Julius Tannen (May 16, 1880 – January 3, 1965) was an American monologist in
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 ...
. He was known to stage audiences for his witty improvisations and creative word games. He had a successful career as a
character actor
A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
in films, appearing in over 50 films in his 25-year film career. He is probably best known to film audiences from the musical ''
Singin' in the Rain
''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...
'', in which he appears as the man demonstrating a talking picture early in the film.
Early years
After the deaths of his parents, Tannen was placed in an orphanage in Indianapolis, Indiana, when he was seven years old, and he lived there until he was 13. He worked as a private secretary until he was 21.
Career
Tannen never intended to become a performer. As a young man, he was a salesman whose pitch was so good that he began to get offers to entertain at parties. He made his professional vaudeville debut at the age of 21, and soon developed into a monologist, the predecessor to today's stand up comic. He would frequently end his routines before the payoff of the story, allowing the audience to complete it for themselves, and exited with the phrase "My father thanks you, my mother thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you," which was co-opted by the young George M. Cohan.Eder, Bruc Biography (Allmovie) /ref>
Tannen made his Broadway debut at the Aerial Gardens in 1905 in
Jean Schwartz
Jean Schwartz (November 4, 1878 – November 30, 1956) was a Hungarian-born Jewish American composer and pianist. He is best known for his work writing the scores for more than 30 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals, and for his creation of more t ...
,
William Jerome
William Jerome Flannery (September 30, 1865 – June 25, 1932) was an American songwriter, born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, of Irish immigrant parents: Mary Donnellan and Patrick Flannery. He collaborated with numerous well-known composer ...
, and John J. McNally's musical '' Lifting the Lid''. A spoof of early 20th century politics in New York City, Tannen portrayed the main character of district attorney William T. G. Rome which was a send up of Manhattan district attorney William Travers Jerome. He went on to appear in three other productions in the next year. As a vaudevillian, he played the Palace Theatre in New York City – the apex of vaudeville performing – more often that almost any one else, indicating that he was at the peak of his profession. He appeared again on Broadway in 1916, and returned again in 1920, in a comic play with music, ''Her Family Tree'', for which he received credit for writing his own scenes. Tannen was also seen in two editions of '' Earl Carroll's Vanities'', in 1925 and 1926, and in ''
George White's Scandals
''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. ...
.'' In 1926, he became manager of ''Vanities'' in addition to his comedic performances.
The advent of talking pictures created a need in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
for performers with stage experience, and Tannen appeared in his first film in 1935, when he did an uncredited bit in '' Stranded''. This set him upon his 25-year career as a character man, although his work frequently went without credit.
In the 1940s, Tannen was part of
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director.
He is credited as being the first screenwriter to find success as a director. Prior to Sturges, other ...
' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in eight films written and directed by Sturges, with the size of his roles increasing over time. Undoubtedly, Tannen's most memorable and prominent performance came at the age of 72, when he portrayed a man demonstrating the technology of talking pictures in a film-within-the-film in ''
Singin' in the Rain
''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...
'' in 1952.
Tannen continued to appear in films until 1959, when he was seen in an uncredited role in director
John Sturges
John Eliot Sturges (; January 3, 1910 – August 18, 1992) was an American film director. His films include '' Bad Day at Black Rock'' (1955), '' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral'' (1957), ''The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), '' The Great Escape'' (19 ...
When Tannen was 19 years old, he married Beatrice Muhleman. The couple, who had two sons, Charles and William, were married for 60 years, until her death in 1960. Tannen died at the age of 84, on January 3, 1965, at the Motion Picture Country Home in
Woodland Hills, California
Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States.
History
The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...
.
Legacy
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
said that seeing Tannen perform in her hometown of Jamestown, New York when she was a child inspired her to go into show business."Love, Lucy" by Lucille Ball with Betty Hannah Hoffman, Foreword by Lucie Arnaz, Chapter Two, G.P. Putnam's Sons, hardcover 1996; Berkley Boulevard mass-market edition 1997; copyright 1996 by Desilu Too L.L.C.
His sons, William Tannen and Charles Tannen, were both successful film and television actors; William had a recurring role on ''
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' is the first Western television series written for adults.Stranded'' (1935) - Man at Train Terminal (uncredited)
*'' King of Burlesque'' (1936) - Auctioneer (uncredited)
*'' Collegiate'' (1936) - Detective Browning
*'' Half Angel'' (1936) - City Editor
*''
The Road to Glory
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
A Man to Remember
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''.
It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...
The Big Street
''The Big Street'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, based on the 1940 short story "Little Pinks" by Damon Runyon, who also produced it. It was directed by Irving Reis from a screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass ...
'' (1942) - Judge Bamberger (uncredited)
*'' The Palm Beach Story'' (1942) - Proprietor of Store (uncredited)
*''
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
''The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' is a 1944 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton, and featuring Diana Lynn, William Demarest and Porter Hall. Brian Donlevy and A ...
Nob Hill
Nob Hill is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States that is known for its numerous luxury hotels and historic mansions. Nob Hill has historically served as a center of San Francisco's upper class. Nob Hill is among the highe ...
Singin' in the Rain
''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...
'' (1952) - Man in Talking Pictures Demonstration (uncredited)
*'' Clash by Night'' (1952) - Waiter (uncredited)
*'' Carrie'' (1952) - John (uncredited)
*'' Loving You'' (1957) - Frank - Manager of Buckhorn Tavern (uncredited)
*'' I Married a Woman'' (1958) - Tim Smith - Sutton Advertising (uncredited)
*''Once Upon a Horse...'' (1958) - Train Conductor (uncredited)
*'' The Last Hurrah'' (1958) - Mr. Kowalsky (uncredited)
*'' Last Train from Gun Hill'' (1959) - Horseshoe Cleaning Man (uncredited) (final film role)