Benny Rubin (February 2, 1899 – July 15, 1986) was an American comedian and film actor. Born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Rubin made more than 200 radio, film and television appearances over a span of 50 years.
Career
In 1929, Rubin went to Hollywood, where he began working as a supporting actor in films and began developing his ethnic characters. His film debut was in ''Naughty Baby''.
[
Rubin was known for his ability to imitate many dialects. He performed in vaudeville with routines that included "English That's Different".
Rubin demonstrated his dialect talents as a panelist on the joke-telling radio series, '' Stop Me If You've Heard This One''. He also provided the voice for Joe Jitsu throughout the television cartoon series, '']The Dick Tracy Show
''The Dick Tracy Show'' is an American animated television series based on Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter. The series was produced from 1961 to 1962 by UPA.
In the show, policeman Dick Tracy employed a series of cartoony subordinat ...
''. In 1963, he played the second Indian Chief on an episode of “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
On radio, he played Professor Kropotkin on ''My Friend Irma
''My Friend Irma'' is a media franchise that was spawned by a top-rated, long-running radio situation comedy created by writer-director-producer Cy Howard. The radio show was so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated the films, ...
'', was a co-host of ''Only Yesterday'', and was a member of the cast of ''The Bickersons
''The Bickersons'' was a radio comedy sketch series that began September 8, 1946, on NBC, moving the following year to CBS where it continued until August 28, 1951. The show's married protagonists, portrayed by Don Ameche (later by Lew Parker) a ...
''.
He made frequent guest appearances on both the radio and television versions of ''The Jack Benny Program
''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...
''. A popular bit included Jack asking a series of questions that Rubin would answer with an increasingly irritated, "I don't know!" followed by the punchline. In later years he made many bit appearances, sometimes uncredited, for instance in a number of Jerry Lewis features. He also guest appeared in an episode on the television series '' The Joey Bishop Show'' as the hypnotist, Max Collins.
According to Jack Benny
Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...
's autobiography, ''Sunday Nights at Seven'', he once cast Rubin to portray a Pullman porter
Pullman porters were men hired to work for the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. Starting shortly after the American Civil War, George Pullman sought out former slaves to work on his sleeper cars. Their job was to carry passengers’ bag ...
. Although Rubin could do a convincing African-American dialect, the producer insisted he looked "too Jewish" for the part. As a result, Benny ended up giving the part to Eddie Anderson, and the porter character soon evolved into the famous " Rochester Van Jones".
He had a memorable turn in the '' Gunsmoke'' episode "Dr Herman Schultz M.D.", in which he played a physician who used his mesmeric skills to steal money.
He appeared in a 1961 episode of ''The Tab Hunter Show
''The Tab Hunter Show'' is an American situation comedy starring Tab Hunter which centers around a young comic-strip artist and his romantic adventures. Original episodes aired on NBC from September 18, 1960, until April 30, 1961.McNeil, Alex, ''T ...
''.
In 1968, he appeared on ''Petticoat Junction
''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and ...
'' as Gus Huffle, owner of the Pixley movie theater, in the episode "Wings". (The episode title is in direct reference to the 1927 silent movie ''Wings
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...
'' starring Charles "Buddy" Rogers
Charles Edward "Buddy" Rogers (August 13, 1904 – April 21, 1999) was an American film actor and musician. During the peak of his popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s he was publicized as "America's Boyfriend".
Life and career
Early ...
and Richard Arlen
Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television.
Biography
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Arlen attended the University of Pennsylvania. He served in Canada as a ...
, who also appear in the episode as themselves.) Then, in 1969, he appeared again (credited as the "man patient") in the episode: "The Ballard of the Everyday Housewife".
Books
Jokes by Lew Lehr
Lew or LEW may refer to:
People
* Lew (given name)
* Lew (surname)
Places
* Lew, Oxfordshire, England
* River Lew, in Devon, England
Transport
* LEW Hennigsdorf, a rail vehicle factory in Hennigsdorf, Germany
* Lew (locomotive), a British narr ...
, Cal Tinney, Roger Bower and Rubin were collected in ''Stop Me If You've Heard This One'' (1949), a Permabook
Permabooks was a paperback division of Doubleday, established by Doubleday in 1948. Although published by Doubleday's Garden City Publishing Company in Garden City, Long Island, the Permabooks editorial office was located at 14 West 49th Street i ...
published by Garden City Publishing. Permabooks were designed with an unusual format of a paperback bound with stiff cardboard covers (with a "special wear-resistant finish") to simulate the look and feel of a hardcover book, and the company had previously published ''Best Jokes for All Occasions'', edited by Powers Moulton.
The ''Stop Me If You've Heard This One'' Permabook featured a two-page foreword by Tinney, a one-page introduction by Bower, 66 pages of jokes by Bower, 85 pages of jokes by Tinney and 82 pages of jokes by Lehr. Under the heading, "P.S.", Rubin only had space for four jokes on two pages, as explained, "Benny Rubin was added to our show just before press time."
In 1972, Rubin published his autobiography, ''Come Backstage with Me''.
Personal life
On March 26, 1927, Rubin married actress Mary O'Brien. They had a daughter and were divorced in 1934.
Rubin was the one disliked by The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...
in the filming of ''Income Tax Sappy
''Income Tax Sappy'' is a 1954 short subject directed by Jules White starring the American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 153rd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures sta ...
'' (1954), where he didn't like working with them.
Rubin appeared in a total of six Three Stooges short subjects. Since three of them occurred after the one mentioned above, he seems to have been able to put aside any real dislike he had for the team.
Death
Rubin 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 ma ...
at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
on July 15, 1986. He is interred in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City.
Selected filmography
* '' Naughty Baby'' (1928) - Benny Cohen
* '' Sunny Skies'' (1930)
* ''Crazy House'' (1930)
* ''Hot Curves
''Hot Curves'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy-drama film produced and distributed by Tiffany Pictures and directed by Norman Taurog. A print is held by the Library of Congress.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and ...
'' (1930)
* '' Love in the Rough'' (1930)
* ''Leathernecking
''Leathernecking'' is a 1930 American musical comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline, from a screenplay by Alfred Jackson and Jane Murfin, adapted from the Broadway musical comedy '' Present Arms'', by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and Herbert ...
'' (1930)
* ''The March of Time
''The March of Time'' is an American newsreel series sponsored by Time Inc. and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was based on a radio news series broadcast from 1931 to 1945. The "voice" of both series was Westbrook Van Voorhis. ...
'' (1930) - Himself
* ''Julius Sizzer
''Julius Sizzer'' (1931) is an American two-reel short film directed by Edward Ludwig. According to film critic Nelson Bell, it was an "obvious travesty" of the serious gangster film Little Caesar released by Warner Bros. earlier that year. ...
'' (1931, Short)
* '' Dumb Dicks'' (1932, Short)
* ''Guests Wanted
''Guests Wanted'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code short subject directed by Ralph Ceder.
Cast
*Benny Rubin as Benny
* Nell Breen as Nell
*Louise Carver as Mrs. Carver
* Charles Dorety as Second Miner
*Billy Franey as First Miner
*Bud Jamison
...
'' (1932, Short)
* ''The Girl Friend
''The Girl Friend'' is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Herbert Fields. This was the longest running show for the trio to that date.Secrest, Meryle. ''Somewhere for me:a biography of Richard Rodge ...
'' (1935)
* ''Sunday Night at the Trocadero
''Sunday Night at the Trocadero'' is a 1937 short film directed by George Sidney. It appears as a special feature on the DVD version of the Marx Brothers' AFI Top 100 Film, '' A Night at the Opera''. Cameos by dozens of then-Hollywood luminaries m ...
'' (1937, Short)
* ''The Headleys at Home
''The Headleys at Home'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Chris Beute and starring Evelyn Venable, Grant Mitchell (actor), Grant Mitchell and Vince Barnett.Goble p.670
Cast
* Evelyn Venable as Pamela Headley
* Grant Mitchell (actor), Gr ...
'' (1938)
* '' Fighting Mad'' (1939)
* ''Zis Boom Bah
''Zis Boom Bah'', also known as ''College Sweethearts'', is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by William Nigh, and starring Grace Hayes, Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy. The plot concerns a vaudeville singer who comes to a flounderin ...
'' (1941)
* '' Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' (1941)
* '' Double Trouble'' (1941)
* ''Obliging Young Lady
''Obliging Young Lady'' is a 1942 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Wallace (director), Richard Wallace and starring Joan Carroll, Edmond O'Brien, Ruth Warrick.
Plot
On the instructions of their lawyer, the wealthy young daughter ...
'' (1942)
* '' Tangier Incident'' (1953)
* '' Up in Smoke'' (1957)
* '' A Hole in the Head'' (1959)
* ''The Errand Boy
''The Errand Boy'' is a 1961 American comedy film directed by, co-written by and starring Jerry Lewis.
Plot
Paramutual Pictures decide that they need a spy to find out the inner workings of their studio. Morty S. Tashman, (the 'S' stands for 's ...
'' (1961)
* ''Pocketful of Miracles
''Pocketful of Miracles'' is a 1961 American comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Bette Davis, produced and directed by Frank Capra, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend was based on Robert Riskin's screenplay for ...
'' (1961)
* '' A House Is Not a Home'' (1964)
* '' That Funny Feeling'' (1965)
* ''Angel in My Pocket
''Angel in My Pocket'' is a 1969 American comedy film directed by Alan Rafkin and starring Andy Griffith. One of three films originally planned by Universal Pictures to star Griffith, it also features Lee Meriwether, Jerry Van Dyke, Kay Medford, ...
'' (1969)
* '' Hook, Line & Sinker'' (1969)
* ''How to Frame a Figg
''How to Frame a Figg'' is a 1971 comedy film about a bookkeeper's bungling assistant, Hollis Alexander Figg (played by Don Knotts), in the Dalton city hall, who finds himself framed for embezzlement.
Plot
Hollis Figg is an earnest if not too br ...
'' (1971)
* ''The Return of the World's Greatest Detective
''The Return of the World's Greatest Detective'' is a 1976 American made-for-television mystery comedy film starring Larry Hagman as an inept motorcycle cop named Sherman Holmes, who, after sustaining a head injury, became convinced that he wa ...
'' (1976)
* '' The Shaggy D.A.'' (1976)
* '' Coma'' (1978)
* ''The Other Side of the Wind
''The Other Side of the Wind'' is a 2018 satirical drama film, directed, co-written, co-produced and co-edited by Orson Welles, and posthumously released in 2018 after forty-eight years in development. The film stars John Huston, Bob Random, Pe ...
'' (posthumously released in 2018; scenes filmed in 1974–75)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubin, Benny
1899 births
1986 deaths
American male film actors
American male radio actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American radio personalities
Male actors from Boston
20th-century American male actors
Jewish American male actors
Jewish American comedians
20th-century American comedians
Vaudeville performers
Jewish American male comedians
20th-century American Jews