Hee Haw Legend Gailard Sartain Dies at 78—Tulsa Mourns Its Wild-Eyed Comic
Soooo, apparently showbiz just got a little less weird with the news that Gailard Sartain has passed away at 78, and honestly, it feels like losing a quirky family member you didn’t even know you had. The beloved character actor, famous for his bug-eyed Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi on Tulsa’s “Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting” and later a staple on the country-comedy juggernaut “Hee Haw,” quietly bowed out this week after a long health decline—no official cause yet, TMZ confirms from Teresa Knox, CEO of Tulsa’s iconic Church Studio.
Sartain’s résumé reads like a deep dive into ’70s and ’80s Americana: over 60 screen credits that stretch from the civil-rights drama Mississippi Burning to the Southern-fried sweetness of Fried Green Tomatoes, plus three Ernest films, a turn in The Outsiders and even The Buddy Holly Story. Yet, if you were channel-surfing in ’72 and stumbled onto “Hee Haw,” you couldn’t miss him. Victoria Hallman—who played Miss Honeydew on the show—tells TMZ he was like a big brother on set, cracking everyone up so hard they had to restart takes. “I knew he wasn’t in good health,” she said, “but you always trick yourself into thinking people will hang on. Waking up to this announcement in the wee hours was a shock.”
Before national TV, Gailard honed his eccentric persona on local Tulsa airwaves, transforming a low-budget late-night slot into cult gold with his Doctor Pompazoidi sketches on KOTV. That offbeat energy even carried him into Hollywood supporting turns, where his Southern drawl and zany expressions made him irresistible to directors looking for comic relief. Off-camera, he and wife Mary Jo lent their time to The Church Studio—a Tulsa arts institution—where Mary Jo volunteered and Gailard’s memory will be honored as that of “an extraordinary actor, artist and comedian,” Knox tells us.
Fans and friends are already sharing throwbacks—grainy sketches, blooper reels and behind-the-scenes snaps from the Hee Haw barn—to celebrate a performer whose humor felt equal parts homespun and off-the-wall. There’s a retrospective screening planned at The Church Studio, and insiders hint at a special tribute episode from surviving Hee Haw cast members. And while Hollywood may keep weaving new celebrity sagas, Gailard’s brand of fumble-fingered gags and razor-sharp timing carved a legacy that feels stubbornly enduring.
Anyway, that’s the deal. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ
The Church Studio (Tulsa, OK)
Interview with Victoria Hallman
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
