Fred Sanborn (November 23, 1899March 9, 1961) was an American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

performer,

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, and

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

. He was most notable as a member of

Ted Healy Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy th ...

's comedy troupe ''Ted Healy and his Southern Gentlemen'' (a group which included the trio that became the famous

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 appeare ...

). Sanborn was frequently featured in the group's early vaudeville acts, as well as their 1929 Broadway show, ''A Night in Venice'' (the first of Sanborn's three Broadway musicals/revues). However, after starring with Healy,

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He is best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 5, 1902 – January 24, 1975), known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges. Early life Fine was born to a Russian Je ...

, and

Shemp Howard Samuel Horwitz (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), known professionally as Shemp Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent. He is best known as the ...

in the Rube Goldberg film ''

Soup to Nuts ''Soup to Nuts'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film written by cartoonist, sculptor, author, and inventor Rube Goldberg and directed by Benjamin Stoloff. It was the film debut of the original four members who would later, minus Ted Healy, ...

''—for which Sanborn also wrote a song—he left the group, preferring to concentrate on his music rather than become known as a "Healyite". Sanborn's character was somewhat similar to

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (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 consider ...

's Tramp character; a small man with a lopsided walk who rather than speaking, whispers in other characters' ears while waggling his thick eyebrows. He appeared in films sporadically throughout the 1930s-1940s- two with Olsen and Johnson- often in small, unspeaking comedy roles; a rare exception was his final film, the 1945 musical comedy ''Night Club Girl'', in which he acts as an emcee and does have several lines. His live act usually incorporated playing of a xylophone and pantomime. His wife often assisted in his show by preparing and performing off-stage gags to which he would react on stage. His last TV performance was as a comedian on ''

The Ed Wynn Show ''The Ed Wynn Show'' was an American variety show originally broadcast from September 22, 1949 to July 4, 1950, on the CBS Television Network. Comedian and former vaudevillian Ed Wynn was the star of the program's 39 episodes, which were the firs ...

'' in 1950.

Filmography

*''

'' (1930) *''

Here Comes The Band ''Here Comes the Band'' is an album by Trinidadian Soca artist Machel Montano and his band Xtatik released in 2000. The album's 22 tracks feature different singers on each, with the album covering a diverse range of styles.Birchmeier, Jason " ' ...

'' (1935) (also featured

) *'' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) (also featured

) *'' Crazy House'' (1943) (playing "Jumbo" to Shemp's "Mumbo") *''Lucky Cowboy'' (1944) (short film) *''

National Barn Dance ''National Barn Dance'', broadcast by WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois starting in 1924, was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor of the ''Grand Ole Opry''. ''National Barn Dance'' also set the stage for other ...

'' (1944) *''

Night Club Girl ''Night Club Girl'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Henry Blankfort and Dick Irving Hyland. The film stars Vivian Austin, Edward Norris, Maxie Rosenbloom, Minna Gombell, Judy Clark and Bill Dunn. The ...

'' (1945)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanborn, Fred 1899 births 1961 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors American male comedians American male film actors American male musicians American male stage actors Burials at Oak Hill Memorial Park Male actors from Massachusetts Musicians from Haverhill, Massachusetts Vaudeville performers 20th-century male musicians