Lou Clayton (also Lew Clayton, born Louis Finkelstein; 1890-1950) was an American song-and-dance vaudeville performer, best known for his teaming with

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

and Eddie Jackson, as Clayton, Jackson, and Durante, or "The Three Sawdust Bums". Before meeting Durante, by January 1921 Clayton and Cliff Edwards, working as a duo, had already achieved the most coveted booking in all of vaudeville, appearing as the headliners at the Palace Theater in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

. He'd also appeared in Broadway shows as early as 1916, billed as a single and as "Clayton & White". Clayton met Durante and Jackson at their speakeasy, the Club Durant, in early 1923. Clayton became their business partners, writing and performing songs while running the club. After the very popular Club Durant was padlocked by the police for liquor violations and closed, they opened the similar Club Dover and took their show to other nightclubs such as the Rendezvous Club, owned by Gandolfo "Frankie Marlow" Curto. There Clayton was the first to hire a young singer, Ethel Zimmermann, later known as Ethel Merman. The trio made their vaudeville debut at Loew's State on Broadway in March 1927, with an act that literally included breaking up furniture. By April 1928 they were headlining at the

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, breaking the house record for receipts, and making $5500 a week.Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in ..., Vol. 1, by Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman & Donald McNeilly, p. 341 This led to a tour and bookings in Broadway shows; i.e., Ziegfeld's

Show Girl A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity. History Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...

in 1929, and

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's The New Yorkers the following year. Clayton's only known film appearance is the 1930 ''

Roadhouse Nights ''Roadhouse Nights'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code gangster film. A number of sources including Sally Cline in her book ''Dashiell Hammett Man of Mystery'' claim it is based on the classic novel ''Red Harvest'' written by Dashiell Hammett (author ...

''. The focus gradually shifted to Durante as a single act, and Clayton became his partner and longtime manager. He is interred at the Home of Peace Cemetery in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Lou 1890 births 1950 deaths Vaudeville performers