I have about 40 e-mails this morning from folks trying to identify the fellow in the sketch with Sid Caesar that I posted here last night. One person thinks it might be Gabe Dell. One person who has apparently never seen Sid Gould thinks it might be Sid Gould. And everyone else either thinks it might be Johnny Haymer or is absolutely certain and willing to bet their life that it's Johnny Haymer. So I'm going to go with Johnny Haymer.
Johnny Haymer (1920-1989) was one of those actors who worked all the time but never had that one signature part that makes him easily identifiable. If I said to you, "The guy who played Archie Bunker," you'd probably know I was talking about Carroll O'Connor. If I said to you, "The guy who played Mel Cooley," you'd probably go, "Oh, Richard Deacon!" But if Jamie Farr had never landed the role of Klinger on M*A*S*H, it would be difficult to tell you who I had in mind even though Jamie Farr was in dozens and dozens of TV shows and movies.
Johnny Haymer had a recurring role on M*A*S*H. He played Sgt. Zale (photo above), the supply sergeant who always seemed to be unwilling or unable to get whatever the unit needed. His movie credits included Annie Hall (where he played a bad comedian), Real Life and …And Justice for All — three of my favorite films. He also did voices for cartoons including The Transformers, G.I. Joe and a couple of shows I worked on but our paths never crossed.
The IMDB has a pretty long listing for him and it includes a 1959 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show, though not the one with Sid Caesar. The Internet Broadway Database tells us he was also in the Broadway revue, New Faces of 1956 so it's likely he was in a lot of sketches in New York-based variety programs of the day. It wouldn't surprise me if he was on one of Mr. Caesar's shows now and then. In fact, he looks to have been pretty bi-coastal for a lot of his career with a lot of gigs in Los Angeles and a lot in New York.
Thanks to all who wrote in — including two more since I started writing this — to tell me it was Johnny Haymer. I think you're all correct.