Jimmy Durante

From his humble beginnings as a Coney Island piano player, Jimmy Durante was one of America’s best-loved entertainers for nearly seven decades. Known for his distinctive “schnozzle” and raspy voice, the multitalented performer became a stage, screen and recording star.
Every aspect of Jimmy Durante’s career is covered here: his early vaudeville and Broadway days; the 38 movies he made; his radio appearances; the mixture of new and old material he brought to television in the late 1950s; and his work as a singer and composer.

David Bakish is an English professor at the City University of New York.

David Bakish
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 303
Bibliographic Info: 26 photos, discography, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2007 [1995]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3022-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0661-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      ix
Introduction      1

1. Overview of a Career      3
2. Beginnings and Family Roots      7
3. Ragtime and Nightclubs      11
4. Vaudeville and Broadway      31
5. Movies      55
6. Radio      97
7. Television and Nightclubs—Recreating the 1920s      129
8. Conclusion      173

Notes      177
Appendices      193
Bibliography      267
Index      271

• Finalist, ARSC Award for Excellence
• “It beats all other Durante books by a nose…staggering amount of information”—Big Reel
• “Extensive research…. Recommended”—Classic Images
• “Substantial…Durante’s life and career is documented in detail”—The Slide Area
• “A must”—The Illustrated Press
• “Illuminates his struggles and his triumphs on Broadway, and later on radio and television…a ‘must’ for all those interested in Durante. …a comprehensive illustrated reference book…a superb book of reference…thoroughly recommended”—The Other Side of Show Business.