westwood One Services, Inc. et al. In June 2005, Ingels's lawsuit was dismissed and Ingels was ordered to pay Leykis's $25,000 in legal fees.
Death Ingels died from a massive stroke at Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana, California on October 21, 2015, at the age of 79. After Ingels's death, Jones stated "He often drove me crazy, but there's not a day I won't miss him and love him to my core."
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1961The Ladies ManMarty IngelsArmored CommandPinhead1962The Horizontal LieutenantYeoman Leo Buckles1964Wild and WonderfulDoc Bailey 1967The Busy BodyWillieA Guide for the Married ManTechnical Adviser (Meat Eater)1968For Singles OnlyArchibald Baldwin 1969If It's Tuesday, This Must Be BelgiumBert GreenfieldThe Picasso SummerMan at Party1974How to Seduce a WomanJim1975Linda Lovelace for PresidentRonald Trixie1990Instant KarmaJon Clark 1992The Opposite Sex and How to Live with ThemUncreditedRound NumbersAl Schweitzer1998The Jungle Book: Mowgli's StoryHathi (voice)1999KartenspielerMax2003Down the BarrelRichard Chainey2007Chasing RobertPorn Shop Manager 2008ParasomniaMr. BoudreauUncreditedWednesday AgainXander2013A Strange Brand of HappyMack2015PromotedMurray Silver2021Bruce the ChallengeGrampsFinal rolePosthumous release
Television Year Title Role Notes1958The Phil Silvers ShowNavy CookEpisode: "Bilko Joins the Navy" 1960Peter Loves MaryJoey VaughnEpisode: "Peter Joins a Committee"Dan RavenBenny2 episodes1960–1962Hennesey Patient, Waiter4 episodes 1961ManhuntEpisode: "The Death Trap"The Ann Sothern ShowErskine WildEpisode: "Always April"The AquanautsWaiterEpisode: "The Tidal Wave Adventure"The Law and Mr. JonesTonyEpisode: "The Broken Hand"The Detectives LazarusEpisode: "Tobey's PlacePete and Gladys ManEpisode: "Eyewitness"Follow the SunGeorgieEpisode: "The Girl from the Brandenburg Gate"1961–1962The Dick Van Dyke ShowSol Pomeroy2 episodes1962The Joey Bishop ShowFreddyEpisode: "Once a Bachelor"1962–1963I'm Dickens, He's FensterArch Fenster32 episodes 1964Duncan Be CarefulTV movieBurke's LawWallyEpisode: "Who Killed Madison Cooper?" 1966The Addams FamilyDr. Marvin P. GundersonEpisode: "Cat Addams"Bewitched DanEpisode: "Dangerous Diaper Dan" 1967The Phyllis Diller ShowNorman Krump7 episodesGood Morning WorldJimmyEpisode: "Knits to You, Sir"1968Kiss Me KateGangsterTelevision film1969Motormouse and AutocatAutocat (voice)TV series1969–1971Cattanooga Cats1971 The PartnersEddie Polaski1 episode1972BanacekMarty IngelsEpisode: "Let's Hear It for a Living Legend"1973The RookiesMaster of CeremoniesEpisode: "Down Home Boy"1973–1974Adam-12Siphoner, David Harwood2 episodes 1975The Great Grape Ape Show Beegle Beagle (voice)TV seriesThe New Tom & Jerry ShowThe Ghost BustersBilly the KidEpisode: "They Went Thataway"1975–1976Police Story Howie, Marty Abbott2 episodes1977ChipsSidneyEpisode: "Hustle"1978The Love BoatJoe NashEpisode: "The Man Who Loved Women/A Different Girl/Oh, My Aching Brother"1979FamilyGip GoddardEpisode: "Going Straight"1982 Christmas Comes to Pac-LandPac-Man (voice)TV special1982–1983Pac-Man42 episodes including 2 specials1990The Munsters TodayIvanEpisode: "Never Say Die"1990–1991Murder, She WroteJoe Gelardi, Seymour Densch2 episodes 1991The New Adam-12 Mr. EdwardsEpisode: "Crack HouseWhat a Dummy LeonardEpisode: "The Vacation That Never Was"1991–1992Darkwing DuckThe Devil (voice)2 episodes 1995Burke's LawChristoph KohlEpisode: "Who Killed the World's Greatest Chef?"Deadly Games HankEpisode: "One Mean Mother"1997BaywatchProspectorEpisode: "Eel Nino"1998Walker, Texas RangerMurrayEpisode: "Crusader" 2006Z-SquadButler (voice)Episode: "Pilot"ERMr. GallagherEpisode: "Heart of the Matter"2010CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationMarty FelnickEpisode: "Meat Jekyll"2013New Girl Pickled PatronEpisode: "The Box"2014Burt Paxton: Private DetectiveGrandpaTV series short2015The Middle AgesPop-pop, Richard, Willy3 episodesFinal television role
Video games Year Title Role1997Zork: Grand InquisitorGriff
References
External links
C.A. Rejects Age Bias Suit Over Exclusion From Radio Talk Show An Interview with Marty Ingels Part One, June 2012 An Interview with Marty Ingels Part Two, June 2012 An Interview with Marty Ingels Part Three, July 2012 Marty Ingels (Aveleyman) Marty Ingels Interview: A Brooklyn Wisecracker With Hutzpah Who Became A TV Icon