Bob May(1939-2009)

In their heyday, stage and movie stars Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson reigned as two of the most outrageous comedians who ever set out to tickle America's collective funnybone. The son of Johnson's daughter, June, Bob May was born in New York in 1939 and put a (very) small foot on the first rung of the show biz ladder two years later, when he replaced a midget in the comics' show "Sons-a-Fun". May later worked with the comedy team on live TV ("Fireball Fun-for-All", "All-Star Revue", "The Colgate Comedy Hour"). A singer and dancer, May danced in some of Elvis Presley's early films and turned up in several Jerry Lewis vehicles. While applying for the job of Red Buttons' stunt double on Stagecoach (1966), May was offered the "role" of the Environmental Control Robot in 20th Century-Fox's TV series Lost in Space (1965). (On the show, May operated the Robot and Dick Tufeld provided its voice.) More recently, May, his wife and kids toured with an Olsen & Johnson-style stage show call ed "Funs-a-Bustin."