Gailard Sartain From ‘Hee Haw’ Went From Making Music To Making Album Covers

Welcome to Kornfield Kounty, host of the most musical variety show, Hee Haw. There were quite a few regulars on this unique program, but perhaps one of the most recognizable was Gailard Sartain, a musical talent who stayed with the show for almost two decades. But what about Sartain’s career outside of Hee Haw?

Sartain was born on September 18, 1946 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and most of his characters would, similarly, have roots in the South. Although Sartain’s father was a fire chief, Sartain heard the siren call of the stage more than the truck and graduated college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In pursuit of this dream, he uprooted his life and made for New York City, where he served as an assistant to graphic illustrator Paul Davis.

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Sartain got his start in entertainment back in his native Tulsa, originally as a cameraman. But he got a chance to further show his stuff in the comedy show The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting. Sartain’s first claim to fame was as the magical Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi. Sartain ran the show and worked with the likes of Gary Busey – a fellow Tulsa native – and Jim Millaway.

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Mazeppa Pompazoidi cast a spell on audiences and secured just the fame Sartain needed to attract attention for hiring on Hee Haw. Sartain would remain a series regular for roughly 20 years, although he added many other notable credits to his resume along the way, including Cher, featuring the Goddess of Pop herself, and, eventually, Walker, Texas Ranger as C. D. Parker.

Parker was a role Sartain was prepared to stay with until the show ended completely. However, producers thought he was too young for the part. Although Sartain was ready to undergo whatever he needed to be visually aged up, Noble Willingham ultimately took the role because Sartain was younger than Chuck Norris and looked it.

Shifting gears within the arts

Other noteworthy credits include three Ernest films: Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Saves Christmas, and Ernest Goes to Jail. However, if Sartain were to pick a favorite, it would be 2005’s Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. In fact, he enjoyed that experience so much that Sartain couldn’t imagine things getting better than that. Anticipating no chance of raising the bar, Sartain decided to call it a wrap and retire that very year.

Sartain retired from acting but not from the arts and indeed Sartain went on to become an accomplished artist. Some of his illustrations have been featured in nationally published magazines. He also illustrated Will O’ the Wisp for Leon Russell. Sartain celebrated turning 77 in the autumn of 2023 and has been perfectly fine with keeping a low profile, although he has said that if something intrigues him, he’d be willing to give it a shot.