Jack E. Leonard (born Leonard Lebitsky; April 24, 1910 – May 10, 1973) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

who made frequent appearances on television

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

and

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

Biography

Leonard was born Leonard Lebitsky on April 24, 1910, in Chicago (“You know, the city where kids play robbers and robbers”), the son of a Jewish tailor. He claimed that one of his childhood friends was

Baby Face Nelson Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), also known as George Nelson and Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber who became a criminal partner of John Dillinger, when he helped Dillinger escape from prison, in Crown P ...

. As a young man, he worked as a lifeguard (“I swam against

Johnny Weissmuller Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...

... and he was so fast I haven't seen him since”), and first worked professionally as a dancer, competing in Charleston contests. In the 1930s, he joined a vaudeville troupe, then began touring with the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

s, playing nightclubs all over the country. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he toured bases with the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

. ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'', hosted by

Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, author, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of '' The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time'' magazine's obituary of Paar rep ...

, marked his first national exposure. For the next several years he worked steadily in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

, and made hundreds of television appearances on various panel and variety shows. He made occasional recordings, and appeared in a handful of motion pictures, such as ''

Three Sailors and a Girl ''Three Sailors and a Girl'' is a 1953 Technicolor musical film made by Warner Bros. It was directed by Roy Del Ruth and written by Devery Freeman and Roland Kibbee, based on the George S. Kaufman play '' The Butter and Egg Man''. Ray Heindorf w ...

''. Leonard's comedic method was

sarcastic Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflection ...

and aggressive, creating an " insult humor" genre which anticipated

Don Rickles Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include ''Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958) with Clark Gable, Carl Reiner's ''Enter La ...

. ( Leonard was roastmaster at the Friars' Club roast of Rickles, who he introduced as "a man who's been doing my act for about 12 years now.") A trademark line, after taking off his hat to reveal his bald head: "What did you expect, feathers?" He also referenced his weight problem in his act. Leonard's strong and unapologetic onstage personality ("Good evening, opponents!") belied a gentle and giving spirit that would occasionally be revealed in his act when he would sing a sentimental song. He wore a distinctive outfit: a dark suit, purposely two sizes too small, a white narrow-brimmed hat, and

horn-rimmed glasses Horn-rimmed glasses are a type of eyeglasses. Originally made out of either horn or tortoise shell, for most of their history they have actually been constructed out of thick plastics designed to imitate those materials. They are characterized ...

. On one variety show, Leonard's contemporaneous popularity was demonstrated when a lookalike came on stage and did a Leonard-like

schtick A shtick ( yi, שטיק) is a comic theme or gimmick. The word entered the English language from the Yiddish ''shtik'' (שטיק), in turn derived from German ''Stück'' and Polish ''sztuka'' (both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *''stukkiją'') ...

. Then Leonard walked on stage and addressed his ''

doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

'': "You've got a great future, son, but not in this business!" In March 1973, he collapsed shortly after finishing a performance at the

Rainbow Room The Rainbow Room is a private event space on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Tishman Speyer, it is among the highest venues in New York City. The Rainbow Room serves cla ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and underwent emergency

cardiac bypass surgery Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pa ...

, but died several weeks later at age 63.

Discography

* ''Rock and Roll for Kids Over Sixteen'' (1957) Vik LX-1080 mono * ''How to Lose Weight with Fat Jack'' (1964) * ''Scream on Someone You Love Today'' (1967)

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (1953) – Porky * '' The Disorderly Orderly'' (1964) – Fat Jack * ''

The World of Abbott and Costello ''The World of Abbott and Costello'' is a 1965 American compilation film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. Plot This film is a compilation of scenes from eighteen films that Abbott and Costello made for Universal Pictures between ...

'' (1965) – Narrator (compilation of clips from

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People * Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

movies) * '' The Dictator's Guns'' (1965) – Keefer * ''

The Fat Spy ''The Fat Spy'' is a 1966 Z movie that attempts to parody teenage beach party films rather than spy films. It was filmed at Cape Coral, Florida. It is featured in the 2004 documentary ''The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made''. Briefly released to theate ...

'' (1966) – Irving / Herman Gonjular (Twins) * '' A Man Called Adam'' (1966) – Himself, Party Guest (uncredited) * '' Target: Harry'' (1969) – Valdez * '' Journey Back to Oz'' (1972) – The Signpost (voice) (final film role)

References

External links

*
Radiotapes.com
Aircheck of Jack E. Leonard on WLOL-AM Radio (Minneapolis) from approximately 1960 {{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Jack E. 1910 births 1973 deaths American male comedians Male actors from Chicago Jewish American male actors Jewish American comedians 20th-century American male actors Comedians from Illinois Jewish American male comedians 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American Jews