Edd Byrnes

Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series 77 Sunset Strip. He also was featured in the 1978 film Grease as television teen-dance show host Vince Fontaine, and was a charting recording artist with "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" (with Connie Stevens).

Byrnes was born in New York City, the son of Mary (Byrne) and Augustus "Gus" Breitenberger.

He had two siblings, Vincent and Jo-Ann.

After his abusive alcoholic father died when Edd was 13, he dropped his last name in favor of Byrnes, based on the name of his maternal grandfather Edward Byrne.

Byrnes developed the urge to act in high school but did not seriously consider pursuing it until after he had tried a number of other jobs, such as driving an ambulance, roofing and selling flowers.

At age 17, he found work as a photographer's model.

Byrnes also appeared in episodes of the late-1950s series Wire Service and Navy Log.

After a year, Byrnes moved to Hollywood.

He appeared in a stage production of Tea and Sympathy.

Kookie called everybody "Dad" (as in "Sure thing . . . Dad") and was television's homage to the "Jack Kerouac" style of cult-hipster of the late 1950s.

The show became the most popular one in the country.

To the thrill of teen viewers, Kookie spoke a jive-talk "code" to everyone, whether you understood him or not, and Kookie knew, better than others, "the word on the street."

In 1956, Byrnes got an unpaid job in a summer stock theatre company in Connecticut, the Litchfield Community Playhouse.

He soon began appearing in the company's plays as an actor; he also tried to get roles in Broadway theatre productions, but had no luck.

Also that year, he was cast in an episode of the Crossroads TV program.

Byrnes also appeared in episodes of The Adventures of Jim Bowie, and Telephone Time and in the film Fear Strikes Out (1957).

Byrnes was third-billed in the low budget exploitation film Reform School Girl (1957) for American International Pictures, co-starring Sally Kellerman; the same year, he had a supporting role in the Warner Bros. film Johnny Trouble.

In 1957, Byrnes signed a three-year contract with John Carroll of Clarion Pictures.

He tested for roles in the films Bernardine and Until They Sail but was unsuccessful.

He did, however, guest star on an episode of Cheyenne made by Warner Bros., and a contemporary report described him as "a Tab Hunter type.".

The studio liked Byrnes' work and signed him to a long-term contract in May 1957.

He was wanted for Baby Face Nelson (1957), but Warners would not loan him out.

Warners started off Byrnes' contract by assigning him to a comic role in the war drama The Deep Six (1958).

He also appeared in episodes of Cheyenne, The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna and Colt .45.

In 1958 he appeared (credited as Edward Byrnes) as Benji Danton on Cheyenne in the episode titled "The Last Comanchero."

When Tab Hunter refused a role in the war film Darby's Rangers (1958), Byrnes stepped in instead.

Byrnes also appeared in the romantic drama Marjorie Morningstar (1958) and Life Begins at 17 (1958).

He appeared as a guest star in Maverick, The Deputy, and Sugarfoot, in the latter with John Russell, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.., and Will Wright in the 1958 season-premiere episode "Ring of Sand."

The show aired in October 1958 and was so popular Warners decided to turn it into a TV series: 77 Sunset Strip.

Byrnes' character became an immediate national teen sensation, prompting the producers to make Byrnes a regular cast member.

They transformed Kookie from a hitman into a parking valet at Dino's Lodge who helped as a private investigator.

Zimbalist Jr. explained the situation to the audience:

Kookie's recurring character—a different, exciting look that teens of the day related to—was the valet-parking attendant who constantly combed his piled-high, greasy-styled teen hair, often in a windbreaker jacket, and who worked part-time at the so-called Dean Martin's Dino's Lodge restaurant, next door to a private-investigator agency at 77 Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.

Kookie frequently acted as an unlicensed, protégé detective who helped the private eyes (Zimbalist and Roger Smith) on their cases, based upon "the word" heard from Kookie's street informants.

He was in another war film titled Up Periscope (1959).

Byrnes was cast in Girl on the Run, a pilot for a detective show starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr..

Byrnes played contract killer Kenneth ("Kookie") Smiley, who continually combed his hair – Byrnes said this was an idea of his which the director liked and kept in.

Around this time Byrnes decided to change his acting name from "Edward" to "Edd".

"I just dreamed it up one day", he said.

"Edward is too formal and there are lots of Eddies."