Joe Laurie Jr. (February 24, 1892 – April 29, 1954) was an American vaudeville monologist who later performed on radio and on Broadway. He was born in New York City.
[DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; , p. 160.]
On radio he was one of the comedic panelists on the popular joke-telling series, ''
Can You Top This?
''Can You Top This?'' was a radio panel game in which comedians told jokes and tried to top one another. The unrehearsed program, sponsored at one point by a papaya-flavored soft drink called Par and later by Colgate-Palmolive, was created by ...
'' with
Edward Hastings Ford
Edward Hastings Ford (1887 – January 27, 1970) was a vaudeville comedian who created the radio show ''Can You Top This?'', on which he appeared as the character Senator Ford.
Early years
Ford was born Edward Hastings Fauth in Brooklyn in 1887 a ...
.
[Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 61.] He also portrayed the character of Sniffy on the Mutual daytime drama, ''We Were Always Young''.
Books
Laurie's jokes were part of ''Cream of the Crop'' (Grosset and Dunlap, 1947) along with other members of the ''Can You Top This?'' team. He collaborated with
Abel Green Abel Green (June 3, 1900 – May 10, 1973) was an American journalist best known as the editor of ''Variety'' for forty years. Sime Silverman first hired Green as a reporter in 1918, and Green's byline first appeared on May 30, 1919.
Biography
...
on the show business history, ''Show Biz: From Vaude to Video'' (1951) and then followed with his memoir, ''Vaudeville: From the Honky-Tonks to the Palace'' (1953).
Family
Laurie's first wife was his vaudeville partner, Aleen Bronson, in the act, Laurie & Bronson. During the 1940s, Laurie and his second wife, Nellie Butcher (1922–1954), stage named June Tempest, lived in Manhattan. He was survived by his son, Joseph Bryant Hughes Laurie.
Profile
imdb.com; accessed August 16, 2017.
Joe Laurie Jr. died in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in 1954, aged 63, from undisclosed causes.
References
External links
Photo of Joe Laurie Jr.
Joe Laurie Jr. papers, 1877–1954 [bulk 1912–1954]
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...
Joe Laurie Jr. drawings collection, 1914–1952
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...
Annie Hart papers and scrapbooks, 1922–1947
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...
. Includes correspondence from Joe Laurie Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurie, Joe Jr.
Laurie Jr., Joe
1954 deaths
1892 births
Members of The Lambs Club