LOS ANGELES \u2014 World War II Navy veteran Larry Storch, the rubber-faced comic whose long career in theater, movies and television was capped by his \u201cF Troop\u201d role as zany Cpl. Agarn in the 1960s spoof of Western frontier TV shows, died Friday. He was 99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storch died of natural causes early Friday in his New York City apartment, according to his manager, Matt Beckoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although \u201cF Troop\u201d lasted only two seasons on ABC, from 1965 to 1967, it became a cult favorite in reruns. Its devoted fans could recite almost all of the adventures of the incredibly incompetent soldiers of Fort Courage and the members of the nearby Native American tribe who only pretended to be at war with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storch said in a 1998 interview that he was surprised to be considered for an Army comedy such as \u201cF Troop,\u201d with it being well known that he served in the Navy during World War II. \u201cAll I knew about horses was that they give milk and can bite from both ends,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storch served on the submarine tender Proteus during the war along with a radio operator named Bernie Schwartz, according to his Facebook page. They were on the Proteus in Tokyo Bay Sept. 2, 1945, and witnessed Japan\u2019s formal surrender onboard the nearby battleship Missouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storch later said his Navy service greatly boosted his career. During the war, Schwartz had told him, \u201cI\u2019m going to be a movie star.\u201d Storch, already a seasoned comic on the resort circuit, had tried to talk him out of it, warning him that the business could be tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They met again after the war, and Schwartz, who by now had changed his name to Tony Curtis, remembered his funny shipmate. Storch went on to appear in eight of Curtis\u2019 movies, including \u201cCaptain Newman,\u201d \u201cWho Was That Lady?\u201d and \u201cThe Great Race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
On \u201cF Troop,\u201d Storch as Cpl. Agarn was the wild-eyed partner and protege of Forrest Tucker\u2019s wily Sgt. O\u2019Rourke, who often schemed with Frank DeKova\u2019s Chief Wild Eagle to fleece unsuspecting visitors. Ken Berry played Capt. Parmenter, Fort Courage\u2019s clueless commander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While \u201cF Troop\u201d brought him lasting fame, Storch appeared in scores of films and TV shows both before and after the show. He also enjoyed a long career in theater and as a comic at resorts in New York State\u2019s Catskill Mountains area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He never regretted being best known for the series, his manager said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe embraced it. He loved being Agarn\u201d and relished working with his co-stars, said Beckoff. Storch was the \u201ckindest, sweetest person,\u201d who always had time for autograph-seekers and was generous to people in need, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storch\u2019s credits included \u201cFunny Valentine,\u201d \u201cSweet 16,\u201d \u201cSex and the Single Girl,\u201d \u201cS.O.B.,\u201d \u201cAirport,\u201d \u201cTreasure Island\u201d and \u201cOliver Twist.\u201d On TV, he guest-starred on such shows as \u201cMarried… With Children,\u201d \u201cArchie Bunker\u2019s Place,\u201d \u201cTrapper John, M.D.,\u201d \u201cFantasy Island,\u201d CHiPS,\u201d \u201cThe Love Boat,\u201d \u201cGet Smart,\u201d \u201cLove American Style,\u201d \u201cGilligan\u2019s Island\u201d and \u201cCar 54 Where Are You?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His many theater appearances ranged from a brutal detective in a 1983 Broadway revival of \u201cPorgy and Bess\u201d to Chief Sitting Bull in the 2000 revival of \u201cAnnie Get Your Gun\u201d with Reba McEntire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laurence Samuel Storch was born in New York City where, he recalled proudly, he went on to become class clown at DeWitt Clinton High School and \u201cwas invited not to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He practiced his comedy in Harlem theaters for $2 a night before graduating to the famed training ground for comedians of his era, the Catskills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
His first big break came on TV in the early 1950s with \u201cThe Cavalcade of Stars,\u201d with Jackie Gleason. That led to \u201cThe Larry Storch Show,\u201d a 1953 summer series. Regular movie and TV work followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Storch was married to Norma Greve from 1961 until her death in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His shipmate Curtis died in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The late Associated Press writer Bob Thomas and Navy Times staff contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Larry Storch and his lifelong Navy buddy Tony Curtis served onboard the submarine tender Proteus during the war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":72,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,93,72,25,13],"tags":[],"coauthors":[456],"class_list":["post-40698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-military-culture","category-newsletters","category-off-duty"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5DVIIRUZIBHWXP4CUPZ4VEEJJA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2022\/07\/08\/navy-wwii-vet-larry-storch-who-found-fame-playing-a-soldier-on-tv-dies-at-99\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n