Jules Munshin (February 22, 1915 – February 19, 1970) was an American actor, comedian and singer who had made his name on Broadway when he starred in '' Call Me Mister''. His additional Broadway credits include '' The Gay Life'' and '' Barefoot in the Park''. On screen, he is best remembered for '' On the Town'', in which he co-starred with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

and

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

as sailors on leave in New York City.

Early life

Munshin was born in New York City and began in show business shortly after graduating from high school. He was Jewish.He worked in Catskill resorts, then vaudeville and was a singer for the George Olsen band. While serving in the U.S. Army during

World War II 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 ...

, he played in Army shows such as ''The Army Play‐by‐Play'' and ''About Face'', a touring show that featured

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...

Career

In 1946 he joined the Broadway show '' Call Me Mister'' which dealt with the issues that servicemen encountered with return to civilian life. It ran to 734 performances. In 1948 he moved from Broadway to film. He appeared in such

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

as '' Easter Parade'' (1948), '' Take Me Out to the Ball Game'' (1949), '' On the Town'' (1949) and ''

Silk Stockings ''Silk Stockings'' is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The musical is loosely based on the Melchior Lengyel story ''Ninotchka'' and the 1939 film adaptation it ...

'' (1957). In August 1958 he appeared at the Aldwych Theatre in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

's West End in a run of George Tabori's play ''Brouhaha'' with

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...

in the lead role and also featuring

Lionel Jeffries Lionel Charles Jeffries (10 June 1926 – 19 February 2010) was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Golden ...

. One of the September shows was televised on the BBC. The show, which was directed by Peter Hall, ran until 28 February 1959.

Death

Munshin died in New York City at the age of 54 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, three days before his 55th birthday. He is buried in Long Island National Cemetery.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Munshin, Jules American male musical theatre actors 1915 births 1970 deaths Burials at Long Island National Cemetery Donaldson Award winners Jewish American male actors Jewish American comedians 20th-century American male actors Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers United States Army personnel of World War II Jewish male comedians 20th-century American Jews American male comedians Comedians from New York City