Jack Waldron (born Jack Kestenbaum; February 3, 1893 – November 21, 1969) was an American actor-comedian, singer and dancer.

Early life

As a boy, his two passions were baseball and the theatre, and he began his career as a dancer in

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 ...

. During the

Meuse–Argonne offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along th ...

in World War I, he entertained the troops as a member of the "Argonne Players".

Career

After the war, he played in Chicago nightclubs during the Prohibition years: the Chez Paris, Colosimo, the Paramount, and the Follies; he knew many of the racketeers of the period, including

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

. After the repeal of Prohibition, Waldron returned to New York to entertain in cafes. On

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, he played the role of Tommy in ''Flossie'' (1924), an unspecified role in ''The Great Temptations'' (1926), one of the Boys of the Chorus in ''Hello Daddy!'' (1928–1929) and again in ''Woof Woof'' (1929–1930). In the 1950s, he played Mike Spears in the revival of '' Pal Joey'' (1952–1953), a salesman in ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his c ...

'' (1954–1956), Myron H. Hubbard in ''

The Vamp ''The Vamp'' is a musical comedy with music by James Mundy; lyrics by John La Touche (musician), John La Touche; and a Musical theatre#Book musicals, musical book by La Touche and Sam Locke which is based on a story by La Touche. The musical opene ...

'' (1955), and Schatzie Harris in ''

Say, Darling ''Say, Darling'' is a three-act comic play by Abe Burrows and Richard and Marian Bissell about the creation of a Broadway musical. Although the play featured nine original songs with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styn ...

'' (1959). As a comedic actor, he was known for his short films for

Vitaphone Varieties Vitaphone Varieties is a series title (represented by a pennant logo on screen) used for all of Warner Bros.', earliest short film "talkies" of the 1920s, initially made using the Vitaphone sound on disc process before a switch to the sound-on-film ...

: '' A Breath of Broadway'' (#2691, September 5, 1928) and '' Radio and Relatives'' (December 30, 1938). He also played a bartender in a 1951 episode of ''

Martin Kane, Private Eye ''Martin Kane, Private Eye'' is an American crime drama radio and television series sponsored by United States Tobacco Company. It aired via radio from 1949 to 1952 and was simultaneously a television series on NBC from 1949 to 1954. It was the "ea ...

''.

The Lambs

Waldron was elected to The Lambs Theatre Club in 1949 and was later made an Honorary Life member. He was elected to Council 1960-1969 and became Shepherd in 1969, six months before his death.

Death

Waldron died of cardiac arrest, suddenly and quietly during the night on November 21, 1969, in the arms of his wife Harriet.

References

Citations

Sources

Books

* * * *

Newspapers

Websites

* * * * * * * *

External links

* * * * 1893 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American dancers American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors Vaudeville performers Members of The Lambs Club The Lambs presidents {{US-screen-actor-stub