Jack Pepper (born Edward Jackson Culpepper; June 14, 1902 – April 1, 1979) 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 ...

dancer, singer, comedian, musician, and later in life a nightclub manager. Pepper began entertaining on the vaudeville circuit in his youth with his sisters Helen and Winnie Mae. He first came to national prominence in the 1920s as part of the duo Salt and Pepper with Frank Salt. Pepper sang and played ukulele in a style similar to that of

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...

in addition to doing comic and dance bits. Salt and Pepper appeared prominently in Broadway revues, made radio broadcasts, and recorded a number of sides for

Cameo Records Cameo Records was an American record label that flourished in the 1920s. It was owned by the Cameo Record Corporation in New York City. Cameo released a disc by Lucille Hegamin every two months from 1921 to 1926. Cameo records are also noted ...

in the mid-1920s. After striking out on his own Pepper teamed up with dancer

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role in ''Kitty Foyle'' ...

as Ginger and Pepper. Rogers and Pepper were married from 1929 to 1931. Although the marriage was short, they continued to speak respectfully of each other all their lives. The year 1929 marked Pepper's film debut in the short subject ''After the Show''. By his second wife, Dawn, Pepper was the father of actress

Cynthia Pepper Cynthia Pepper (born Cynthia Anne Culpepper; September 4, 1940) is an American actress whose principal work was during the early 1960s. She was the star of the 1961–62 television series ''Margie''. She played Midge (a WAC PFC) in Elvis Presley ...

, star of the 1961 TV comedy series ''

Margie Margie is a feminine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Margaret, Marjorie or Margarita. Margie may refer to: People * Margie Ackles (born 1939), American retired figure skater * Marjorie Margie Alexander (1948–2013), American ...

''. In 1940, he appeared in the

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

film '' Rhythm on the River'' and ''

Road to Singapore ''Road to Singapore'' is a 1940 American semi-musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope. Based on a story by Harry Hervey, the film is about two playboys trying to forget previo ...

'', the first

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

–Bing Crosby ''"Road"'' picture. Drafted during World War II, he toured 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 ...

. Pepper continued as a film and television character actor into the 1960s. He made three guest appearances during the 1964–65 final season of ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

''. He was seen with Academy Award winner

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alth ...

in the 1965 hit comedy ''

Cat Ballou ''Cat Ballou'' is a 1965 American western comedy film starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual role. The story involves a woman who hires a notorious gunman to protect her father's ranch, and late ...

''. Throughout his long career, Jack Pepper appeared in 10 Bob Hope features, including the 1969 comedy ''

How to Commit Marriage ''How to Commit Marriage'' is a 1969 American comedy film directed by Norman Panama, and starring Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason, Tina Louise, Irwin Corey, Leslie Nielsen, Tim Matheson and Jane Wyman in her final film role. It was filmed in the current ...

'', his final (uncredited) role. He was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1940) - Newspaper Columnist (uncredited) *'' Rhythm on the River'' (1940) - Bob's cabbie (uncredited) *''Silver Canyon'' (1951) - Bit Role (uncredited) *'' My Favorite Spy'' (1951) - FBI Man (uncredited) *''

Son of Paleface ''Son of Paleface'' is a 1952 American Comedy Western film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, and Roy Rogers. The film is a sequel to '' The Paleface'' (1948). Written by Tashlin, Joseph Quillan, and Robert L. Welch ...

'' (1952) - Restaurant Patron (uncredited) *'' Just for You'' (1952) - Stagehand (uncredited) *''

Stop, You're Killing Me :''There was also a Two Ronnies mini-series of this name.'' ''Stop, You're Killing Me'' is a 1952 black comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Broderick Crawford and Claire Trevor. Premise The surprise appearance of four corpses interf ...

'' (1952) - The Singer *'' Off Limits'' (1952) - Bartender (uncredited) *''

Trouble Along the Way ''Trouble Along the Way'' is a 1953 comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring John Wayne and Donna Reed, with a supporting cast including Charles Coburn and Marie Windsor. The black-and-white film was released by Warner Bros. with an ...

'' (1953) - Irish Tenor / Pianist in Saloon (uncredited) *'' A Star Is Born'' (1954) - Chef (uncredited) *''

The Seven Little Foys ''The Seven Little Foys'' is a Technicolor in VistaVision 1955 comedy film directed by Melville Shavelson starring Bob Hope as Eddie Foy. One highlight of the film is an energetic tabletop dance showdown sequence with Bob Hope as Eddie Foy and ...

'' (1955) - Theater Manager (uncredited) *''

Lucy Gallant ''Lucy Gallant'' is a 1955 American drama film directed by Robert Parrish and written by John Lee Mahin and Winston Miller. The film stars Jane Wyman, Charlton Heston, Claire Trevor, Thelma Ritter, William Demarest and Wallace Ford. The film wa ...

'' (1955) - Minor Role (uncredited) *''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

'' (1956) - Man (uncredited) *'' That Certain Feeling'' (1956) - Extra (uncredited) *''

Beau James ''Beau James'' is a 1957 film based on a non-fiction book of the same name by Gene Fowler. The film stars Bob Hope in a rare dramatic role as Jimmy Walker, the colorful but controversial Mayor of New York City from 1926–32. Plot In 1925, New ...

'' (1957) - Politician (uncredited) *'' Man on Fire'' (1957) - Club Member (uncredited) *''

I Married a Woman ''I Married a Woman'' is a 1958 American comedy film made in 1956, directed by Hal Kanter, written by Goodman Ace and starring George Gobel, Diana Dors and Adolphe Menjou. The picture was produced by Gobel's company Gomalco Productions. ''I Ma ...

'' (1958) - Crawford (uncredited) *''Once Upon a Horse...'' (1958) - Roulette Croupier (uncredited) *''

The Five Pennies ''The Five Pennies'' is a semi-biographical 1959 film starring Danny Kaye as jazz cornet player and bandleader Loring "Red" Nichols. Other cast members include Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong, Harry Guardino, Bob Crosby, Bobby Troup, Susan ...

'' (1959) - Ship Worker (uncredited) *'' Bachelor in Paradise'' (1961) - Floor Man (uncredited) *''

Papa's Delicate Condition ''Papa's Delicate Condition'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring Jackie Gleason and Glynis Johns. It was an adaptation of the Corinne Griffith memoir of the same name, about her father and growing up in Texarkana, Texas. Jimmy Van Heusen ...

'' (1963) - Joe (uncredited) *'' Critic's Choice'' (1963) - 1st Baseman (uncredited) *''

The Incredible Mr. Limpet ''The Incredible Mr. Limpet'' is a 1964 American live action/animated film, live-action/animated comedy film produced by Warner Bros.''Variety Film Reviews, Variety'' film review; January 22, 1964, page 6. and based on the 1942 novel ''Mr. Limpet ...

'' (1964) - Sport Fishermen (uncredited) *''

'' (1965) - Banjo Player

References

* ''Vaudeville, Old & New'', by Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, Donald McNeilly. Routledge, 2007.

External links

* * American male dancers American ukulele players Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Nightclub managers Vaudeville performers 1902 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers United Service Organizations entertainers {{dance-bio-stub