Johnny Puleo (October 7, 1907 – May 3, 1983) was an American musician and actor who specialized in playing the

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

. Born a

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

(he stood 4 feet 6 inches or 1.37 meters as an adult) in

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, ...

, he worked as a newspaper seller until being discovered at a contest in Boston held by bandleader

Borrah Minevitch Borrah Minevitch (sometimes spelled Minnevitch; 5 November 1902, Borovin, Minsk, Russian Empire – 26 June 1955, Paris, France), born Boruch Minewitz, was a notable harmonica player, actor, and leader of his group The Harmonica Rascals. The ...

, of The Harmonica Rascals. Soon he joined a comedy

variety act 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� ...

, during which time he learned the art of pantomime that contributed so much to his success. He then joined the Rascals, with whom he toured the world. In 1941 Johnny tried to leave the Rascals and start his own group. The entire new group moved in with Johnny's parents, living and rehearsing in the basement. It did not last long, though, because Borrah Minevitch found them and got them working for him again. After Minevitch's death in 1955, Puleo formed his own band, The Harmonica Gang, to avoid conflict with the Paul Baron Rascals, which took over the original band name in 1956. The group had many albums on Audio Fidelity records starting in 1957, and even released a two record album with the Chimes Family. He also acted in several films, most notably ''

Trapeze A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...

'' (1956). The Harmonica Gang appeared at top supper clubs throughout the USA, including the famous

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros ...

in New York and Miami Beach, the Riviera in Las Vegas, Palmer House in Chicago, The Roosevelt in New Orleans, and Twin Coaches in Pittsburgh, as well as venues like the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (P ...

and

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

overseas. Puleo and his five-member band released a series of high-energy light-pop LPs on

Audio Fidelity Records Audio Fidelity Records, was a record company based in New York City, most active during the 1950s and 1960s. They are best known for having produced the first mass-produced American stereophonic long-playing record in November 1957 (although this ...

. His first album was the first LP to be released in a single-tone-arm stereo format in 1958. More (at least seven) albums on the Audio Fidelity label followed well into the 1960s. One of his (and their) best performances is "Sabre Dance", With Master Player Dave Doucette Playing The Lead Harmonica, which, along with several of their other tunes, is posted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. He died of a heart attack at Holy Cross Hospital in his native Washington, D.C. in 1983.

Notable performances

He performed in front of such notables as the Royal Command in England and the Presidents of the United States and France. In addition to his mastery of the harmonica, he was a past master of the art of

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 ...

and a dramatic actor of considerable ability. Puleo made numerous appearances on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'', ''

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it was seen Monday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Title ...

'', '' Milton Berle's Variety Show'' and ''

Steve Allen Show ''The Steve Allen Show'' was an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC,

''. You can find many of his videos on youtube.com by simply typing in "johnny puleo" in the Search box at the top of their page. Puleo was one of the first performers to introduce America to using the zip code. In a TV commercial, he climbed up a small ladder and said, "Now remember, use your zip code," as he pointed to a letter going into the mail box.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puleo, Johnny 1907 births 1983 deaths American male television actors 20th-century American male actors Audio Fidelity Records artists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American male musicians