Harry Richman
Encyclopedia
Harry Richman was an American
entertainer. He was a singer, actor
, dancer, comedian
, pianist
, songwriter
, bandleader
, and night club
performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
Richman was born as Harold Reichman in Cincinnati, Ohio
. He changed his name to "Harry Richman" at age 18, by which time he was already a professional entertainer in vaudeville
. He worked as a piano
accompanist to such stars as Mae West
and Nora Bayes
. With Bayes' act he made his Broadway
debut in 1922. He appeared in several editions of the George White's Scandals
in the 1920s to acclaim. He appeared in the 1931 Ziegfeld Follies
.
He made his feature movie
debut in Hollywood
in 1930 with the film Puttin' on the Ritz
, featuring the Irving Berlin
song of the same title, which gave Richman a phonograph record
hit that year. His film career was short lived due to his somewhat overpowering personality, and his limited acting skills. (Leonard Maltin wrote of Puttin' on the Ritz: "A songwriter drinks and goes blind - after seeing this you'll want to do the same".) This made little difference to his career as he remained a popular nightclub host and stage performer.
Richman was also an amateur aviator
of some accomplishment, being the co-pilot in 1936, with famed flyer Henry Tindall "Dick" Merrill
, of the first round-trip transatlantic flight
in his own single-engine Vultee
transport. Richman had filled much of the empty space of the aircraft with ping pong balls as a flotation aid in case they were forced down in the Atlantic, and after the successful flight he sold autographed ones until his death. They continue to turn up on eBay
to this day.
He also made regular radio
broadcasts in the 1930s. He married Hazel Forbes
, show girl and Ziegfeld Girl
, in March 1938, in Palm Springs, California. He and Forbes shared a sumptuous home in Beechurst, Long Island. Shortly after their wedding Forbes contracted pneumonia
and was saved, in part, through the use of the drug sulfanilimide. The couple considered adopting a baby. By 1942 Forbes was divorced from Richman.
Richman largely retired in the 1940s, although he made irregular appearances, including on television
, into the 1950s.
His autobiography
A Hell of a Life was published in 1966.
Harry Richman died in Hollywood, California.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entertainer. He was a singer, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, dancer, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, and night club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
Richman was born as Harold Reichman in Cincinnati, Ohio
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...
. He changed his name to "Harry Richman" at age 18, by which time he was already a professional entertainer in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. He worked as a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
accompanist to such stars as Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
and Nora Bayes
Nora Bayes
Nora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:...
. With Bayes' act he made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 1922. He appeared in several editions of the George White's Scandals
George White's Scandals
George White's Scandals were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modelled after the Ziegfeld Follies. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W.C. Fields, the Three Stooges, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Ethel Merman, ...
in the 1920s to acclaim. He appeared in the 1931 Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
.
He made his feature movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
debut in Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
in 1930 with the film Puttin' on the Ritz
Puttin' on the Ritz (film)
Puttin' on the Ritz is a musical film, directed by Edward Sloman and starred Harry Richman, Joan Bennett, and James Gleason. The screenplay was written by James Gleason and William K. Wells, based on a story by John W...
, featuring the Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
song of the same title, which gave Richman a phonograph record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
hit that year. His film career was short lived due to his somewhat overpowering personality, and his limited acting skills. (Leonard Maltin wrote of Puttin' on the Ritz: "A songwriter drinks and goes blind - after seeing this you'll want to do the same".) This made little difference to his career as he remained a popular nightclub host and stage performer.
Richman was also an amateur aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
of some accomplishment, being the co-pilot in 1936, with famed flyer Henry Tindall "Dick" Merrill
Dick Merrill
Henry Tyndall "Dick" Merrill was an early aviation pioneer. Among his feats he was the highest paid air mail pilot, flew the first round-trip transatlantic flight in 1936, was Dwight D...
, of the first round-trip transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
in his own single-engine Vultee
Vultee Aircraft
The Vultee Aircraft Corporation became an independent company in 1939 and had limited success before merging with the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1943 to form the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, or Convair.-History:...
transport. Richman had filled much of the empty space of the aircraft with ping pong balls as a flotation aid in case they were forced down in the Atlantic, and after the successful flight he sold autographed ones until his death. They continue to turn up on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
to this day.
He also made regular radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts in the 1930s. He married Hazel Forbes
Hazel Forbes
Hazel Forbes was an American dancer and actress from Gettysburg, South Dakota. She was blond and petite. Her true surname was Froidevaux....
, show girl and Ziegfeld Girl
Ziegfeld girl
Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical spectaculars known as the Ziegfeld Follies , which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris....
, in March 1938, in Palm Springs, California. He and Forbes shared a sumptuous home in Beechurst, Long Island. Shortly after their wedding Forbes contracted pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and was saved, in part, through the use of the drug sulfanilimide. The couple considered adopting a baby. By 1942 Forbes was divorced from Richman.
Richman largely retired in the 1940s, although he made irregular appearances, including on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, into the 1950s.
His autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
A Hell of a Life was published in 1966.
Harry Richman died in Hollywood, California.
Further reading
- Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN #1-59393-320-7.
- Richman, Harry, A Hell of a Life, New York, 1966