Charles "Chaz" Chase (March 6, 1901 – August 4, 1983) was a Russian-born American

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 ...

entertainer.

Life and career

He was born in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

; the 1910 US census indicates that his birth name was Max Oskye. As a child he moved to the United States with his mother and sisters. He grew up in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and initially trained as a

ballet dancer A ballet dancer is a person who practices the Art (skill), art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. B ...

before turning to vaudeville as an "eccentric comedian", inspired by the entertainer

Joe Frisco Joe Frisco (born Louis Wilson Joseph; November 4, 1889 – February 18, 1958) was an American vaudeville performer who first made his name on stage as a jazz dancer, but later incorporated his stuttering voice to his act and became a popular ...

. His speciality was to eat (or, according to some sources, appear to eat) a wide variety of non-edible objects such as cardboard, paper flowers, and lit matches, cigars and cigarettes. On stage he would wear baggy clothes, sometimes walk in a circle, crouching ever closer to the ground, and on occasions would end his act with a comic

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic d ...

.Anthony Slide, "Chaz Chase", ''The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville'', University Press of Mississippi, 2012, p.91Frank Cullen, "Chaz Chase", ''Vaudeville Old & New: An encyclopedia of variety performers in America, Vol.1'', Taylor & Francis, 2007, pp.215-216Jack Jones, "Vaudeville Comic Chaz Chase Dies at 82", ''Los Angeles Times'', August 6, 1983, p.69
/ref> He was popular in vaudeville shows in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1928 he featured in his own

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

, ''Chaz Chase, the Unique Comedian''. He appeared on

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 ...

in several shows including ''Ballyhoo of 1930'' (1930), ''Saluta'' (1934), and ''High Kickers'' (1941). He also featured in

cameo role A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking one ...

s in several movies, including '' West of Zanzibar'', which starred

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor and makeup artist. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often gr ...

(1928): '' Aventure à Paris'' (1936); '' Start Cheering'' (1938); and ''

The Man on the Eiffel Tower ''The Man on the Eiffel Tower'' is a 1950 American Ansco Color film noir mystery film starring Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone, Burgess Meredith, and Robert Hutton. Ultimately directed by Meredith, it is based on the 1931 novel '' La Tête ...

'' (1948). He had longstanding engagements in

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

shows in Paris, at clubs including Le Crazy Horse, and also undertook global tours with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

and others as part of the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

. After a period of relative obscurity he re-emerged in the 1950s. He made occasional appearances on television variety shows until shortly before his death, including programs hosted by

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television host, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York News ...

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...

and

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...

in the United States,

Rudi Carrell Rudi Carrell (born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar; 19 December 1934 – 7 July 2006) was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters and Linda de Mol, he was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active ...

in Germany, and

Tommy Cooper Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army ...

in Britain, where he also appeared on '' The Good Old Days'' in 1979. His last stage appearances in 1982 were in the show '' Sugar Babies''. He died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1983, at the age of 82.

References

External links

*
Chaz Chase in Paris, 1948

Chaz Chase on ''The Good Old Days'', 1979
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Chaz 1901 births 1983 deaths Russian vaudeville performers American vaudeville performers Jewish American comedians Jewish male comedians Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States