Al Ritz (born Albert "Al" Joachim; August 27, 1901 – December 22, 1965), was an American comedian, actor and entertainer. Ritz was the oldest of the

Ritz Brothers The Ritz Brothers were an American family comedy act consisting of brothers Al (1901–1965), Jimmy (1904–1985), and Harry Ritz (1907–1986) who performed extensively on stage, in nightclubs and in films from 1925 to the late 1970s. A fourth ...

Early life

Ritz was born Albert Joachim on August 27, 1901, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

. Ritz had three brothers, George,

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

(later "Jimmy Ritz"), and

Harry Harry may refer to: Television * ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (New Zealand TV series), 2013 crime drama starring Oscar K ...

, and a sister, Gertrude Soll.

Career

Early career

Ritz began his solo career shortly after he finished high school to join

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

''The Ritz Brothers''

After the three Joachim brothers graduated from high school, they decided to team up as a song-and-comedy act. The brothers began using the name "Ritz" for their nightclub act reportedly after seeing the name on the side of a laundry truck. With fourth brother George acting as their agent, the Ritz Brothers worked nightclubs and vaudeville. The act consisted of the trio indulging in precision dancing, tongue-twisting lampoons of popular stories and songs, and

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

. In 1934, the Ritz boys made their screen debut in the two-reel comedy ''Hotel Anchovy'', which led to their being signed by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

as a specialty act. '' Sing, Baby, Sing'' (1936) was the first feature film to costar the Ritzes, and their first starring role followed a year later in ''

Life Begins in College ''Life Begins in College'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by William A. Seiter. It marked the Ritz Brothers' first starring role in a feature film. Plot The action takes place at Lombardy College, founded "to give the Indian nations of ...

''. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the Ritz Brothers continued a wildly popular supper club and resort circuit and made their first appearances as TV guest stars.

Personal life

Ritz was married once, to Antoinette 'Annette' Calamari Ritz. They were married until his death. Ritz did not have any children.

Death

The Ritz Brothers were appearing at

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

' Roosevelt Hotel in December 1965 when Al died of a heart attack on December 22.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritz, Albert 1901 births 1965 deaths American male comedians Comedians from Newark, New Jersey American male film actors Jewish American male actors Male actors from Newark, New Jersey 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors American vaudeville performers Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Jewish American comedians Jewish male comedians 20th-century American Jews Jews from New Jersey Ritz Brothers