Joe Frisco
Encyclopedia
Joe Frisco was an American vaudeville
performer who first made his name on stage as a jazz dancer, but later incorporated his stuttering voice to his act and became a popular comedian.
Born Louis Wilson Joseph (Milan, Illinois
, November 4, 1889). In the mid and late 1910s he performed with some of the first jazz
bands in Chicago and New York City, including Tom Brown's Band from Dixieland
, the Original Dixieland Jass Band
, and the Louisiana Five
. He made his Broadway
debut in the Florenz Ziegfeld Follies
in 1918. Frisco was a mainstay on the vaudeville circuit in the 1920s and 1930s.
His popular jazz dance act (called by some the “Jewish Charleston”) was a choreographed series of shuffles, camel walks and turns. It was usually performed to Darktown Strutters’ Ball. It, or at least a minute or so of it, can be seen in the film Atlantic City (1944). He typically wore a derby hat, and had a king-sized cigar in his mouth as he danced. He often performed in front of a backing danceline of beautiful women wearing leotards, short jackets and bowler hats—and “puffing” on big prop cigars.
Frisco was a compulsive gambler and spent many afternoons while in New York City at the track with actor Jay C. Flippen
, playwright Jerry Devine, actor Martin Gabel
(husband of Arlene Francis
) and Danny Lavezzo (owner of P. J. Clarke's
), and when he began to incorporate stand-up comedy into his act, his humor revolved on tales about his bad luck gambling, speakeasies, and his constant state of debt.
Frisco stuttered, but could recite scripted dialogue without impairment. His 1930 comedy short The Happy Hottentots shows Frisco as a snappy vaudevillian, without any speech impediment at all. He soon became known for his witty off-stage remarks, made in a stammering voice: “After they made that guy, th-th-they threw away the sh-sh-shovel!”
Many vaudevillians traveled with animals that were included in their routines. While in New York, Frisco called down to the front desk of a hotel and said, "The smell in my room is t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e, my g-g-goat can't s-s-sleep." The concierge replied, "Try opening the window." Frisco answered, "What? And let my p-p-pigeons out?"
Perhaps his most famous line was uttered while in a New York hotel. The room clerk called and said, "Mr. Frisco, we understand you have a young lady in your room." Frisco replied, "T-t-t-then send up another G-g-gideon B-b-bible, please."
In the 1940s, he moved to Hollywood, made appearances in several low-budget and otherwise forgettable movies. According to the American Vaudeville Museum, later in Frisco’s career, bookies and IRS agents lined up outside the paymaster’s door at theaters where Frisco was performing in order to collect on their debts.
Joe Frisco died of cancer
, virtually penniless, on February 12, 1958, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performer who first made his name on stage as a jazz dancer, but later incorporated his stuttering voice to his act and became a popular comedian.
Born Louis Wilson Joseph (Milan, Illinois
Milan, Illinois
Milan is a village in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,257 at the 2000 census.The village is located near the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Before ceasing operations in 2003, Eagle Food Centers was based out of Milan....
, November 4, 1889). In the mid and late 1910s he performed with some of the first jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bands in Chicago and New York City, including Tom Brown's Band from Dixieland
Tom Brown (trombonist)
Tom Brown , sometimes known by the nickname Red Brown, was an early New Orleans dixieland jazz trombonist. He also played string bass professionally....
, the Original Dixieland Jass Band
Original Dixieland Jass Band
The Original Dixieland Jass Band were a New Orleans, Dixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz single ever issued. The group composed and made the first recordings of many jazz standards, the most famous being Tiger Rag...
, and the Louisiana Five
Louisiana Five
The Louisiana Five was an early dixieland jazz band that was active from 1918-1920. It was among the earliest jazz groups to record extensively.-History:The Louisiana Five was led by Anton Lada, who played the drums....
. He made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in the Florenz Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
in 1918. Frisco was a mainstay on the vaudeville circuit in the 1920s and 1930s.
His popular jazz dance act (called by some the “Jewish Charleston”) was a choreographed series of shuffles, camel walks and turns. It was usually performed to Darktown Strutters’ Ball. It, or at least a minute or so of it, can be seen in the film Atlantic City (1944). He typically wore a derby hat, and had a king-sized cigar in his mouth as he danced. He often performed in front of a backing danceline of beautiful women wearing leotards, short jackets and bowler hats—and “puffing” on big prop cigars.
Frisco was a compulsive gambler and spent many afternoons while in New York City at the track with actor Jay C. Flippen
Jay C. Flippen
Jay C. Flippen is an American character actor who often played police officers or weary criminals in many films of the 1940s/'50s....
, playwright Jerry Devine, actor Martin Gabel
Martin Gabel
Martin Gabel was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Life and career:Gabel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Ruth and Israel Gabel, who was a jeweler...
(husband of Arlene Francis
Arlene Francis
Arlene Francis was an American actress, radio talk show host, and game show panelist...
) and Danny Lavezzo (owner of P. J. Clarke's
P. J. Clarke's
P. J. Clarke's is a famous saloon, established 1884 and occupying a building located at 915 Third Avenue on the northeast corner of 55th Street in New York City.- History :...
), and when he began to incorporate stand-up comedy into his act, his humor revolved on tales about his bad luck gambling, speakeasies, and his constant state of debt.
Frisco stuttered, but could recite scripted dialogue without impairment. His 1930 comedy short The Happy Hottentots shows Frisco as a snappy vaudevillian, without any speech impediment at all. He soon became known for his witty off-stage remarks, made in a stammering voice: “After they made that guy, th-th-they threw away the sh-sh-shovel!”
Many vaudevillians traveled with animals that were included in their routines. While in New York, Frisco called down to the front desk of a hotel and said, "The smell in my room is t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e, my g-g-goat can't s-s-sleep." The concierge replied, "Try opening the window." Frisco answered, "What? And let my p-p-pigeons out?"
Perhaps his most famous line was uttered while in a New York hotel. The room clerk called and said, "Mr. Frisco, we understand you have a young lady in your room." Frisco replied, "T-t-t-then send up another G-g-gideon B-b-bible, please."
In the 1940s, he moved to Hollywood, made appearances in several low-budget and otherwise forgettable movies. According to the American Vaudeville Museum, later in Frisco’s career, bookies and IRS agents lined up outside the paymaster’s door at theaters where Frisco was performing in order to collect on their debts.
Joe Frisco died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, virtually penniless, on February 12, 1958, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
.
Filmography
- Sweet Smell of SuccessSweet Smell of SuccessSweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film noir made by Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Alexander Mackendrick and stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison and Martin Milner. The screenplay was written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman...
(1957) - Riding HighRiding High (1950 film)Riding High is a black and white musical racetrack film featuring Bing Crosby and directed by Frank Capra in which the songs were actually sung as the movie was being filmed instead of the customary lip-synching to previous recordings. The movie is a remake of an earlier Capra film called...
(1950) - That's My Man (1947)
- Shady Lady (1945)
- Atlantic CityAtlantic City (1944 film)Atlantic City is a 1944 musical romance directed by Ray McCarey. The film concerns the formative years of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Vaudeville acts are re-created in the story of how Atlantic City became a famous resort.-Plot:...
(1944) - Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride (1940)
- Western Jamboree (1938)
- The GorillaThe Gorilla (disambiguation)The Gorilla is the title of a play written by Ralph Spence. The Gorilla may also refer to:* The Gorilla , the 1927 silent film based on the play.* The Gorilla , the 1930 sound remake of the 1927 film....
(1930) - The Benefit (1930)
- The Border Patrol (1930)
- The Happy Hottentots (1930)
- The Song Plugger (1930)
Trivia
- He was so well known for his jazz dance that writer F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott FitzgeraldFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
makes reference to him in The Great GatsbyThe Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
when he describes how an actress at one of Gatsby's parties starts the revelry: "Suddenly one of the gypsies, in trembling opal, seizes a cocktail out of the air, dumps it down for courage and, moving her hands like Frisco, dances out alone on the canvas platform." The Great GatsbyThe Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
, chapter 3. - He was friendly with Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
who constantly gave him money. - He was illiterate.