Pearl Williams (September 10, 1914 – September 18, 1991) was an American entertainer.

Career

Born Pearl Wolfe, Williams started out as a secretary, but quickly turned to playing the piano by ear and became an accomplished player. In 1938 she went to an audition for a singer as accompaniment. She was hired on the spot and that same night went on stage at the

Famous Door The Famous Door was a jazz club on New York's 52nd Street. It opened in 1935 and was one of the major clubs on the street, hosting leading jazz musicians until 1950, through changes of location and periods of closure. History The Famous Door open ...

on 52nd Street with

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...

's band. But it took 14 years and a heckler to make her find her calling. One night, in 1952, a heckler was consistently telling her to get off and that her jokes were horrible, and she said to him, "Oh, fuck off!" The audience howled, and she quickly became a hit. In 1961, signed by Stanley Borden, the owner of After Hours Records, she recorded her first album, ''A trip around the world is not a cruise''. Known for her bawdy humor and aggressive manner, she released nine best-selling "party" records during her career, including: * ''All the Way'' * ''Bagels & Lox!'' * ''She's Doin' What Comes Naturally!'' * ''A Trip Around the World is Not a Cruise'' * ''You'll Never Remember it, Write it Down!'' * ''Battle of the Mothers!'' (with Belle Barth) * ''Party Snatches – the Best of . . .'' (featured) Williams is one of several female Jewish comedians (along with

Belle Barth Belle Barth (born Annabelle Salzman, April 27, 1911 – February 14, 1971) was an American comedian who worked primarily during the 1950s and 1960s. She was known for her foul mouthed, bawdy, irreverent humor. Comedy career Annabelle Salzman, ...

, Patsy Abbott,

Rusty Warren Rusty Warren (March 20, 1930 – May 25, 2021) was an American comedian and singer, specializing in sex-related themes and such songs as "Bounce Your Boobies" and " Knockers Up!". Early life Warren was born in New York City in 1930 and adopted s ...

and

Totie Fields Totie Fields (born Sophie Feldman; May 7, 1930 – August 2, 1978) was an American comedian. Early life Fields was born Sophie Feldman in Hartford, Connecticut. She started singing in Boston clubs while still in high school, taking the stage na ...

) who traced their "bawdy" performance style back to

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

. The back cover of ''A Trip around The World is Not a Cruise'' repeats the anecdote that when they met, Tucker told Williams that "You're me at your age, only better." An echo of Tucker can be discerned when Williams says in her act, "I get broads come in here, they sit in front of me and they stare at me. Everything I do, they stare at me. Then they walk out saying, 'She's so dirrr-ty!' If they're so refined how come they understand what I'm saying?" Williams performed for 18 years at the Place Pigalle in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, before retiring in 1984, commenting ''"I'm tired, I need a rest. After 46 years in show business, night after night, day after day, non-stop, I'm tired"''. She hung up her microphone for good in April of that year. She lived out her final years in

North Miami Beach North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named "Fulford-by-the-Sea" in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the U.S. Coast Guard, the city was renamed "North Miami Be ...

and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. On September 18, 1991, aged 77, she died in her sleep from heart disease.

Posthumous

In 2007, clips of Williams, along with those of

Betty Walker :''The British actress of this name is listed under her stage name, Helen Roberts.'' Betty Walker (August 7, 1928 – July 26, 1982) was a Jewish-American actress and comedian who performed primarily during the 1950s and 1960s. Life and caree ...

, and

Jean Carroll Jean Carroll (born Celine Zeigman, January 7, 1911 – January 1, 2010) was an American actress and comedian during the 1950s and 1960s. Carroll was born as Celine Zeigman on January 7, 1911, in Paris, France. She began her career as part of ...

, were featured in the Off-Broadway production ''The J.A.P. Show: Jewish American Princesses of Comedy'', which included live standup routines by four female Jewish comics juxtaposed with the stories of legendary performers from the 1950s and 1960s.

References

Princessess of Comedy
website

Sources

* Roberta Mock, ''Jewish Women on Stage, Film, and Television'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Pearl 1914 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American Jews People from Long Island People from North Miami Beach, Florida Place of birth missing 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American singers

Career

Posthumous

See also

References

Sources