“Ooh Ooh” and “Do you mind?” were catchphrases for Joe E. Ross on Car 54, Where Are You? (1961-1963), a sitcom I first saw on Nick at Nite during the mid-80s. Not only is it a real hoot, but it’s also like “character actors on parade,” with each player specializing in facial distinctions that make it hard for viewers to turn away. Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis of The Munsters are here, for example, each of whom actually look more interesting without their makeup. Joe E. Ross, who played the dimwitted but loveable officer Gunther Toody, might also have transitioned nicely to The Munsters, but he was apparently a severe headache to work with. (A recent WFMU writeup deals the man’s loveability a body blow.)

A 1963 single featuring Joe E. Ross’s catchphrases is notable in that it’s so annoying it could have been used for a riotous episode in which Toody launches an ill-advised recording career.  An album track by the suave jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson, on the other hand (written by Manny Albam), is notable for its mysterious inclusion on Jackson’s 1964 Jazz ‘N’ Samba album a year after the show had run its course. There’s gotta be a story there…

Joe E. Ross – “Ooh Ooh” (1963) (YouTube)

Milt Jackson – “The Oo-Oo Bossa Nova” (1964)

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The original one runs to 1:35 and appears on the official 1966 soundtrack album. The definitive version, which is sublimity itself and features Hancock on piano, runs to 8:15 and appears on Bobby Hutcherson’s Oblique album, recorded in 1967 and not released until 1980. In Japan.

Herbie Hancock – “Blow-Up – Main Title” (1966)

Herbie Hancock – “Theme from Blow-Up” (1967)