Arbogast and Pete Robinson paired at AM radio station
KOPO in January 1950, but the station cancelled them after one show, when a possible advertiser complained about a skit. They switched to KCNA, where they performed until May. After almost signing with the
Mutual Broadcasting System, they signed with WHB in Kansas City, in September 1950, for
The Arbogast Show. Bob went to
Chicago's
WMAQ where he worked with Robinson from 1951 to 1953 (using as a theme song a charming version of
Sicilian Tarantella played on an
ocarina) before moving to Los Angeles for a time, then returning to
Illinois where he worked at WEAW in
Evanston, Illinois. Then he went to
New York where he wrote for two shows, one featuring
Tom Poston and another
Peter Marshall. Then he worked at
San Francisco's
KSFO and
KFRC. He later worked at many stations in Los Angeles including
KMPC from 1962 to 1967,
KLAC in 1967,
KFI in 1968, and KGBS in 1969. At KMPC, he wrote for
Dick Whittinghill and
Gary Owens, The concept lived on in
Johnny Carson's
Carnac the Magnificent and
Jeopardy!. In 1958, Arbogast teamed with
Stanley Ralph Ross to write and perform the hit 45 rpm single "Chaos, Parts 1 and 2," which when it came out (on
Liberty Records #55197), sold 10,000 copies in three days, and then was banned from radio play on the fourth day - when stations realized that it satirized "Top 40" radio.
Dr. Demento has kept "Chaos" alive. In addition, they co-wrote the album of parody songs titled
My Son, the Copycat (a take on
Allan Sherman's albums) and the book
Speak When You Hear the Beep. Arbogast had numerous screen credits for cartoons and commercials and had appeared on television shows and in movies. He did frequent uncredited voiceovers for
Sesame Street segments. He was the voice for the original "What would you do for a
Klondike Bar?" advertising campaign and of the animated Granny Goose for the Granny Goose potato chip campaign (What is Granny's secret? I won't say...") Among hundreds, Arbogast is perhaps most famous for his voicings of General G.I. Brassbottom, Noodles Romanoff, and Ma Ramjet in the
Roger Ramjet cartoon, Jack Wheeler in the Hot Wheels cartoon, and Snogs on the Hanna-Barbera animated series
Monchhichis. He also voiced several characters in the Hanna-Barbera series
The Jetsons. Not to be forgotten were Arbo's stylings of Barry Bear and Drummy Drummer, popular seventies pull-string toys - "I'm Barry Bear, like to meet my paw?" "I'm Drummy Drummer. I went to school at the school of hard knocks." - and his renditions of hamburgers in early McDonald's commercials. While in elementary school at Franklin Avenue in Los Angeles, his son John was scolded when asked by his teacher, Mrs. Horowitz, what his father does for a living. John replied, "he is a bear." Refusing to recant, a meeting with the teacher, principal, and Bob resulted in free hot dogs on "Hot Dog Wednesday" for John for a year. John also has many voices still running on Sesame Street. In 1966 he appeared in the campy horror film "Batwoman". One of his most popular bits was his portrayal of little old lady Emily Norton for KMPC, including on the program ''Emily Norton's Juke Box''. Among his many TV and radio commercial partners were
Pat Harrington,
Harry Morgan,
Doris Roberts,
Joan Gerber,
Edie McClurg,
Bob Elliott,
Albert Brooks,
Shelley Berman,
Tim Conway,
Lorenzo Music, Gene Moss and
Casey Kasem. He was friends with
Bob Einstein. Arbogast won an
Emmy as a writer for Stars of Jazz in 1958 and a
Clio in the '70's, for the
Highland Appliance Co. of Detroit. He wrote for
Sesame Street,
Jay Ward live action special
The Nut House!! (1963), and
The Pat Paulsen Show. He also has the dubious distinction of writing for the shortest-lived television show ever,
Turn-On, which was canceled after one night because it satirized, among others, the Pope. He co-starred (had two lines and 6 minutes on camera) with
Timothy Hutton and
Sean Penn in the motion picture
The Falcon and the Snowman and he drove the bus in
Linda Lovelace for President. Arbogast was a jazz aficionado,
Chicago Cubs and
UCLA Bruins fan, and animal lover. He and his wife, Jan, lived in
Mariposa, California, tending to their garden, caring for their pets, and the pleasures of the
internet,
satellite radio and
television. With his previous wife, Joanna, he raised a daughter and three sons. His oldest son
Peter is the radio voice of
USC Trojan football. His middle son John is a
USC honors grad, a decorated Coast Guard officer, retired Los Angeles city park ranger, history teacher, city champion pole vault coach and assistant track and field coach at
John Marshall High School. His youngest son Jerry is a UCLA graduate and a retired physical education teacher and tennis coach in the Los Angeles Unified School District. His daughter Paula retired in June 2006 from her position as a teachers' union representative. With his first wife, Tobi, he had a son, Robert Jr. (Ted), an accomplished musical director and band leader, and the technology coordinator for Terlingua High School in Texas. Bob is also survived by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Arbogast died March 21, 2009 at the age of 81 at the Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno. ==References==