Who Am I? June 2024

I was born and raised “where true love conquers in the wilds.”* There my dad owned and ran a 24-hour luncheonette that catered to an immigrant population. My mom, Ida, had emigrated from Russia and my dad, Max, from Poland. While waiting on tables and hanging around at the eatery I picked up the rhythm and speech patterns of the patrons. That served me well later in life because I honed my “double-speak” routines and many of my sketches based on my early experiences in that restaurant.

I briefly attended Juilliard School and was said to be a credible clarinet and sax player. I performed on those wind instruments in the Catskills and also professionally with the big band orchestras of Charlie Spivak, Shep Fields and Claude Thornhill.

I served honorably in the Coast Guard during WWII and further developed my natural comedic skills there. During my service I appeared in a military revue that later became a feature film in which I reprised my role.

Critics called me a non-sensical comic because I didn’t tell jokes per se but rather got my laughs from my rubber face, my double-speak, my so called polyglot reputation(albeit the fact that I only really spoke English and Yiddish), and my nutty routines and sketches that often stretched to 10 or more minutes. I had a team of writers that now reads like a “Who’s Who?” of Jewish comedians.

Since I was considered among the pioneers of early live television I was honored by being inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. One can also find my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Along my long journey through life I’ve written two autobiographies. In 1971, I even appeared, live and onstage right here in Bergen County. 
*Lyrics from a song by Rodgers and Hart

That’s me in the photos below. In the bottom left I am giving my buff “Charles Atlas” pose and in the bottom right I am enjoying a good stogie. (1a)”Who am I”? (1b)Where was I born and raised? (2)What military service revue was I in that later became a feature film with me appearing in the cast? (3a)Name one of my autobiographies (3b) Where exactly on Hollywood Boulevard is my star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame? (4) Name just 2 of my famous writers. (5a)On what stage did I appear in Bergen County? (5b) In my Bergen County appearance I still had enough star quality to pack the house. What play did I star in? (5c)Who authored that play?