B. S. Pully (born Murray Lerman; May 14, 1910 – January 6, 1972) was a New York nightclub comedian and stage actor who created the role of "Big Jule" in the musical ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, 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 Run ...

''. He was noted for his blue humor and thick, gravelly voice.

Biography

Born 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. ...

, Pully began his career on the

Borscht Belt The Borscht Belt, or Yiddish Alps, is a region which was noted for its summer resorts that catered to Jewish vacationers, especially residents of New York City. The resorts, now mostly defunct, were located in the southern foothills of the Catski ...

. In an interview with historian

Kliph Nesteroff Kliph Nesteroff is a Canadian author, best known for his 2015 history of American comedy, ''The Comedians''. After eight years as a stand-up comedian, Nesteroff became a frequent contributor to WFMU and a national, on-air contributor for CBC Ra ...

, entertainer

Freddie Roman Freddie Roman (born Fred Kirschenbaum; May 28, 1937 – November 26, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, best known for his frequent appearances at "Borscht Belt" hotels. Early life Freddie Roman grew up in Jamaica, New York. His father ...

recalled, "B. S. Pully was a burlesque kind of comic. Very low class until he got lucky and got that part in ''Guys and Dolls'', which changed his life. He had a partner. It was B. S. Pully and H. S. Gump he initials, they explained, meant "bullshit" and "horseshit" There was a little nightclub up in the Catskill Mountains -- not attached to a hotel -- and they would spend the summer up there."Freddie Roman to

, ''Classic Television Showbiz'', July 18, 2011. Pully was under contract briefly to

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...

in 1944 and 1945, working in 13 feature films. He played a tough-guy quiz-show contestant in '' Take It or Leave It'' (1944), a gruff Christmas-tree vendor in ''A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1945), and Joe the Bartender in ''Nob Hill'' (1945). He achieved fame originating the Big Jule role in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

production of ''Guys and Dolls'', appearing in more than 1,000 performances. He also played the role in the 1955 film version. He remained in New York and appeared in guest roles in the New York-based TV series ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City Po ...

'' B. S. Pully died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the flagship hospital of Jefferson Health, a multi-state non-profit health system based in Philadelphia. The hospital serves as the teaching hospital for Thomas Jefferson University. With 937 licensed b ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania, at age 61. He was buried in Cedar Park Cemetery, Emerson, New Jersey.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pully, B.S. 1910 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male stage actors American male film actors American stand-up comedians Male actors from Newark, New Jersey Comedians from Newark, New Jersey Burials at Cedar Park Cemetery (Emerson, New Jersey) 20th-century American comedians