Larry Storch, Zany Comic Star of 'F Troop,' Dies At 99

Larry Storch, the brash comedian who gained sitcom immortality as the scheming Corporal Agarn in the classic series “F Troop,” passed away at the age of 99.

Storch’s family announced the death on his Facebook page, stating, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you the news our beloved Larry passed away in his sleep overnight. We are shocked and at a loss for words at the moment. Please remember he loved each and every one of you and wouldn’t want you to cry over his passing. He is reunited with his wife Norma and his beloved F Troop cast and so many friends and family.”

Rise To Prominence: Storch was born Jan. 8, 1923, in New York City. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx but dropped out before graduating in order to make money during the Great Depression. He managed to land gigs as a stand-up comic and honed his skills until he joined the U.S. Navy during World War II — during his service on the submarine tender USS Proteus he made the acquaintance of fellow New Yorker Bernard Schwartz, who would later achieve Hollywood fame as Tony Curtis.

After the war, Storch returned to New York to appear on stage and in the nascent television medium, appearing on multiple variety and game shows. Storch’s star quickly rose and in 1953 Jackie Gleason personally sought him to host his series while Gleason was on summer hiatus.

In 1965, Storch achieved his most famous role in “F Troop,” a wacky comedy set in a late 19th-century fort in the Wild West. Storch teamed with Forrest Tucker as a pair of soldiers engaged in zany money-making schemes, to the endless befuddlement of the fort’s commander, portrayed by Ken Berry.

A Ubiquitous Presence: “F Troop” ran for two seasons on ABC and became a staple of syndicated programming. Storch reteamed with Tucker in 1975 on the Saturday morning children’s series “The Ghost Busters,” but that did not achieve the success of “F Troop.”

The success of “F Troop” ensured that Storch would be an active performer: he made appearances on popular TV series including "Hollywood Squares," "Columbo," “Love, American Style,” “All in the Family” and “The Love Boat” and in films including “Airport 1975,” “S.O.B.” and the documentary “The Aristocrats” where he offered his spin on an infamous dirty joke.

Storch also had a lucrative career as a voice performer in animated films, most notably as the genial professor Phineas J. Whoopie in the “Tennessee Tuxedo” cartoons and as the voices of Merlin the Mouse and Cool Cat in the late 1960s cartoons released by Warner Bros.

Storch was scheduled to be the guest of honor at a 100th birthday party planned for January in New York City.

Photo: Larry Storch in "F Troop," courtesy of ABC