Harry Einstein (May 6, 1904 – November 24, 1958), known professionally as Harry Parke and other pseudonyms, most commonly Parkyakarkus, was an American
comedian, writer, and character actor. A specialist in Greek
dialect comedy
The term "Dialect comedy" was coined by David Marc in his essay, ''Origins of the genre''. Dialect comedies are a genre of radio (and later television) sitcoms that were popular between the 1920s and the 1950s. They relied on the exaggerated and hi ...
, he became famous as the Greek chef Nick Parkyakarkus on the
Eddie Cantor and
Al Jolson
Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...
radio programs, and later on a program of his own. He appeared in eleven films (as Parkyakarkas or a close variant) from 1936 to 1945. He was also the father of comedians and actors
Albert Brooks and
Bob Einstein (who performed as Super Dave Osborne).
Personal life and early career
Einstein was born in
Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Sarah (née Klayman), who came from a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in Russia; and Charles Einstein, a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
pawnbroker from Austria, who had an importing business.
["Radio Comic 'Parky' Dies Amid Laughter." ''Boston Daily Record'', November 25, 1958, p. 30.] Einstein attended
The English High School
The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...
in Boston.
Einstein first worked as a newspaper reporter, but then moved into advertising for Boston's Hearst Newspapers.
In his spare time, he enjoyed performing comedy routines. During 1924–1925, he became popular on radio as "The Bad Boy from a Good Home", doing comedy skits on Boston station
WEEI (AM)
WEEI (850 kHz) is a commercial sports gambling AM radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI is the Boston affiliate for the Audacy-owned BetQL Network and ...
. He also worked in advertising for the Taylor Furniture Company, where he managed their radio department. He subsequently continued in the advertising business at another Boston furniture store, Summerfield's, while performing dialect comedy for friends at parties.
One of his friends, Boston bandleader Joe Rines, tried to persuade him to become a full-time comedian, but by this time, he was making a good living as advertising manager for Kane's Furniture. Einstein finally agreed to make an appearance on Rines' radio program; he created the Greek character of Nick Parkyakarkus for a skit on that show. The character was very well received by the listeners, and it ultimately led to the national networks' taking notice. Einstein got his big break nationally when he was first heard as a performer on
Eddie Cantor's radio show in 1934.
In addition to performing on Eddie Cantor's program throughout the mid-to-late 1930s, Einstein also was a guest performer on the ''
Al Jolson
Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...
Show''. When he was not performing on radio, he acted in a few comedy films during this time, including ''Strike Me Pink'' (1936), ''The Life of the Party'' (1937), and ''
New Faces of 1937
''New Faces of 1937'' is a 1937 American musical film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Joe Penner, Milton Berle and Harriet Hilliard. Its plot is similar to '' The Producers'' (1968). Intended as the first film of an annual RKO Pictures r ...
''. He met his second wife, actress
Thelma Leeds
Thelma Leeds (December 18, 1910 – May 27, 2006), also known as Thelma Bernstein, was an American actress.
Life and career
Leeds was born Thelma Goodman in New York City, to Katie and Joseph Goodman, Russian-Jewish immigrants. She was the ...
, while making ''New Faces of 1937''.
He and Thelma had three sons (he had one other son with his first wife, Lillian). During the 1930s, Einstein became so inextricably linked with his character that he attempted—unsuccessfully—to change his name legally to Parkyakarkus; a judge denied his request. His star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame bears his character's name instead of his own.
''Meet Me at Parky's''
![Meet Me at Parky's 1948](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Meet_Me_at_Parky%27s_1948.jpg)
As a result of his popularity on the Cantor program, Einstein began a radio show of his own in 1945 called ''Meet Me at Parky's'', featuring the same character, Greek restaurant owner Nick Parkyakarkus. It ran for two seasons on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
before moving to the
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
in 1947 for a third and final season. Einstein wrote most of the program's scripts himself.
Sheldon Leonard
Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter.
Early life
Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle-clas ...
,
Elliott Lewis, and
Betty Rhodes were part of the cast, with Rhodes as the female singer as well as supporting work.
Later years and death
Einstein had a long history of
heart disease, which eventually limited his mobility and stamina. After his radio show was canceled, his appearances were largely confined to
Friars' Club
The Friars Club is a private club in New York City. Famous for its risqué roasts, the club's membership is composed mostly of comedians and other celebrities. Founded in 1904, it is located at 57 East 55th Street, between Park Avenue and Madi ...
roasts
Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the flavor through caramelization ...
.
[ He suffered a fatal ]heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
on a Sunday evening on November 23, 1958, at the age of 54, during a roast in honor of Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...
and Desi Arnaz
Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...
. After Einstein delivered his monologue, emcee Art Linkletter
Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly; sources differ; July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of ''Art Linkletter's House Party, House Par ...
remarked, "Every time he finishes, I ask myself, why isn't he on the air in a prime time?" Einstein turned to Milton Berle, who was seated next to him on the dais, and said, "Yeah, how come?"—then slumped into his lap. Berle's shout of "Is there a doctor in the house?" was initially thought to be a humorous ad lib (the event was a charity benefit for local hospitals and several physicians were in attendance), but the gravity of the situation quickly became clear.
Einstein was carried backstage, where five physicians worked to revive him. One surgeon used his pen knife to make an incision for open heart massage; another used the ends of an electric cord as a makeshift defibrillator. With the remaining comedians on the bill reluctant to continue under the circumstances, Linkletter asked Tony Martin to sing a song; Martin's unfortunate choice was "There's No Tomorrow
"There's No Tomorrow", written by Al Hoffman, Leo Corday and Leon Carr, is one of two popular songs based on the Italian song, "O Sole Mio" (music by Eduardo di Capua). (The other was " It's Now or Never", popularized by Elvis Presley.)
The ...
". Ball then came to the microphone and managed only, "I can say nothing," through tears.[ Arnaz, the closing speaker, said, "This is one of those moments that Lucy and I have waited a lifetime for, but it's meaningless now. They say the show must go on, but why must it? Let's close the show now by praying for this wonderful man backstage who has made a world laugh."][
Despite two hours of continuous resuscitation attempts by the physician volunteers and a rescue squad, Einstein was pronounced dead at 1:20 a.m. on November 24. The news of his death was the '']Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
front-page headline later that morning.[ Einstein's funeral service was attended by 300 mourners. After a eulogy by George Jessel, Einstein was buried in Home of Peace mausoleum in Los Angeles.
]
Aftermath
The argument has been made that Albert Brooks, who was 11 years old when Einstein died, has dealt with the trauma of his father's passing through vignettes in his movies. For example, early in ''Defending Your Life
''Defending Your Life'' is a 1991 American romantic comedy- fantasy film about a man who finds himself on trial in the afterlife, where proceedings examine his lifelong fears, to determine whether he'll be (yet again) reincarnated on Earth. W ...
'' (1991), Brooks’s recently deceased character, Daniel Miller, finds himself in an afterlife nightclub, watching a terrible comedian. "How’d you die?" the comic asks him; Albert replies, "Onstage, like you." Later, Meryl Streep
Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...
's character invites Albert to leave with her. "I can’t," he says, gesturing toward the stage. "That’s my father."
In the Season 9 episode of ''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'' is an American talk-show web series directed and hosted by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The series premiered on digital network Crackle on July 19, 2012. As of May 2015, it had been streamed nearly 100 million tim ...
'', "It's Not So Funny When It's Your Mother," his son Bob Einstein tells host Jerry Seinfeld that the incident of his father dying on-stage at the Friars Club roast, when Bob Einstein was 16 years old, turned him off from performing for many years. Specifically, he was highly offended by the fact that both Milton Berle and George Jessel performed their comedy routines as eulogies at Harry Einstein's funeral, feeling it was insensitive, and this made him uncomfortable with comedy. The episode featured an excerpt, covering the events of Harry Einstein's passing, from the documentary film "Let Me In, I Hear Laughter - A Salute To The Friars Club" directed by Dean Ward (screenwriter)
Dean Ward is an American screenwriter, television comedy writer and documentary filmmaker.
Early life
Ward was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts and graduated from Brookline High School. He attended New York University.
Career
As a televisi ...
.
Family
Einstein was the father of four sons: the writer Charles Einstein
Charles Einstein (August 2, 1926 – March 7, 2007) was a newspaperman and sportswriter. He was the author of the 1953 novel ''The Bloody Spur'', on which the film ''While the City Sleeps'' (1956), directed by Fritz Lang, was based. Einstein's fat ...
(by his first marriage to Lillian Anshen), and comedians Albert Brooks and Bob Einstein, and advertising executive Clifford Einstein (with his second wife, actress Thelma Leeds
Thelma Leeds (December 18, 1910 – May 27, 2006), also known as Thelma Bernstein, was an American actress.
Life and career
Leeds was born Thelma Goodman in New York City, to Katie and Joseph Goodman, Russian-Jewish immigrants. She was the ...
).[ Harry and Lillian divorced in 1929.]
Filmography
* Strike Me Pink (1936) - Parkyakarkus (credited as Parkyakarkus)
* New Faces of 1937 (1937) - Parky (credited as Parkyakarkus)
* The Life of the Party (1937) - Parky (credited as Parkyakarkus)
* She's Got Everything (1937) - Nick Zyteras (credited as Parkyakarkus)
* ''Night Spot
''Night Spot'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Christy Cabanne and written by Lionel Houser. The film stars Harry Parke, Allan Lane, Gordon Jones, Joan Woodbury, and Lee Patrick. The film was released on February 25, 1938, by RKO P ...
'' (1938) - Gashouse (credited as Parkyakarkus)
* '' A Yank in Libya'' (1942) - 'Parky' Parkyarkarkus (credited as Parkyarkarkus)
* ''Sweethearts of the U.S.A.
''Sweethearts of the U.S.A.'' is a 1944 American musical comedy film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Una Merkel, Harry Parke, and Donald Novis.Taylor & Jackson p.276 In Britain, it was released under the alternative title of ''Sweethear ...
'' (1944) - Parky (credited as Parkyakarkus)
* Movie Pests (Short) (1944) - Peanut-Eating Pest (uncredited)
* The Yanks Are Coming (1942) - Parky (credited as Parkyarkarkus)
* Earl Carroll Vanities (1945) - Walter (credited as Parkyakarkus)
* Out of This World (1945) - Gus Palukas (credited as Parkyakarkus)
* No Time at All (1958) - Mr. Laurie (credited as Harry Einstein) - episode on "Playhouse 90", a TV series broadcast in 1958
See also
*List of entertainers who died during a performance
Through history, many entertainers have died while performing live or while recording a performance. The following list excludes deaths involving stunt persons, as they are listed separately.
17th century
*1673: Molière, the French actor and p ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1904 births
1958 deaths
American male comedians
20th-century American comedians
Jewish American writers
Jewish male comedians
Deaths onstage
Jewish American male comedians
American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery
Comedians from Massachusetts
English High School of Boston alumni
20th-century American Jews