Al Kelly was the stage name of Abraham Kalish (18 December 1896 – 7 September 1966), a U.S. vaudeville comedian. Kelly was known as a double-talk artist, and went on to stooge for other comedians such as Willie Howard and Ernie Kovacs. Near the end of his life, he made occasional appearances on The Soupy Sales Show when it was based in New York.
Kelly was famous as a "double-talker", someone who could spout gibberish but make it sound like he was actually saying something. He had long had a heart problem and was known to keep a bottle of nitroglycerin tablets with him in case he had an attack. One day he was with his friend Milton Berle, who knew about his condition, and suddenly felt faint and passed out. Berle managed to revive him and asked, "Al, where are your nitro tablets?". Kelly, who actually did just have a small heart attack, was having trouble speaking, and said, "It's in the skirtleflum with the friggienaum." Berle said, "For Christ's sake, Al, not now!".
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Trials of O'Brien
1965
TV Series
Tugboat Fenner
Mack & Myer for Hire
1963
TV Series
Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine
1962-1963
TV Series
Guest Comic / Doubletalker
Kovacs on Music
1959
TV Movie
Dr. Sigmund Webber
Singing in the Dark
1956
Mons. La Fontaine
Playboy Number One
1937
Short
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Missing Links
1964
TV Series
Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1964
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine
1963
TV Series
Himself
The Jack Paar Tonight Show
1959-1962
TV Series
Himself
The Tonight Show
1962
TV Series
Himself - Comedian / Himself - Double Talk Comedian