Professor Lamberti
Encyclopedia
Professor Lamberti was an American
vaudeville
and burlesque
performer active during the early part of the 20th century. He was billed as "the world's daffiest xylophonist
".
He was born January 9, 1892, in Indiana
. At age seven he appeared in minstrel shows, at nine he was a boy juggler. By his teens he was appearing with the Henderson Stock Company and at 17 he joined the Adam Forepaugh circus as a wire artist and juggler. He later became a theatre musician playing drums and xylophone.
Lamberti's musical skills were good enough to get him work with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. But as he once said "You can't make a living out of the xylophone if you play it right." After fighting in World War I
, he began appearing in vaudeville, honing a comic xylophone act that he used successfully for many years.
According to Lamberti, he was playing on a vaudeville bill in Topeka, Kansas
when a magician's ducks escaped and wandered on the stage behind him. The audience went wild, and Lamberti decided that he would do well adding some comedy to his act.
Generally, his act would begin with Lamberti striding onstage pushing a xylophone proclaiming, "If you folks have been waiting for something lousy, here it is." Wearing an ill-fitting tuxedo, Lamberti would launch into a piece of music replete with mistakes, which were echoed on his face. As he got further into the piece, a young woman would appear behind and begin a striptease. As the audience encouraged the woman, Lamberti would mistake their excitement for encouragement of his playing. After realizing the presence of the stripper, Lamberti would chase her offstage with a seltzer bottle, thus ending the act.
Throughout the 1940s Lamberti appeared in nightclubs, and in 1942, he appeared in Michael Todd
's production of Star and Garter with Bobby Clark and Gypsy Rose Lee
. In 1945 he performed his xylophone act in the musical Tonight and Every Night
starring Rita Hayworth
.
He died at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, Hollywood, California, on March 13, 1950 at the age of 58. His wife Millie was at his side.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vaudeville
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...
and burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
performer active during the early part of the 20th century. He was billed as "the world's daffiest xylophonist
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
".
He was born January 9, 1892, in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. At age seven he appeared in minstrel shows, at nine he was a boy juggler. By his teens he was appearing with the Henderson Stock Company and at 17 he joined the Adam Forepaugh circus as a wire artist and juggler. He later became a theatre musician playing drums and xylophone.
Lamberti's musical skills were good enough to get him work with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. But as he once said "You can't make a living out of the xylophone if you play it right." After fighting in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he began appearing in vaudeville, honing a comic xylophone act that he used successfully for many years.
According to Lamberti, he was playing on a vaudeville bill in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
when a magician's ducks escaped and wandered on the stage behind him. The audience went wild, and Lamberti decided that he would do well adding some comedy to his act.
Generally, his act would begin with Lamberti striding onstage pushing a xylophone proclaiming, "If you folks have been waiting for something lousy, here it is." Wearing an ill-fitting tuxedo, Lamberti would launch into a piece of music replete with mistakes, which were echoed on his face. As he got further into the piece, a young woman would appear behind and begin a striptease. As the audience encouraged the woman, Lamberti would mistake their excitement for encouragement of his playing. After realizing the presence of the stripper, Lamberti would chase her offstage with a seltzer bottle, thus ending the act.
Throughout the 1940s Lamberti appeared in nightclubs, and in 1942, he appeared in Michael Todd
Michael Todd
Mike or Michael Todd may refer to:*Mike Todd , American film producer*Mike Todd, Jr. , son of American film producer Mike Todd and stepson to Elizabeth Taylor...
's production of Star and Garter with Bobby Clark and Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.-Early life:...
. In 1945 he performed his xylophone act in the musical Tonight and Every Night
Tonight and Every Night
Tonight and Every Night is a 1945 musical film starring Rita Hayworth and Lee Bowman, about wartime romance and tragedy in a London music hall that was determined not to miss a single performance during the Blitz...
starring Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
.
He died at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, Hollywood, California, on March 13, 1950 at the age of 58. His wife Millie was at his side.