Edd Byrnes

2.2.1. Early Roles and Contract

Warner Bros. initially assigned Byrnes to a comic role in the 1958 war drama The Deep Six. He continued to appear in various television series produced by the studio, including additional episodes of Cheyenne, The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna, and Colt .45. In 1958, credited as Edward Byrnes, he played Benji Danton in the Cheyenne episode "The Last Comanchero." When Tab Hunter declined a role in the 1958 war film Darby's Rangers, Byrnes stepped in to take the part. He was also considered for Baby Face Nelson (1957), but Warner Bros. opted not to loan him out for the project. Byrnes also appeared in the romantic drama Marjorie Morningstar (1958) and Life Begins at 17 (1958). His television guest appearances during this time included the pilot episode of Lawman, and roles in Maverick, The Deputy, and Sugarfoot, where he appeared with John Russell, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., and Will Wright in the 1958 season premiere episode "Ring of Sand." He also appeared in another war film, Up Periscope (1959).

2.2.2. The "Kookie" Character and Impact

Byrnes was cast in Girl on the Run, a pilot for a detective show starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr.. In this pilot, Byrnes played Kenneth "Kookie" Smiley, a contract killer who had a distinctive habit of constantly combing his hair. Byrnes himself stated that this hair-combing mannerism was his own idea, which the director liked and incorporated into the character. Around this time, Byrnes decided to change his professional acting name from "Edward" to "Edd," explaining that "Edward is too formal and there are lots of Eddies."

The pilot episode of Girl on the Run aired in October 1958 and proved to be so popular that Warner Bros. decided to develop it into a full television series, 77 Sunset Strip. Byrnes's character, Kookie, became an immediate national sensation among teenagers, prompting the producers to make him a regular cast member. They re-envisioned Kookie from a hitman into a parking valet at Dino's Lodge who also assisted the private eyes (played by Zimbalist Jr. and Roger Smith) on their cases. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. addressed this character transformation directly to the audience in a pre-credit sequence, stating, "We previewed this show, and because Edd Byrnes was such a hit, we decided that Kookie and his comb had to be in our series. So this week, we'll just forget that in the pilot he went off to prison to be executed."

Kookie's recurring character was defined by his unique, exciting look that resonated with teens of the era. He was a parking valet-parking attendant who perpetually combed his piled-high, greasy ducktail haircut, often seen in a windbreaker jacket. He worked part-time at Dino's Lodge restaurant, which was located next door to the private-investigator agency at 77 Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. Kookie frequently acted as an unlicensed, protégé detective, aiding the private investigators with information gleaned from his "street informants." He famously addressed everyone as "Dad" (as in "Sure thing... Dad") and was widely seen as television's homage to the Jack Kerouac-style hipster subculture of the late 1950s.

77 Sunset Strip quickly became one of the most popular shows in the country. Kookie's distinctive jive-talk "code" captivated teen viewers, whether they fully understood him or not, as Kookie was perceived as knowing "the word on the street." While the Kookie character was several years older than Jim Stark, James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause, Byrnes projected a similar sense of cool. Kookie is also considered a precursor to Henry Winkler's iconic character, The Fonz, from the Happy Days series, sharing similar hair and comb mannerisms. By April 1959, Byrnes had become one of the most popular young actors in the United States. He remarked on his sudden fame, stating, "I was a nobody. Now I'm dragging in over 400 letters a week and I'm a name."

Kookie's constant onscreen attention to his haircut also inspired a 1959 "rap" style recording titled "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)". Recorded with actress and singer Connie Stevens, the song spent 13 weeks on the charts and reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold over one million copies and was certified a gold disc by the RIAA. The song was also featured on Byrnes's album, Kookie. Byrnes and Stevens performed the song together on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. During the peak of 77 Sunset Strip's popularity, Byrnes, embodying the "Kookie" persona, was a major celebrity, receiving up to 15,000 fan letters a week by 1961, a volume that rivaled many leading rock recording stars of the era.

2.4.1. European and Television Work

In August 1963, Byrnes bought out the remaining ten months of his contract with Warner Bros. and departed 77 Sunset Strip. He expressed his desire to shed his "hipster image," stating, "No more hipster image for me. From now on I'd like to establish myself as a movie star." Following his departure, Byrnes appeared in episodes of anthology series such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Burke's Law, and Kraft Suspense Theatre. He traveled to Yugoslavia to appear in Roger Corman's ensemble war film The Secret Invasion (1964). While in Europe, he also signed on for a television show in Munich.

Upon returning to the United States, Byrnes filmed a pilot for a TV series titled Kissin' Cousins, which was based on the 1964 Elvis Presley film of the same name. Byrnes took on the role of the lieutenant, originally played by Presley in the movie, but the pilot did not get picked up for a full series. In 1965, Byrnes starred in Beach Ball, a beach party movie financed by Roger Corman. During the production of Beach Ball, his co-star Chris Noel reportedly complained about his behavior. He continued to make guest appearances on television series such as Mister Roberts, Honey West, and Theatre of Stars. Additionally, he performed in stage productions including Picnic, Bus Stop, Sunday in New York, Sweet Bird of Youth, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in stock theatre.

The shadow of his "Kookie" character continued to follow him. In 1966, Byrnes commented on the persistent typecasting, saying, "People think that's the only role you can play. Producers and directors still think of me as the kid I played on the Strip. I've been offered other series but they've still wanted to cast me as the same kid." To further diversify his roles, Byrnes returned to Europe for several Spaghetti Westerns, including the 1967 films Renegade Riders, Any Gun Can Play, and Red Blood, Yellow Gold. In 1969, he stated that he had earned more money in the preceding year than he had during his entire tenure at Warner Bros.

2.4.2. Notable Later Appearances

Back in the United States, Byrnes primarily worked in television, appearing in episodes of popular shows such as Mannix, Love, American Style, The Virginian, Adam-12, and Pathfinders. He also acted in TV movies like The Silent Gun (1969), starring Lloyd Bridges, and The Gift of Terror (1973), with Denise Alexander and Will Geer. In 1973, Byrnes had a supporting role in the Duo-Vision horror film Wicked, Wicked, starring Tiffany Bolling. He also played a TV interviewer in the David Essex film Stardust (1974).

In 1974, Byrnes hosted the pilot for the game show Wheel of Fortune, but NBC ultimately chose Chuck Woolery as the host. Byrnes later acknowledged in his autobiography that he was intoxicated during the taping of the pilot. He continued to guest star in various television series, including Marcus Welby, MD, Thriller, Police Story, Police Woman, and Sword of Justice. He also appeared in the TV movies Mobile Two (1975) and Telethon (1977).

Byrnes played a small but highly memorable role as Vince Fontaine, the Dick Clark-like host of National Bandstand, in the successful 1978 movie Grease. The film's box office success led to Byrnes becoming the only regular cast member of the NBC comedy-drama anthology series $weepstake$ in early 1979, though the show only ran for nine episodes. He subsequently returned to guest-starring roles on numerous popular shows such as CHiPs, B.J. and the Bear, House Calls, Charlie's Angels, Vega$, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Quincy M.E., The Master, Simon & Simon, and Crazy Like a Fox.

In his later career, Byrnes took on a small role in the Erin Moran TV film Twirl (1981) and the lead in Erotic Images (1983) with Britt Ekland. He also appeared in films like Mankillers (1987), Back to the Beach (1987), Party Line (1988), and Troop Beverly Hills (1989). Later television appearances included parts in Unhappily Ever After, Rags to Riches, Mr. Belvedere, Empty Nest, the revival of Burke's Law, Adam-12, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, and Murder, She Wrote. In 1987, he appeared on the sitcom Throb in the role of Bobby Catalina, a washed-up singer, where he performed his trademark "Kookie" song. In 1992, he played a fictionalized version of himself on Married... with Children, appearing as a celebrity endorser for a time share and singing a revamped version of "Kookie" with the thrash metal band Anthrax. Both the episode and his appearance were well-received. One of his final television roles was a small part in the mini-series Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story (1999).