Aladdin Pallante
Encyclopedia
Aladdin Abdullah Achmed Anthony Pallante (September 12, 1912 – June 9, 1970) was an actor and musician better known to fans as Aladdin who appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show
from 1955 to 1967.
Born and raised in New York
, Aladdin first began his professional career as a dancer at age three, but a serious fall, which left him temporarily paralyzed, forced him to turn his talents in an instrumental and vocal direction, which led him to learning to play the violin
.
Prior to joining Welk's Champagne Music Makers, he appeared with Ray Noble
on the Edgar Bergen Show
and has appeared in several Hollywood movies both as an actor and musician. Among his film roles were, Girl on the Red Velvet Swing, Easy To Love
, Deep In The Heart Of Texas
and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. He was also a featured violinist for Rudy Vallee
, Xavier Cugat
and Carmen Cavallero.
As a member of the Welk orchestra, whom he joined in 1953, Aladdin in addition to his role as violinist also appeared in the show's comedy numbers, most of them with Bob Lido
. He was also well received by audiences for his dramatic readings, most of them submitted by Helen Steiner Rice
of Cincinnati
, Ohio
.
Aladdin was known to speak several different languages, which included Spanish
, French
, Russian
, Yiddish and Hebrew. He recorded the song "Darktown Stutters Ball" for Welk in Italian
on the Coral record label with Bob Lido
singing in English.
After suffering a heart attack in the fall of 1967, he left the show in concern for his health, but died a few years afterward in 1970.
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
from 1955 to 1967.
Born and raised in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Aladdin first began his professional career as a dancer at age three, but a serious fall, which left him temporarily paralyzed, forced him to turn his talents in an instrumental and vocal direction, which led him to learning to play the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
.
Prior to joining Welk's Champagne Music Makers, he appeared with Ray Noble
Ray Noble (musician)
Ray Noble was an English bandleader, composer, arranger and actor. Noble studied music at the Royal Academy of Music and became leader of the HMV Records studio band in 1929. The band, known as the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, featured members of many of the top hotel orchestras of the day...
on the Edgar Bergen Show
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
and has appeared in several Hollywood movies both as an actor and musician. Among his film roles were, Girl on the Red Velvet Swing, Easy To Love
Easy to Love
"Easy to Love" is the title of a R&B single by For Real, it was the second single from their debut album It's a Natural Thang. Billboard magazine noted "super-tight harmonies that are proiminent, but not overshadowing; instatly memorable melody stands as the cut's focal point.-Chart positions:...
, Deep In The Heart Of Texas
Deep in the Heart of Texas
"Deep in the Heart of Texas" is an American popular song elaborating on the merits of the state of Texas.The 1941 song features lyrics by June Hershey and music by Don Swander. The song was recorded by Perry Como with Ted Weems and His Orchestra on December 9 of that year for Decca Records in Los...
and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. He was also a featured violinist for Rudy Vallee
Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
, Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
and Carmen Cavallero.
As a member of the Welk orchestra, whom he joined in 1953, Aladdin in addition to his role as violinist also appeared in the show's comedy numbers, most of them with Bob Lido
Bob Lido
Bob Lido was an American musician and singer who was a regular member of television's The Lawrence Welk Show, his instrument was the violin....
. He was also well received by audiences for his dramatic readings, most of them submitted by Helen Steiner Rice
Helen Steiner Rice
Helen Steiner Rice was an American writer of religious and inspirational poetry.Helen Steiner was born in Lorain, Ohio on May 19, 1900. Her father, a railroad worker, died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. She began work for a public utility and progressed to the position of advertising manager,...
of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Aladdin was known to speak several different languages, which included Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Yiddish and Hebrew. He recorded the song "Darktown Stutters Ball" for Welk in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
on the Coral record label with Bob Lido
Bob Lido
Bob Lido was an American musician and singer who was a regular member of television's The Lawrence Welk Show, his instrument was the violin....
singing in English.
After suffering a heart attack in the fall of 1967, he left the show in concern for his health, but died a few years afterward in 1970.