Charlie Manna
Encyclopedia
Charlie Manna was an Italian American
standup comedian, active in the 1960s. He was a New York
resident, who studied opera for five years before turning to comedy. He died in 1971 from cancer. He first appeared at the Green Mansions resort, in the Adirondacks near the Catskills resort area
. He appeared on many theatrical and television variety show
s of the era, including the London Palladium
, The Ed Sullivan Show
, The Tonight Show
, the Steve Allen Show, Jackie Gleason
's Stage Show, the Jack Paar Show, and The Garry Moore Show
. He performed at local venues like the Radio City Music Hall
, the Bon Soir supper club, the Blue Angel, the Copacabana
and Montreal's El Morocco
. He appeared in theatrical performances, including Michael Stewart's
Shoestring '57 and Hermione Gingold
's Sticks and Stones.
He was well known for a routine in which an astronaut balks at being launched until someone finds his box of crayons, containing "a green, an orange and two blacks".
Veteran comedian Phyllis Diller
credited Manna with helping improve her standup routine when she was starting in the business, "It was at New York's Bon Soir nightclub during the early sixties that the comic Charlie Manna gave me the greatest advice about how to get on: quickly tell five of your hottest jokes and then run with them. Get the audience laughing for real, don't make it a phony deal." Manna was quoted as saying, "There are two varieties of comedy: funny and not funny."
He recorded a comedy album, "Manna Overboard!!", (Decca Records
, 1961), produced by Michael Ross
, written by Ross and Bruce Howard, recorded at the Village Vanguard
, New York.
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
standup comedian, active in the 1960s. He was a 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...
resident, who studied opera for five years before turning to comedy. He died in 1971 from cancer. He first appeared at the Green Mansions resort, in the Adirondacks near the Catskills resort area
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
. He appeared on many theatrical and television variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s of the era, including the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
, The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, the Steve Allen Show, Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
's Stage Show, the Jack Paar Show, and The Garry Moore Show
The Garry Moore Show
The Garry Moore Show is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer, Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talents, such as Don Adams, George Gobel, Carol Burnett, Don...
. He performed at local venues like the Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
, the Bon Soir supper club, the Blue Angel, the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
and Montreal's El Morocco
El Morocco
El Morocco was a 20th century Manhattan nightclub frequented by the rich and famous in the 1930s and 1950s. It was famous for its blue zebra-stripe motif and its official photographer, Jerome Zerbe.-History:In 1931, John Perona , an Italian...
. He appeared in theatrical performances, including Michael Stewart's
Michael Stewart (playwright)
Michael Stewart was an American playwright and librettist.Born Michael Stuart Rubin in Manhattan, Stewart attended Queens College, and is a graduate of Yale School of Drama with a Master of Fine Arts from 1953. Michael Stewart (August 1, 1924 – September 20, 1987) was an American playwright...
Shoestring '57 and Hermione Gingold
Hermione Gingold
Hermione Gingold was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric persona, an image enhanced by her sharp nose and chin, as well as her deepening voice, a result of vocal nodes which her mother reportedly encouraged her not to remove. She starred on stage, on radio, in films, on...
's Sticks and Stones.
He was well known for a routine in which an astronaut balks at being launched until someone finds his box of crayons, containing "a green, an orange and two blacks".
Veteran comedian Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller is an American actress and comedian. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder...
credited Manna with helping improve her standup routine when she was starting in the business, "It was at New York's Bon Soir nightclub during the early sixties that the comic Charlie Manna gave me the greatest advice about how to get on: quickly tell five of your hottest jokes and then run with them. Get the audience laughing for real, don't make it a phony deal." Manna was quoted as saying, "There are two varieties of comedy: funny and not funny."
He recorded a comedy album, "Manna Overboard!!", (Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, 1961), produced by Michael Ross
Michael Ross (screenwriter)
Michael "Mickey" Ross was an American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and television producer. Ross, together with writing partners Don Nicholl and Bernard West, were writers/producers for All in the Family, for which Ross won an Emmy in 1973, The Jeffersons and Three's Company...
, written by Ross and Bruce Howard, recorded at the Village Vanguard
Village Vanguard
The Village Vanguard is a jazz club located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. At first, it also featured other forms of music such as folk music and beat poetry, but it switched to an all-jazz format in 1957.-History:Over 100 jazz...
, New York.