R.I.P. Jerry Fogel of The Mothers-in-Law and The White Shadow

The DJ-turned-actor was 83.

The Everett Collection

The Mothers-in-Law remains one of the more underrated comedies of the 1960s. In one of the great rock 'n' roll performances of sitcom history, the influential garage group The Seeds stormed through their hit "Pushin' too Hard" in one episode, under the alias of the Warts. The series also made a brilliant comic pairing of two '50s stars, singer Kaye Ballard and Our Miss Brooks veteran Eve Arden.

And they were just the mothers-in-law. The producers — The Mothers-In-Law was the creation of I Love Lucy writers Bob Carroll and Madelyn Pugh Davis and produced by Desi Arnaz — also made a discovery in Jerry Fogel, the young actor cast to play newlywed opposite Deborah Walley's Suzie. His character was named Jerry, as well.

Before landing that gig, Fogel had few TV appearances to his credit, on The Big Valley and That Girl. He had made his name as a radio DJ, spinning rock records in his hometown of Rochester, New York.

Following that sitcom, Fogel appeared in the war film Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) before finding another recurring role in the gripping basketball drama The White Shadow in 1978. There, he played the brother-in-law to Ken Howard, the star of the show.

That would be his last acting role. Following The White Shadow, Fogel returned to the radio in Kansas, where he co-hosted a talk show.

You can also spot Fogel in series such as Barnaby Jones, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, The New Perry Mason and Police Story.

Fogel died on October 21, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 83.

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11 Comments

Eden_Faunce 53 months ago
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MrsPhilHarris Eden_Faunce 53 months ago
Good for you.
MrsPhilHarris 53 months ago
I loved that show! It was on the Summer Of Me about 4 years ago.
Jeremy 53 months ago
Great! Now they're all gone! The next time I see an episode of The Mothers-In-Law, I won't be seeing people who are still breathing, I'll be seeing ghosts.
Joe 53 months ago
I didn't think my memory went back that far, but I do remember watching Kaye Ballard in "The Mothers-in-Law". I recall there was a pull-out sofa-bed in the show. Don't ask me why I remember that particular detail. : )
cperrynaples Joe 53 months ago
I think that might have been Jerry and Suzie's bed! After all, they lived between each other's parents!
cperrynaples 53 months ago
That Seeds episode is a classic! Remember when Kaye and Eve tried to teach them what "good music" was...LOL!!!
harlow1313 cperrynaples 53 months ago
"Pushin' too Hard" was a pretty hard sounding song for a sitcom. I don't care for the show, but do love that particular moment.
daDoctah harlow1313 53 months ago
Didn't another episode also feature the group Dino, Desi and Billy? Or am I just thinking that because Desi Sr was involved in the creation of the show?
cperrynaples daDoctah 53 months ago
I remember Little Desi [not really Little Ricky,BTW],but not Dino or Billy! Bonus Question: What MeTV star played Little Ricky ONCE?
cperrynaples cperrynaples 53 months ago
Really? It's Jerry Mathers NOT as the Beaver!
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