LARRY KERT Actor • Singer • Dancer • The original Tony in West Side Story
1930–1991A Broadway life remembered
Television, film, talk shows and variety

Larry Kert on Television and Film

A substantially expanded screen chronology compiled from the Larry Kert credit PDFs, including his long run of appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, dramatic television roles, variety programmes and early film work.

Source method: this page combines three Larry Kert credit lists. Where the source PDFs disagree on a role, spelling or date, the disagreement is shown rather than silently corrected. The Johnny Carson source contains duplicate rows for 12 September 1972 and 16 November 1972; those duplicates are shown only once below.

Film and Dramatic Television Credits

YearProductionTypeLarry Kert creditSource note
1939Time Out for LessonsShort / filmTap Dance Soloist (uncredited)Listed in the uploaded screen-credit PDF.
1953By the Light of the Silvery MoonFilmIce Skater (uncredited)Listed in the uploaded screen-credit PDF.
1953Gentlemen Prefer BlondesFilmChorus Boy (uncredited)Listed in the uploaded screen-credit PDF.
1958Look Up and LiveTV seriesTony1 episode in the uploaded screen-credit PDF.
1958The Ed Sullivan ShowTV varietySinger / himself2 Nov 1958; with Carol Lawrence. The general credit PDF identifies S11 Ep8.
1961CheckmateTV dramaJohnny Messico“Hour of Execution”; S1 Ep16; 21 Jan 1961 in the general credits PDF.
1962Alfred Hitchcock PresentsTV dramaGeorge“The Sorcerer's Apprentice”; S7 Ep39 in the general credits PDF.
1964Kraft Suspense TheatreTV dramaCapt. Don Feruzzi / Ferruzzi“The Kamchatka Incident”; surname spelling differs between the two source PDFs.
1965Profiles in CourageTV dramaReporter1 episode; exact episode not supplied in the uploaded screen-credit PDF.
1965Get Off My BackScreen creditBob AdamicListed in the uploaded screen-credit PDF.
1966Combat!TV dramaFry“One at a Time”; S4 Ep28; 22 Mar 1966 in the general credits PDF.
1967The Bell Telephone HourTV musical specialHimself“The Many Faces of Romeo and Juliet”; 22 Sep 1967.
1973Hawaii Five-OTV dramaMarty Walker“Thanks for the Honeymoon”; S5 Ep15.
1973KojakTV dramaWhitney Farrow“Conspiracy of Fear”; the general credits PDF gives 19 Dec 1973.
1974Love, American StyleTV comedyJoe / Arthur — source conflictUploaded screen-credit PDF says Joe in “Love and the Phobia”; general credits PDF says Arthur.
1976Rich Man, Poor Man - Book IITV dramaDanny MillerUploaded screen-credit PDF lists 2 episodes; general credits PDF specifically identifies “Chapter 3”.
1977New York, New YorkFilmDonald (uncredited)Role shown this way in the uploaded screen-credit PDF.
1978On Our OwnTV seriesMr. Sunshine1 episode in the uploaded screen-credit PDF.

Variety and Talk Shows

The general credits PDF documents recurring appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, plus appearances on Dinah! and The Mike Douglas Show. These are in addition to the much larger Johnny Carson list below.

DateProgrammeCreditSource note
31 Aug 1970The Merv Griffin ShowHimselfS7 Ep271 in the general credits PDF.
7 Jan 1972The Merv Griffin ShowHimselfS9 Ep82 in the general credits PDF.
10 Aug 1977The Merv Griffin ShowHimselfS14 Ep219 in the general credits PDF.
1 Sep 1977Dinah!HimselfS3 Ep212 in the general credits PDF.
7 Dec 1977The Mike Douglas ShowHimselfS16 Ep68 in the general credits PDF.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The dedicated Johnny Carson PDF is much more extensive than the generic television-credit listing. After removing two duplicated rows, it contains 23 separate date entries naming Larry Kert between 1971 and 1977. A separate research summary in the Larry Kert archive says 22 appearances are currently identified, so the underlying episode records still need final reconciliation.

Date as listedMain guestsFeaturing / Larry Kert listingEditorial note
13 Apr 1971Chief Red Fox; Beth Howland; Susan BrowningDonna McKechnie; Larry Kert; Phyllis Newman
8 Jun 1971David Hemmings; Julie Ege; Alan KingLarry Kert
8 Jul 1971Abie GrossfeldLarry Kert; Marilyn Horne; Yvonne ConstantSource PDF second date is 08/06/1971; month requires confirmation.
10 Jun 1971George Carlin; Chief Red FoxLarry Kert; Los Indios Tabajaras
28 Sep 1971Paul Harvey; Louise LasserDick Haymes; Joe Williams; Larry Kert
11 Oct 1971Steve Allen (guest host); Jayne Meadows; Bob Einstein; Amy VanderbiltLarry Kert; Victor Borge
3 Dec 1971Rod Steiger; Otto PremingerLarry Kert; Martina Arroyo
27 Dec 1971Joan Rivers; Tony RandallEthel Ennis; Larry Kert
12 Sep 1972Karen Valentine; Rodney DangerfieldLarry Kert; Phyllis McGuireDuplicated in the source PDF; shown once here.
16 Nov 1972From New York City: Debbie Reynolds; Rex Reed; Patsy KellyLarry Kert; Linda HopkinsDuplicated in the source PDF; also appears in the general credits PDF.
11 Jan 1973Michael Caine; Pat McCormickConnie Stevens; Ella Fitzgerald; Larry KertAlso appears in the general credits PDF.
12 Mar 1973Joey Bishop (guest host); Totie Fields; Joe Frazier; Bill ShoemakerEnzo Stuarti; Larry Kert
20 Mar 1973Bob Newhart; Erich SegalLarry Kert; Vikki CarrAlso appears in the general credits PDF.
1 May 1973Joan Embery; Dub TaylorLarry Kert; Lola Falana
12 Jun 1973Robert Blake; Jaye P. MorganLarry Kert
12 Jul 1973Bob Newhart; Ronald J. FieldsLarry Kert; The Pointer SistersSource PDF second date is 12/06/1973; month requires confirmation.
13 Aug 1974John Davidson (guest host); Sandy DuncanLarry Kert; Loretta LynnSource PDF second date is 13/08/1973; year requires confirmation.
14 Aug 1973James Garner; Pete DePaoloLarry Kert; Roger Miller
24 Oct 1973Kirk Douglas; Joan Rivers; Johnny HartLarry Kert
13 Dec 1973Shecky Greene; Kelly Monteith; Thalassa CrusoLarry Kert
17 Jun 1976Susan Sarandon; John Byner; Jay Robert NashLarry Kert
4 Nov 1976Lee Marvin; Orson Bean; Herbert A. WagnerLarry Kert
17 Jun 1977Igor Cassini; Dr. William NolenLarry Kert; Lola Falana

Why the Carson Appearances Matter

The scale of these appearances changes the picture of Larry Kert's television career. He was not simply an occasional dramatic guest actor who happened to appear on Johnny Carson a few times. During the 1970s, he repeatedly appeared on one of American television's most important national entertainment programmes while continuing his Broadway, concert and cabaret work.

Several of the Carson entries place him alongside major entertainers including Ella Fitzgerald, Vikki Carr, Lola Falana, Victor Borge, Martina Arroyo, Marilyn Horne, Roger Miller and The Pointer Sisters. The source list also records episodes hosted by Steve Allen, Joey Bishop and John Davidson.

Important Source Discrepancies

  • Love, American Style: the uploaded screen-credit PDF gives Kert's role as Joe; the general credits PDF gives Arthur.
  • Kraft Suspense Theatre: the surname appears as Feruzzi in one PDF and Ferruzzi in another.
  • Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II: the uploaded screen-credit PDF says two episodes; the general credits PDF specifically identifies “Chapter 3”.
  • Johnny Carson dates: the source has internal date conflicts for 8 July 1971, 12 July 1973 and 13 August 1974. They are flagged in the table pending confirmation.

Other Surviving Television Material

The existing Larry Kert archive also preserves or identifies material outside these three principal credit lists, including a Schaefer commercial, Musical Chairs, and research leads for other television appearances. Those items remain linked below rather than being merged into the verified tables above.