Jimmy Savo (1895 – September 5, 1960) 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 ...
, Broadway, nightclub, film and television performer, comedian, juggler, 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 ...
.
Life
Born in New York City as James Vincent Savo on July 31, 1895, Savo began his career as a juggler in amateur contests and went on to the
burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. circuit and then Broadway. In 1938, he originated the role of "Dromio of Syracuse" in ''
The Boys from Syracuse
''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play ''The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemp ...
''.
Savo also starred i
"Once In A Blue Moon," (1935)written by
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A successful journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplay ...
and
Charles Macarthur. The film was not a success, costing Paramount pictures $350,000.
In 1942
Isidore Herk
Isidore ( ; also spelled Isador, Isadore and Isidor) is an English and French masculine given name. The name is derived from the Greek name ''Isídōros'' (Ἰσίδωρος) and can literally be translated to "gift of Isis." The name has survived ...
and the
Shubert brothers
The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th cen ...
co-produced a Broadway show called ''Wine, Women and Song'', starring Jimmy Savo and
Margie Hart.
The show was advertised as a combination of vaudeville, burlesque and Broadway revue, and ran for seven weeks.
The revue included striptease, which shocked some of the audiences.
''Wine, Women and Song'' was closed by court order in December 1942.
Savo was the author of two books: ''Little World, Hello!'' (1947) and ''I Bow to the Stones; Memories of a New York Childhood'' (1963).
He died in
Terni
Terni ( , ; lat, Interamna (Nahars)) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria in central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It is ...
, Italy in 1960.
References
Further reading
*"Jimmy Savo Dead; Comedian was 64" ''The New York Times'' September 7, 1960
*"Jimmy Savo (New York 31 luglio 1892 - Guardea 3 settembre 1960); sposato con Frances Victoria Browder, divorziato nel 1935, figli: Jimmy Vincent Savo Junior, sposato in seconde nozze con Farina Lina, Italia, Guardea (Terni), senza figli.
*"Jimmy Savo; di Famiglia Lucana originaria di Stigliano (Matera) al "secolo" Vincenzo Rocco Sava, abitò con Farina Lina a Guardea (Terni) Italia nel Castello del Poggio e ad Amelia (Terni) Italia in Via Marcheggiani n. 26. Oggi abitazione "Della Rosa" Amelia (Terni). Referenze, fotografie e note in: www.grupporicercafotografica.it/jimmysavo.htm.
*Cullen, Frank, Florence Hackman, and Donald McNeilly. Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America. New York: Routledge, 2007. Pg. 993
*''Schmucks with Underwoods," Max Wilk, (C) 2004 Applause Theatre and Cinema books
External links
*
*
Jimmy Savo at American Museum of Vaudeville.com*Jimmy Savo http://www.grupporicercafotografica.it/jimmysavo.htm
*Jimmy Savo http://www.jimmysavo.it
*Jimmy Savo http://jimmysavo.altervista.org
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Vaudeville performers
American mimes
American male film actors
American male silent film actors
American male comedians
American male musical theatre actors
1895 births
1960 deaths
Jugglers
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers