Larry Storch, the actor who played an unforgettable television oddball on the 1960s farce “F Troop” and for years kept a personal secret that was odd in its own way, passed away on Friday at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was 99.
June Cross, Larry’s Stepdaughter, confirmed his death.
Mr. Storch was a stand-up comedian and theatrical actor with more than 30 years of experience before joining the cast of “F Troop” in 1965. His other endeavors, on the other hand, were overshadowed by his impact during the two-season run of ABC’s “F Troop” from 1965 to 1967
Mr. Storch played Cpl. Randolph Agarn, one of the more odious misfits in a unit full of them, in this comedy that followed an outpost called Fort Courage in Indian country shortly after the Civil War. Agarn and his business partner, Sgt. Morgan O’Rourke (forrest Tucker), were constantly developing money
Mr. Storch played Cpl. Randolph Agarn in the TV series, which followed an outpost called Fort Courage in Indian country just after the Civil War and starred Forrest Tucker as Agarn and Forest Tucker as O’Rourke. Agarn and his business partner, Sgt. Morgan O’Rourke (played by Forrest Tucker), were constantly
O’Rourke was the mastermind of the collaboration; Agarn provided the foolishness while Mr. Storch’s years of comedic training prepared him for this juicy part. His act in nightclubs included a variety of impersonations, including ones based on various “F Troop” episodes: He played not just Agarn, but also several relatives
But “F Troop” wasn’t long on the air. It, like many other sitcoms in that era of restricted television options, became imprinted in people’s minds, perhaps in part because it played with stereotypes — especially those hard-drinking, firewater-brewing Indians — that would soon go out of vogue on TV.
According to Mr. Tucker, Mr. Storch was initially cast as Agarn in a 2007 interview with The Asbury Park Press.
“I was supposed to be the sergeant,” Mr. Storch stated, “but when they saw Forrest Tucker dressed in a cavalry suit — he looked like a polar bear — they said, ‘That’s going to be it.’ Forrest Tucker later said: ‘Wait a minute. I’m going to need a corporal around here, and I think he and I would have good chemistry.’”
Mr. Storch spent time with his young son and entertained us even when he wasn’t on the stage or screen. He and his wife, Norma Greve, were married in 1961, before which she had a biracial daughter named Ms. Cross with a Black entertainer named Jimmy Cross.
