Issy Bonn (born Benjamin Levin; 21 April 1903 – 21 April 1977) was a British comedian, singer, actor, and theatrical agent. His

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

was "

My Yiddishe Momme ''My Yiddishe Momme'' () is a song written by Jack Yellen (words and music) and Lew Pollack (music), first recorded by Willie Howard, and made famous in vaudeville by Belle Baker and by Sophie Tucker, and later by the Barry Sisters. Tucker began ...

Biography

Benjamin Levin was born into a Jewish family in

Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

, London, the son of a butcher. As a boy, he started singing and entertaining, but his family disapproved of his interest in the

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

and he was sent to Canada to live with relatives. When he returned, he joined an existing comedy and singing group, the Three Rascals, and used the stage name Benny Levine. He went solo in the early 1920s. He took the stage name Issy Bonn at the suggestion of

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

producer John Sharman, who produced a popular programme, ''John Sharman's Music Hall'',Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin, ''Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts'', Robson Books, 1998, , p.17 and made his first radio appearance on the show in 1935, billed as "The Hebrew Vocal Raconteur". He combined sentimental songs such as "My Yiddish Momme" and "Let Bygones Be Bygones", with Jewish humour and sketches, many featuring the fictitious Finkelfeffer family. "Issy Bonn 1893-1977", ''Jewish Lives Project''
Retrieved 1 December 2020 Issy Bonn made over a thousand radio broadcasts on programmes such as ''

Variety Bandbox ''Variety Bandbox'' is a BBC Radio variety show transmitted initially in the General Forces Programme and then the Light Programme. Featuring a mixture of comic performances and music, the show helped to launch the careers of a number of leadi ...

'', Issy Bonn, ''Radio Times'' archive
Retrieved 1 December 2020 and reputedly had a repertoire of over 500 songs. He also regularly toured South Africa.Richard Anthony Baker, ''Old Time Variety: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2011, , pp.67-68 He appeared in the films '' I Thank You'' in 1941, and '' Discoveries'' in 1939, where he played Mr. Schwitzer. He made his first recordings in 1942, for the Rex label, and later recorded for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

and Columbia. He toured Europe with the

Entertainments National Service Association The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

(ENSA), and after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

wrote and starred in his own road shows including ''The Big Broadcasts'' and ''The Melody Lingers On''. Biography, ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 1 December 2020 In the 1950s, his style of humour, trading on traditional Jewish stereotypes,Oliver Double, ''Stand Up: On Being a Comedian'', A&C Black, 1997, , p.63 went out of fashion, but he continued to appear on radio, television, and in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

s, and toured, often with the popular trumpeter

Eddie Calvert Albert Edward Calvert (15 March 1922 – 7 August 1978) was an English trumpeter successful in the 1950s. Between 1953 and 1958 he achieved seven instrumental hits on the UK Singles Chart, including the two chart-toppers " Oh, Mein Papa" in ...

. He later retired from performing and became a theatrical agent, and a producer of

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

s around the country. He made his last appearance as a performer in 1963. His image appears on the cover of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

album ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

''. He died on his 74th birthday, in London.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonn, Issy 1903 births 1977 deaths Jewish English male actors Male actors from London Singers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Jewish English comedians Comedians from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets English male comedians Actors from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets People from Whitechapel