Lew Brice
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Lew Brice (October 26, 1893 – June 16, 1966) was an American actor,
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
r and
comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...
.


Biography

He was born Louis Borach on October 26, 1893, in
Manhattan, New York City Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entire ...
, the brother of
Fannie Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. She is known as the c ...
. He was the youngest of four children born to Rose Stern, a
Hungarian Jewish The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived i ...
woman who emigrated to America at age ten; and Alsatian immigrant Charles Borach. Charles and Rose were saloon owners and had four children, Philip (born 1887), Carrie (born 1889), Fania, and Louis. Brice married actress
Mae Clarke Mae Clarke (born Violet Mary Klotz; August 16, 1910 – April 29, 1992) was an American actress. She is widely remembered for playing Henry Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth, who is chased by Boris Karloff in ''Frankenstein'', and for being o ...
on February 26, 1928; the union ended in divorce in 1930. ''
The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman, and starring James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods ...
'', released in 1931, would contain one of cinema's more famous (and frequently parodied) scenes, in which James Cagney pushes a half grapefruit into Clarke's face, then goes out to pick up
Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...
. The film was so popular that it ran 24 hours per day at a movie theatre in
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
upon its initial release; four months after the premiere, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' informed readers that Brice claimed to have seen the film more than 20 times (and at least twice per week) and that Brice "says he goes to see the scene wherein Mae Clarke gets hit in the eye with a grapefruit—and that it's a plazure!" He died June 16, 1966, 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 ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, aged 72.


Stage performances

* ''The Passing Show of 1913'' (July – Sept 1913) * ''The Passing Show of 1914'' (June – Sept 1914) * ''Maid in America'' (Feb – May 1915) * ''Step This Way'' (May – Aug 1916) * ''Americana'' (July 1926 – Feb 1927) * ''Billy Rose's Crazy Quilt'' (May – Jul 1931)


Film

* ''The Income Tax Collector'' (1923) * ''
Partners Again ''Partners Again'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film that was produced by Samuel Goldwyn, released through United Artists, and directed by Henry King. This ethnic Jewish humor film is based on the 1922 Broadway play ''Partners Again'' star ...
'' (1926) Pazinsky * '' Lew Tyler's Wives'' (1926) Buzzy Mandelbush * ''
Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
'' (1929) Minstrel Show Performer * ''The Window Cleaners'' (1930), one-reel Vitaphone comedy short featuring the song of the same name, adapted from their vaudeville routine * ''
Two Seconds ''Two Seconds'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Edward G. Robinson, Vivienne Osborne and Preston Foster. It was based on a successful Broadway play of the same name by Elliott Lester. The ti ...
'' (1932) uncredited reporter


External links

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Notes


References

1893 births 1966 deaths American male comedians 20th-century American comedians American burlesque performers American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Jewish American comedians Jewish male comedians American vaudeville performers 20th-century American Jews Comedians from Manhattan {{US-film-actor-1890s-stub