George and Bert Bernard, sometimes credited as The Bernard Brothers, were a duo of American comedy dancers and

mime artist A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a theatrical medium ...

s, who were popular in

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

s from the 1930s to the 1960s. They were in fact unrelated: Bernard Franklin George (July 1, 1912–October 22, 1967) and Herbert James Maxwell (June 23, 1917–February 23, 2004).

Career

Bernard George, later known as George Bernard, was born in

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its s ...

, in 1912. As a child, he performed as a

tap dancer Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

, moving into

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

s and nightclub appearances by the end of the 1920s. When appearing in

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1932, he met

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 ...

and comedy dancer Bert Maxwell, who had been born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1917. They began working together as The Bernard Dancers, presenting a comedic ballet routine and touring in North and South America. In 1938, they toured Europe, appearing at the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

in Paris, and in London.Jennifer Beineke, "6 Duos of Vaudeville", ''HubPages'', February 6, 2021 In 1941 Bert Maxwell joined the

U.S. Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, in which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, while George Bernard continued to work as a solo entertainer with the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

. They reunited after the war, and developed an act called "Off the Record", often in drag, in which they mimed with "exquisitely precise" timing to popular records of the day, such as those by

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the Swing music, swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andre ...

. Their "sound man", George Pierce, was unseen backstage, but was credited in their act. They established a residency at

Le Lido Le Lido is a cabaret and burlesque show located on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. It opened in 1946 at 78 Avenue des Champs-Élysées and moved to its current location in 1977. It is known for its exotic shows including dancers, singers ...

in Paris, topped the bill at the

London Casino The Prince Edward Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Old Compton Street, just north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. History The theatre was designed in 1930 by Edward A. Stone, with an interior designed by Ma ...

, and in 1948 appeared in the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

and in

Val Parnell Valentine Charles Parnell (14 February 1892 – 22 September 1972) was a British television managing director and presenter, actor and theatrical impresario. A former staple of stage production, his career in television started with the launc ...

's production of the

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'', becoming one of the most popular comedy acts of the period in British variety theatres."Bert Bernard", ''Grand Order of Water Rats''
Retrieved 25 April 2022 They appeared together in several films, including ''Paris Nights'' (1951), ''

Gobs and Gals ''Gobs and Gals'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Arthur T. Horman. The film stars George Bernard, Bert Bernard, Robert Hutton, Cathy Downs, Gordon Jones and Florence Marly. The film was released on ...

'' (1952), and ''

Decameron Nights ''Decameron Nights'' is a 1953 anthology Technicolor film based on three tales from ''The Decameron'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, specifically the ninth and tenth tales of the second day and the ninth tale of the third. It stars Joan Fontaine and, a ...

'' (1952). During the 1950s their popularity diminished, partly as a result of

record companies A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

refusing to allow them to use their recordings of popular artists. However, they continued to perform and appear on television variety shows both in Europe and the U.S.. George Bernard died in 1967, at the age of 55, following a show in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada. Bert Bernard continued to perform in the U.S. with a new partner, known as Les Bernard. Bert Bernard died in California in 2004 at the age of 86.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control American comedy duos American male comedians Vaudeville performers