Joey Faye (born Joseph Antony Palladino, July 12, 1909 or 1910 or 1902– April 26, 1997) was an American comedian and actor. Born in New York City, he gained fame as a comic in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and claimed that he created two of vaudeville's more renowned pieces of business, "Floogle Street" (a.k.a. "Susquehana Hat Company") and "

Slowly I Turned "Slowly I Turned" is a popular vaudeville sketch wherein a character is relating a story and is triggered into violent outbursts when the listener inadvertently utters a triggering word or phrase. Versions have also been performed in movies and o ...

". In addition to an active career in

and the legitimate theater, he appeared in many movies and TV shows.

Broadway

The Republic Theatre was the site of Faye's New York stage debut at age 21. During World War II, he entertained Allied military personnel in Africa and Europe as part of a troupe headed by Marlene Dietrich. Faye playe
second banana
(the second-ranking comedian in a show) to

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

in two Broadway shows, '' High Button Shoes'' and '' Top Banana''. He also appeared in the 1954 film. In a Broadway career that stretched between the late 1930s and the early 1990s, he appeared in 17 shows altogether, including ''

Room Service Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...

'' (his Broadway debut) and '' The Tender Trap''. He also appeared in the 1955 movie adaptation), the 1965 revival of ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'', and

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's musical '' Little Me''. He appeared as a guest in many TV shows from 1949 through 1984 and a series of short subject films, including '' Mack & Myer for Hire'' (1963), about two bumbling plumbers, who rode around in a motorcycle with a sidecar, attempting repairs, but producing chaos.

Personal life

Faye was married three times—to Eileen Jenkins, Ginna Carr, and Judy Carlin. He once lived in

Great Kills, Staten Island Great Kills is a neighborhood within the borough of Staten Island in New York City. It is located on the island's South Shore, and according to many local geographers, it is the South Shore's northernmost community. It is bordered by Richmondtow ...

Death

Faye died of a heart attack in Englewood, New Jersey, on April 26, 1997. He was 87 years old.

Filmography

Film

*'' Close-Up'' (1948) - Roger *'' Let's Do It Again'' (1953) - Party Guest (uncredited) *'' Top Banana'' (1954) - Pinky *'' The Tender Trap'' (1955) - Sol Z. Steiner *'' Street of Sinners'' (1957) - Pete *''

Hear Me Good ''Hear Me Good'' is a 1957 American comedy film written and directed by Don McGuire. The film stars Hal March, Joe E. Ross, Merry Anders, Jean Willes, Milton Frome and Joey Faye. The film was released in October 1957, by Paramount Pictures. Pl ...

'' (1957) - Charlie Cooper *'' Sing, Boy, Sing'' (1958) - Mr. Baron (uncredited) *'' Ten North Frederick'' (1958) - Taxi Driver (uncredited) *'' The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock'' (1959) - Booster (uncredited) *''

North to Alaska ''North to Alaska'' is a 1960 comedic Western/Northern film directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne (uncredited). The picture stars Wayne along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian, and Capucine. The script is based on the 1939 play ' ...

'' (1960) - Miner / Artist (uncredited) *''

The Wizard of Baghdad ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1960) - Coutiere (uncredited) *''

That Touch of Mink ''That Touch of Mink'' is a 1962 American romantic comedy film directed by Delbert Mann and starring Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young, and Audrey Meadows. Plot Cathy Timberlake, an unemployed New York City career woman, goes to the unemploymen ...

'' (1962) - Short Man *'' For Love or Money'' (1963) - Bread Shopper on 16mm Film *'' Diary of a Bachelor'' (1964) - Bachelor *'' Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round'' (1966) - Joe (uncredited) *''

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...

'' (1966) - Spectator (uncredited) *''

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' may refer to: * ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (book), a 1952 book written by Shepherd Mead and the inspiration for the musical of the same name. * ''How to Succeed in Bu ...

'' (1967) - Taxi Driver (uncredited) *'' The Night They Raided Minsky's'' (1967) - Professor Spats ( body double for the deceased

Bert Lahr Irving Lahrheim (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American actor. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the MGM adaptation of ...

in select scenes, uncredited) *'' No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968) - Caretaker (uncredited) *'' What's So Bad About Feeling Good?'' (1968) - Zookeeper (uncredited) *''

The Grissom Gang ''The Grissom Gang'' is a 1971 American crime neo noir directed and produced by Robert Aldrich from a screenplay by Leon Griffiths. The film is the second adaptation of the 1939 novel '' No Orchids for Miss Blandish'' by James Hadley Chase; ...

'' (1971) - Woppy *'' The War Between Men and Women'' (1972) - Delivery Boy *''

The Front ''The Front'' is a 1976 drama film set against the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s, when artists, writers, directors, and others were rendered unemployable, having been accused of subversive political activities in support of Communism or of b ...

'' (1976) - Waiter *''

Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' ( it, C'era una volta in America) is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture prod ...

'' (1984) - Adorable Old Man (final film role)

Television

*'' Straightaway'' (1961, episode "The Bribe") - Kinette *'' Late Night with David Letterman'' (1991) -

Charles Grodin Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including '' The Virginian''. After a small part ...

's attorney

References

External links

Susquehanna Hat Co. from YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faye, Joey 20th-century births 1997 deaths Year of birth uncertain Male actors from New York City American people of Italian descent Vaudeville performers 20th-century American male actors People from Great Kills, Staten Island