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Art Metrano

 
Actor: Art Metrano
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  • Born: 1937 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '60s-'80s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Drama
  • Career Highlights: Seven, Going Ape!, The All-American Boy
  • First Major Screen Credit: The All-American Boy (1973)

Biography

Moonfaced, curly-headed comic actor Art Metrano went to junior college in Stockton, California on a football scholarship; he later transferred to the College of the Pacific, majoring in acting. Returning to New York, Metrano tried to find work -- only to head back to the West Coast on the advice of an astrologer. Supporting himself as an automatic telephone system salesman, Metrano began attaining small TV parts, which led to his being cast in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? At a Christmas party, Metrano began cutting up with an improv bit in which he pretended to be a sleight-of-hand artist; the routine consisted of his humming the song "Fine and Dandy" as he'd proceed to pull invisible handkerchiefs out of his pocket and extricate himself from non-existent handcuffs. This "do-nothing magician" act led to several guest spots on The Tonight Show, Laugh-In and The Dean Martin Show, and a regular stint on 1970's The Tim Conway Hour (the theme song of which was, inevitably, "Fine and Dandy"). By 1971, Metrano was costarring in a '30s-era sitcom The Chicago Teddy Bears, playing a soft-hearted gangster. The series was axed after 13 weeks, consigning Metrano to the guest-star circuit. Art Metrano subsequently showed up in such films as Seven (1979), Breathless (1983) and Malibu Express (1984); he also had regular roles on TV's Movin' On (1974), Amy Prentiss (1974), Joanie Loves Chachi (1982), Loves Me Loves Me Not (1977) and Tough Cookies (1986). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Art Metrano
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Arthur Metrano / Arthur M. Metrano
Born September 22, 1936 (1936-09-22) (age 73)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Religious beliefs Jewish and Christianity

Arthur "Art" Metrano (born September 22, 1936) is an American actor of Greek-Turkish-Jewish-Sephardic ancestry. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Metrano may be best known for his role as Capt. Mauser in Police Academy 2 and Police Academy 3. He left the series due to a serious fall at home that seriously injured his spinal cord and left him disabled.

Among Metrano's TV guest appearances was a 1968 episode of Ironside. However, he is more known for his frequent appearances on The Tonight Show in the early 1970s as a "magician" performing absurd tricks (such as making his fingers "jump" from one hand to another) while constantly humming an inane theme song (named "Fine and Dandy", an early 1930s composition by Kay Swift). This bit was parodied in an episode of the cartoon show Family Guy entitled Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. In December 2007, Metrano filed a lawsuit accusing the show of copyright infringement, and claiming damages in excess of two million US dollars.[1]

Currently, he tours with his one-man show, "Jews Don't Belong On Ladders...An Accidental Comedy", which has raised more than $175,000 for Project Support for Spinal Cord Injury to help buy crutches, wheelchairs, and supplies.

Notes

  1. ^ "Magician Claims "Family Guy" Stole His Act". http://www.tmz.com/2007/12/06/magician-claims-family-guy-stole-his-act/. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 

References

External links


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