Bobby Van

The son of vaudevillians, ebullient musical comedy star Bobby Van had a brief but rewarding MGM screen career in the early '50s. If for nothing else, Van will always be remembered as the ecstatic young fellow who made like a human pogo stick during an expansive production number in Small Town Girl (1953). When musicals went out of vogue, Van had to make do with atrocities like The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1965). He did rather better in nightclubs, first as a solo and then as partner to his old MGM buddy Mickey Rooney. In the early '70s, Van launched a profitable second career as a TV game show host; his last such stint before his death in 1980 was the syndicated nightly audience-participation series Make Me Laugh (1978-1979). Bobby Van was married to actress Elaine Joyce, a frequent celebrity contestant on her husband's TV programs.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide