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 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 Runyon, and also bo ...
''. He was noted for his
blue humor
Ribaldry or blue comedy is humorous entertainment that ranges from bordering on Wiktionary:indelicacy, indelicacy to inappropriateness, indecency. Blue comedy is also referred to as "bawdiness" or being "bawdy".
Sex is presented in ribald materi ...
and thick, gravelly voice.
Born in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.[Borscht Belt
The Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange, and Ulster counties in the U.S. state of New York, straddling both Upstate New York and the nort ...]
and 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 Stree ...
production of ''Guys and Dolls'', appearing in more than 1,000 performances.
[ He also played the role in the 1955 film version. Other notable film roles include the gruff Christmas tree vendor in 1945's ''A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' and Joe the Bartender in 1945's ''Nob Hill''.
Pully died of a ]heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in 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.
History
Originall ...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania, at age 61. He was buried in Cedar Park Cemetery, Emerson
Cedar Park and Beth El Cemetery is a cemetery located in Emerson and Paramus, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.
Noted interments
* Martin Balsam (1919–1996) Academy Award winning best supporting actor
* Julian Beck (1925–1985), ...
, New Jersey.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pully, B.S.
American male stage actors
American male film actors
American stand-up comedians
1910 births
1972 deaths
20th-century American male actors
Male actors from Newark, New Jersey
Comedians from New Jersey
Burials at Cedar Park Cemetery (Emerson, New Jersey)
20th-century American comedians