Jimmy Savo (born James Vincent Sava or Vincenzo Rocco Sava; July 31, 1892 – September 3, 1960) was an 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 ...

, Broadway, nightclub, film and television performer, comedian, juggler, and

mime artist A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

Early life

Jimmy Savo was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1892, the son of Giuseppe Sava, a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or '' cordwainers'' (sometimes misidentified as cobblers, who repair shoes rather than make them). In the 18th cen ...

, and his wife Carmela ( Baione), who were immigrants to the United States from the village of

Stigliano Stigliano ( Lucano: , Latin: ''Stilianum'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. The name is likely of Byzantine origin, stemming from " Stylianos", a Greek name with a Latin ending. H ...

, in southern Italy. He grew up in poor areas of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and then

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

,Franco Della Rosa, "Jimmy Savo: La Vita", ''JimmySavo.it''
Retrieved 2 April 2024 and first became noted as a juggler in amateur contests. By the age of twelve, he was billed as "The Child Wonder Juggler" on

bills.Anthony Slide, "Jimmy Savo", ''The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville'', University Press of Mississippi, 2012, pp.453-455

Career

He made his first professional appearance at Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre in 1912. Over the years, he added such skills as rope walking, singing, dancing, and joke telling to his act, and performed in

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

shows as well as vaudeville. By 1918, he had become a headlining act. He made his debut 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 1924, appearing with

Fred Allen John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist topically-pointed radio program '' The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forw ...

, and made many Broadway appearances over the following decade, co-starring in

Earl Carroll Earl Carroll (September 16, 1893 – June 17, 1948) was an American theatrical producer, director, writer, songwriter and composer. Early life Carroll was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1893. He lived as an infant in the Nunnery Hill ( Fin ...

's ''Vanities of 1930''. In 1938, he originated the role of "Dromio of Syracuse" in ''

The Boys from Syracuse ''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play '' The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemp ...

'', and in 1940 he starred in a one-man revue, ''Mum's the Word'', at the Belmont Theatre. According to vaudeville historian

Anthony Slide Anthony Slide (born 7 November 1944) is an English writer who has produced more than seventy books and edited a further 150 on the history of popular entertainment. He wrote a "letter from Hollywood" for the British ''Film Review'' magazine fro ...

:"With his baggy pants and pixie-like grin, Jimmy Savo was a unique comedy talent, whom mere words cannot describe. He was the darling of intellectual society.

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

called him 'the world's greatest pantomimist'... Savo was of diminutive stature but vast talent." He appeared in several movies, the first being the 1928 Canadian-made drama ''

Carry on, Sergeant! ''Carry On, Sergeant!'' is a 1928 Canadian World War I drama, and is considered to be one of the earliest Canadian feature-length motion pictures. Costing to make, it certainly was the most expensive. Plot ''Carry On, Sergeant!'' is the stor ...

''. He also starred in '' Once in a Blue Moon'' (1935) written by

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...

and

Charles MacArthur Charles Gordon MacArthur (November 5, 1895 – April 21, 1956) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and 1935 winner of the Academy Award for Best Story. Life and career MacArthur was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the sixth of seven ch ...

. The film was not a success, costing

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

$350,000. His final movie appearances were in '' Reckless Living'' and ''

Merry-Go-Round of 1938 ''Merry-Go-Round of 1938'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and written by Monte Brice and A. Dorian Otvos. The film stars Bert Lahr, Jimmy Savo, Billy House, Alice Brady, Mischa Auer, Joy Hodges, Louise Fazenda, John ' ...

''. In 1942 Isidore Herk and the

Shubert brothers The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of Broadway theaters in New York City's Theater District, as the hub of the theatre industry in the United States. Through the Shubert Organization, founded by brothers Lee, Sam, and Jac ...

co-produced a Broadway show called ''Wine, Women and Song'', starring Jimmy Savo and Margie Hart. The show was advertised as a combination of vaudeville, burlesque and Broadway revue, and ran for seven weeks. The revue included striptease, which shocked some of the audiences. ''Wine, Women and Song'' was closed by court order in December 1942. Savo also featured in the 1943 Broadway musical by

Lerner and Loewe Lerner and Loewe is the partnership between lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe. Spanning three decades and nine musicals from 1942 to 1960 and again from 1970 to 1972, the pair are known for being behind the cr ...

, '' What's Up?''. After he underwent a leg amputation in 1946, Savo continued to perform in

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

settings, notably at the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, ...

in New York. In 1950 he had his own television program, ''The Jimmy Savo Show'' on NBC. Savo was the author of two books: the children's book ''Little World, Hello!'' (1947), and the posthumously published memoir ''I Bow to the Stones: Memories of a New York Childhood'' (1963).

Personal life

He married the actress Frances Victoria Browder (18961962) in 1918; they divorced in 1935. His second wife, Lina Farina (19021988), was an Italian-American journalist. He died in

Guardea Guardea is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Terni in the Italian region Umbria, located about 60 km south of Perugia and about 30 km west of Terni. Among the churches is the parish church of Santi Pietro e Cesareo and the ...

Terni Terni ( ; ; ) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria, in Central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera (Tiber), River Nera. It is northeast ...

, Italy in 1960, at the age of 68, while on vacation visiting some of his wife's family's properties.

References

External links

* *
Jimmy Savo at American Museum of Vaudeville.com
*Jimmy Savo http://www.grupporicercafotografica.it/jimmysavo.htm *Jimmy Savo http://www.jimmysavo.it *Jimmy Savo http://jimmysavo.altervista.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Savo, Jimmy 1895 births 1960 deaths American vaudeville performers American mimes American male film actors American male silent film actors American male comedians American male musical theatre actors Jugglers 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers Comedians from New York City

Early life

Career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links