His name is Bill Dana, and he's doing A-OK these days. The same goes for his creation, Jose Jiminez.
Comedian and writer Dana, 73, has found life outside youth-oriented Hollywood with a grab bag of ventures including books and children's toys.And Jose, the character that brought both fans and headaches for Dana in the 1960s, seems to have outlasted critics who deemed it anti-Hispanic. Among the evidence: newsman Ted Koppel's appearance on a recent PBS entertainment special.
"My name Jose Jiminez," Koppel intoned, drawing laughs with Dana's trademark fractured-English line.
"People have eased up. Everybody has eased up except those people who don't want to take a chance," said Dana, who proudly notes the Image Award he received last November from the National Hispanic Media Coalition.
Dana, born William Szathmary of Hungarian Jewish ancestry, created Jiminez before such cross-ethnic humor became a no-no. TV audiences met Jose on "The Steve Allen Show," for which Dana worked as a writer and then performer in 1959-1960.
The character was showcased in appearances on "The Danny Thomas Show," then as part of "The Bill Dana Show" (1963-1965), and on several record albums - including "Jose the Astronaut," about his adventures in space.
Dana bowed to changing standards and shelved Jiminez in 1970. He refocused on writing. Among his credits is a classic, Emmy-winning "All in the Family" episode with Sammy Davis Jr.
In the 1960s, Dana formed an ad agency with actor Don Adams ("Get Smart") and another partner. Now, Dana has an outlet for his creative energies with Booxies Storybook Pals, a toy that combines a stuffed animal with a small book.
He's developing a line of comic golf gifts, and he's working with William Shatner of "Star Trek" fame on a humor book.
Dana and wife Evelyn divide their time between Los Angeles and a home on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Elber: Seems as if you're keeping very busy these days.
Dana: What am I not doing? I should write a book called "Hurry Up and Get Old." This is the absolute best time of my life.
Elber: Although you put Jose Jiminez away as a character, he clearly has staying power. What was your reaction to seeing Koppel's impersonation on the PBS tribute to Steve Allen?
Dana: That was marvelous. It was most unexpected out of that very dour countenance. I was saying "Hey, that's a career move."
Elber: Who's the most memorable person to evoke Jose?
Dana: It's very easy for me to identify that and the biggest source of pride I have. The first words spoken from the ground to an American entering space - from the late Deke Slayton to Al Shepard on May 5, 1961 - were, "OK, Jose, you're on your way." I've stayed close to Glenn and the other guys (astronauts).
Elber: You came from an era when humor didn't have a lot of hard edges or lewdness. What do you think of comedy now?
Dana: Overall, there's the same ratio of good stuff to bad as there was in the so-called golden age of comedy. But the rules were different, the restrictions. We were blessed with having to get our laughs out of pure comedy, pure in the sense of universality.
Elber: So how about sharing a favorite joke?
Dana: This one has appeared in courses on humorous writing. Steve Allen is questioning Jose Jiminez and says, "I understand you own a ranch."
"Yes, the name of my ranch is the Bar Nine Circle Z Rocking O Flying W Lazy O Crazy Two Happy Seven Bar 17 Parallelogram Four Octagon Nine Trapezoid Six Ranch."
"Do you have many cattle?"
"No. Not many survive the branding."