Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 23, 2026

Skip E. Lowe

Sammy Labella, better known by his stage name Skip E. Lowe, was an American stand-up comedian, talk show host and actor.

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Jun 23, 2026
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Skip E. Lowe
Born
Sammy Labella

(1929-06-06)June 6, 1929
Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedSeptember 22, 2014(2014-09-22) (aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other nameGaylord Esterbrook123
OccupationsTalk show host, actor

Sammy Labella (June 6, 1929 – September 22, 2014), better known by his stage name Skip E. Lowe, was an American stand-up comedian, talk show host and actor.

Live performance

Before adopting his now familiar stage name, LaBella worked as a stand-up comic, impressionist and master of ceremonies. In 1958, he performed in a number of Pittsburgh venues,45 most notably Lenny Litman's Copa, where he opened for Lambert, Hendricks and Ross and Dakota Staton.67 The following summer saw a number of engagements in New York State, and it was in July 1959 that LaBella made his first appearance as Skip E. Lowe at Glen Casino in Williamsville, New York.8

Film

He appeared in the films Black Shampoo (1976), The World's Greatest Lover (1977), Cameron's Closet (1988), and A-List (2006). In 2001, Lowe wrote The Boy with the Betty Grable Legs: A Showbiz Memoir.9

Television

Beginning in 1978, he hosted Skip E. Lowe Looks at Hollywood, a weekly talk show for public-access cable television that aired in Los Angeles and New York City.10 It is estimated that Lowe conducted some 6,000 cable-television interviews from 1978 to 2014.

Personal life

He was openly gay.1112

Legacy

Martin Short cited him as the inspiration for his character Jiminy Glick.1314

Death

Lowe died in Los Angeles, at age 85, on September 22, 2014, from emphysema.13

According to his former website, Lowe was cremated and had his ashes scattered at Ventura Pier on November 23, 2014.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1943 Best Foot Forward Cadet uncredited
1944 Song of the Open Road Minor Role uncredited
1945 Hotel Berlin Teenage Boy uncredited
1947 Forever Amber Young Man uncredited
1975 Crazy Mama uncredited
1976 Black Shampoo Artie
1976 Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks Doctor uncredited
1977 Bare Knuckles Cedric
1977 The World's Greatest Lover First Wardrobe Man
1979 Bitter Heritage
1988 Cameron's Closet Newscaster
1989 Prime Suspect Patient
1994 Sunny Side Up Himself
2005 Murder on the Yellow Brick Road Security Guard
2006 A-List Harry
2006 Pittsburgh Himself
2006 Running Out of Time in Hollywood
2014 The Final Song Himself
See also

See also

References

References

  1. "It Pays (for Him) to Be Insulting". The Honolulu Advertiser. March 15, 1967. p. 16. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. "Comic Gaylord Esterbrook With a Well-Rounded Show". Detroit Free Press. August 6, 1969. p. 10. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  3. Huddy, John (March 21, 1970). "My Kind of Town: M.A.S.H.—A Zany, Touching Movie". The Miami Herald. March 21, 1970. p. 39. Retrieved September 11, 2022. "Comic Gaylord Esterbrook catching Tubby Hooks act."
  4. "Show at Elmhurst Has Johnny Jack". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 19, 1958. p. 13. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  5. "Rosemary Bellan Stays at Showcase". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 19, 1958. p. 13. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  6. "Lambert Singers Debut at Copa". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 12, 1958. p. 12. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  7. "Dakota Staton at Litman's Copa". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 1, 1958. p. 12. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  8. "Glen Casino: Opens Tomorrow". Buffalo Evening News. July 6, 1959. p. 12. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  9. Casillo, Charles (June 13, 2001). "Almost Famous – Celebrity Interviewer Skip E. Lowe Basks in the Low-Wattage Glow of Hollywood – Public Access Style". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. Jarvis, Michael T. (October 5, 2003). "If You Have a Talent, He'll Showcase It". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. Lowe, Skip E (2014). Hollywood Gomorrah. USA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1497307261.
  12. "Skip E. Lowe and Mamie Van Doren". September 24, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2023 – via YouTube.
  13. Barnes, Mike (September 23, 2014). "Skip E. Lowe, Talk Show Host and Inspiration for Martin Short's Jiminy Glick, Dies at 85". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. "Martin Short and the Birth of Jiminy Glick". Off Camera with Sam Jones. June 15, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2026 – via YouTube.
Further reading

Further reading

External links
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