Harry Steppe
Encyclopedia
Harry SteppeHarry Steppe (born Abraham Stepner, March 16, 1888 – November 22, 1934 was a Jewish-American actor, musical comedy performer, headliner comedian, writer, librettist, director and producer, who toured North America working in Vaudeville
and Burlesque
. Steppe performed at several well-known theaters on the Columbia, Mutual and Orpheum
circuits. As one of Bud Abbott
's first partners, Harry introduced Bud to Lou Costello
in 1934.
parents, Steppe emigrated from Moscow
to the United States through Ellis Island
with his family in 1892. Steppe became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1899.
Steppe's father was a tailor. His brother Michael was a vocalist. One of Steppe's brothers was named Harry but it is not known if this was an inspiration for part of Steppe's stage name.
Steppe lived in Newark, New Jersey and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of 29, Steppe claimed an exemption from the draft for World War I on the grounds that he supported his widowed mother.
, the same year they were married. This sudden loss may have contributed to speculation about Harry's personal struggles with depression.
Other paramours of Harry Steppe included Vaudeville performers Victoria "Vic" Dayton, whom he married in 1920, Edna Raymond and Leona St. Clair. Steppe was often billed with actress Lola Pierce, to whom he was also reportedly linked romantically.
. Many of Steppe's variety shows featured musical revues and olios
with dancing girls, comedy sketches and specialty acts. One performance of Steppe's "Girls from the Follies" featured "eight cycling models with thrilling stunts on wheels," operatic songs, ballroom dancing and chorus girls.
Phil Silvers
and others credited Steppe with "introducing the phrase "top banana
" into show business jargon in 1927 as a synonym for the top comic on the bill. It rose out of a routine, full of doubletalk, in which three comics tried to share two bananas." Silvers further popularized the term "Top Banana" in his 1951 Broadway musical and 1954 film of the same name. Steppe also claimed to have coined the phrase "Second Banana."
Steppe's sketches were performed by such well-known comedians as Phil Silvers
, The Three Stooges, and Abbott and Costello
. Steppe created the original "Lemon Bit," a skit built around a shell game
that used lemons instead of peas. Abbott and Costello performed the "Lemon Bit" in their movie "In the Navy" and in their television program "The Abbott & Costello Show."
Although Steppe had penned the "Pokomoko" (aka Niagara Falls) Routine ("Slowly I Turned
, step by step, inch by inch...")" and performed it with The Three Stooges, other writers, including fellow Vaudevillians Joey Faye and Samuel Goldman each laid claim to the skit, too. "Lifting" routines from another performer was standard operating procedure in the early-to-mid 20th century, and the famed routine was performed, without originator credit, by...
contributed to Steppe's death, according to his death certificate. He was at Bellevue Hospital in New York, New York for two days and had been ill for a month, according to a story in Variety
magazine, Nov. 27, 1934. He is buried in New Jersey.
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...
and Burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
. Steppe performed at several well-known theaters on the Columbia, Mutual and Orpheum
Orpheum Circuit, Inc.
Orpheum Circuit, Inc., was a company started by Martin Beck who owned a series of vaudeville theaters and motion picture theaters.- The company :...
circuits. As one of Bud Abbott
Bud Abbott
William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.-Early life:...
's first partners, Harry introduced Bud to Lou Costello
Lou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
in 1934.
Early life
Born in Russia to Orthodox JewishOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
parents, Steppe emigrated from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to the United States through Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
with his family in 1892. Steppe became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1899.
Steppe's father was a tailor. His brother Michael was a vocalist. One of Steppe's brothers was named Harry but it is not known if this was an inspiration for part of Steppe's stage name.
Steppe lived in Newark, New Jersey and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of 29, Steppe claimed an exemption from the draft for World War I on the grounds that he supported his widowed mother.
Relationships
Steppe married twice. His first wife Beatrice, an actress in "Razzle Dazzle of 1918," died at the age of 25 from the Spanish fluSpanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
, the same year they were married. This sudden loss may have contributed to speculation about Harry's personal struggles with depression.
Other paramours of Harry Steppe included Vaudeville performers Victoria "Vic" Dayton, whom he married in 1920, Edna Raymond and Leona St. Clair. Steppe was often billed with actress Lola Pierce, to whom he was also reportedly linked romantically.
Career
Known to theater patrons as "The Hebrew Gent," Steppe was billed as a Hebrew, Jewish-dialect or Yiddish-dialect character comedian. One of Steppe's alter egos Ignatz Cohen became a recurring and popular character based on an ethnic Jewish stereotypeStereotypes of Jews
Stereotypes of Jews are generalizations or stereotypes about Jews. Jewish people have been stereotyped for over two millennia throughout Europe and the Western hemisphere as scapegoats for a multitude of societal problems. Antisemitism continued throughout the centuries and reached a climax in the...
. Many of Steppe's variety shows featured musical revues and olios
Olio (musical number)
An olio is a Vaudeville number, short dance or song performed as musical encore after the performance of a dramatic play. It can also be defined as a collection of various artistic or literary works or musical pieces used between acts in a burlesque or minstrel show. This was common on showboats in...
with dancing girls, comedy sketches and specialty acts. One performance of Steppe's "Girls from the Follies" featured "eight cycling models with thrilling stunts on wheels," operatic songs, ballroom dancing and chorus girls.
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
and others credited Steppe with "introducing the phrase "top banana
Top Banana
Top Banana is an environmentally-themed platform game produced by Hex and Psycore for the Acorn Archimedes in 1991 and ported to the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST in 1992. The chief artist and coder was Miles Visman, with supporting graphics and sound by Karel Dander, and supporting graphics by...
" into show business jargon in 1927 as a synonym for the top comic on the bill. It rose out of a routine, full of doubletalk, in which three comics tried to share two bananas." Silvers further popularized the term "Top Banana" in his 1951 Broadway musical and 1954 film of the same name. Steppe also claimed to have coined the phrase "Second Banana."
Steppe's sketches were performed by such well-known comedians as Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
, The Three Stooges, and Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
. Steppe created the original "Lemon Bit," a skit built around a shell game
Shell game
The shell game is portrayed as a gambling game, but in reality, when a wager for money is made, it is a confidence trick used to perpetrate fraud...
that used lemons instead of peas. Abbott and Costello performed the "Lemon Bit" in their movie "In the Navy" and in their television program "The Abbott & Costello Show."
Although Steppe had penned the "Pokomoko" (aka Niagara Falls) Routine ("Slowly I Turned
Slowly I Turned
"Slowly I Turned" is the most common name associated with a popular vaudeville sketch that has also been performed in cinema and on television. Comedians Harry Steppe , Joey Faye , and Samuel Goldman each laid claim to this timeless classic of show business, also referred to as,...
, step by step, inch by inch...")" and performed it with The Three Stooges, other writers, including fellow Vaudevillians Joey Faye and Samuel Goldman each laid claim to the skit, too. "Lifting" routines from another performer was standard operating procedure in the early-to-mid 20th century, and the famed routine was performed, without originator credit, by...
- The Three Stooges in the movie Gents Without CentsGents Without CentsGents Without Cents is the 81st short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
(1944) - Abbott and CostelloAbbott and CostelloWilliam "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
in the movie Lost in a HaremLost in a Harem-Plot:When a traveling vaudeville show becomes stranded in the Middle East, their singer, Hazel Moon , takes a job at a local cafe. Two of the show's prop men, Peter Johnson and Harvey Garvey , are hired as comedy relief, but their act unfortunately initiates a brawl...
(1944) - Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
in the TV show I Love LucyI Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
(1951), Season #1, Episode #19 ("The Ballet") - Abbott and Costello on TV in The Abbott and Costello ShowThe Abbott and Costello ShowThe Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
(1952–1953)
Agents and Management
Harry Steppe was represented by several theatrical agencies during his career, including Cain & Davenport and Chamberlain and Lyman Brown. Some of his shows were produced by Sam N. Reichblum and well-known burlesque producer I.H. Herk. Steppe also secured theater bookings through the support of entertainment circuits, or "wheels," like the B.F. Keith Vaudeville Exchange, the Columbia Amusement Company (so-called "clean" burlesque) and the Mutual Burlesque Association.Death
When Steppe became gravely ill and unable to work, his friends in show business staged a fundraiser on his behalf, however Steppe died in poverty. Pulmonary edemaPulmonary edema
Pulmonary edema , or oedema , is fluid accumulation in the air spaces and parenchyma of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure...
contributed to Steppe's death, according to his death certificate. He was at Bellevue Hospital in New York, New York for two days and had been ill for a month, according to a story in Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine, Nov. 27, 1934. He is buried in New Jersey.
Stage Productions
| Performances | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month | City & State | Theater | Show Title | Players & Notables | Media Coverage |
| 1911 | Apr | Majestic Theater | The Two Strollers Musical Comedy |
Harry Steppe Toney Murphy Smuckler Sisters |
Portsmouth Daily Times | |
| May | Kenyon Theater | Loveland | Harry Steppe (as Ignatz Cohen) Ben Masten Jack Daily Leona Thompson, singer Berti Wyatt, dancer Gertie Fay, dancer |
Pittsburgh Press | ||
| 1912 | Apr | Marion, OH | Sun Theater | Girl from Daffydill | Harry Steppe (as Ignatz Cohen) | Marion Daily Star |
| Olympic | Girls from the Follies | |||||
| 1913 | Sep | Girls from the Follies | Indianapolis Star | |||
| Oct | Chicago, IL | Girls from the Follies | Suburbanite Economist | |||
| Nov | Boston, MA | Howard Athenaeum Howard Athenaeum The Howard Athenæum in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history. Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, finally closing in 1953.- History :... |
Girls from the Follies | Boston Globe | ||
| Cleveland, OH | Empire | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| 1914 | Jan | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Girls from the Follies | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | |
| Mar | Toronto, ON Canada | Star Theater | Girls from the Follies | Toronto Sunday World | ||
| Apr | Boston, MA | Howard Athenaeum Howard Athenaeum The Howard Athenæum in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history. Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, finally closing in 1953.- History :... |
Boston Daily Globe | |||
| May | Hartford, CT | Poli Palace Theater Main and Gold Streets |
Those Kissing Girls Musical Comedy |
Hartford Courant | ||
| Jun | St. James | Kissing Girls | Harry Steppe Oscar Lorraine, violinist Ed and Jack Smith, dancers |
Boston Evening Transcript | ||
| Aug | Murray Hill Theatre | Girls from the Follies | Harry Steppe Charles Quinn Vesta Lockard Gertrude Balston Forrest G. Wyre Jessie Quinn Annie Goldie Marie Revere Harry Fisher William Harris |
New York Times | ||
| Sep | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Girls from the Follies | Harry Steppe Charles Quinn Vesta Lockard Gertrude Balston Forrest G. Wyre Jessie Quinn Annie Goldie Marie Revere Harry Fisher William Harris |
Pittsburgh Press | |
| Nov | Boston, MA | Howard Athenaeum Howard Athenaeum The Howard Athenæum in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history. Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, finally closing in 1953.- History :... |
Girls from the Follies | Boston Daily Globe | ||
| Baltimore, MD | Gayety | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| 1915 | Jan | Toronto | Star Theater | Girls from the Follies Two-act Musical Farce |
Harry Steppe Vesta Lockard Gertude Walston Mabel Reflow George L. Wagner William M. Harris Billy Moore Harry Fisher Solly Hito Dan Pierce, Star Theater Manager |
Toronto World |
| May | Victoria | Girls from the Follies | Harry Steppe Vesta Lockhard Gertude Ralston Mabel Reflow, dancer George L. Wagner William M. Harris Harry Van Harry Fisher Solly Hito, dancer |
Pittsburgh Press | ||
| Sep | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Lady Pirates | Pittsburgh Press | ||
| Oct | Trenton, NJ | Trenton Evening Times | ||||
| Cleveland, OH | Bijou | |||||
| Louisville, KY | Buckingham | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| Detroit, MI | Cadillac | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| Detroit, MI | Cadillac | Lady Pirates | ||||
| Philadelphia, PA | Casino | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| Rochester, NY | Corinthian | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| Ft. Wayne, IN | Majestic | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| Razzier | ||||||
| Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Keeny's Harry Steppe & George Martin | ||||
| 1916 | Jan | Ft. Wayne, IN | Girls from the Follies | Ft Wayne Daily News | ||
| Jan | Ft. Wayne, IN | Cohen in Chinatown Two-act musical comedy |
Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette | |||
| Philadelphia, PA | Cabaret | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| St. Louis, MO | Standard | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| Louisville, KY | Buckingham | Girls from the Follies Cohen on the East Side Two-act musical burlesque |
Reedy's Mirror Reedy's Mirror Reedy's Mirror was a literary journal in St. Louis, Missouri in the fin de siècle era. It billed itself "The Mid-West Weekly".-Overview:The journal first appeared on February, 25 1891 under the title of the Sunday Mirror, published by The Sunday Mirror Company in St. Louis. On February 28, 1895,... |
|||
| Olympic | ||||||
| Newark, NJ | Loews | Harry Steppe at the Loews | ||||
| Loews | Step Lively Girls | |||||
| Louisville, KY | Buckingham | Girls from the Follies | ||||
| Cleveland, OH | Empire | Cohen's Review | ||||
| Philadelphia, PA | Trocadero | Follies | ||||
| Milwaukee, WI | Gayety | |||||
| 1917 | Jan | Trenton, NJ | Hello Girls | Trenton Evening Times | ||
| Feb | Brooklyn, NY | Howard Athenaeum Howard Athenaeum The Howard Athenæum in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history. Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, finally closing in 1953.- History :... |
Boston Daily Globe | |||
| Brooklyn, NY | Star | |||||
| 1918 | Aug | Philadelphia, PA | Gayety 5th below Vine |
Razzle Dazzle Girls | Harry Steppe Grace Fletcher |
Evening Public Ledger |
| Oct | Star Theater | Razzle Dazzle of 1918 | Harry Steppe Bunnie Mack, comedian Grace Fletcher, soubrette Percie Judah Mike Fertig, singer Sydia Dunn, singer Palmer Hines, straight man |
Toronto World | ||
| 1919 | Jan | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Razzle Dazzle of 1919 | Harry Steppe Lew Denny Mike Fertig, singer Billy Halperin Percie Judah Sydia Dunn, singer Grace Fletcher |
Pittsburgh Press |
| Feb | Washington, DC | Razzle Dazzle | Harry Steppe Grace Fletcher |
Washington Post | ||
| Mar | Trenton, NJ | Razzle Dazzle | ||||
| Columbus, OH | Lyceum | Razzle Dazzle | ||||
| Peoples Theatre | American Supreme | |||||
| 1920 | Columbus, OH | Razzle Dazzle of 1919 | ||||
| Tid Bits of 1920 | ||||||
| Buckingham | Misfit Cohen | |||||
| Gayety | Harry Steppe and His Rumba Girls | |||||
| 1921 | Jun | New York, NY | Loew's Metropolitan | Harry Steppe, headliner Dick Lancaster |
New York Tribune | |
| Jun | New York, NY | Loew's American | Harry Steppe, headliner Chappelle and Stinnett |
New York Tribune | ||
| Sep | New York, NY | Columbia Broadway & 47th St. |
Jingle Jingle | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal |
New York Times | |
| Washington, DC | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Frank Anderson |
Washington Post | ||||
| 1923 | Apr | Los Angeles, CA | Hillstreet | Just a Debate | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal |
Los Angeles Times |
| New York, NY | Columbia Playhouse | |||||
| 1924 | Sep | Gayety Theater Columbia Burlesque | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Vic Casmore Solly Hito, dancer Mabel Reflow, dancer |
Canadian Jewish Chronicle The Axe (Montreal) |
|
| Nov | Bridgeport, CT | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Bridgeport Telegram | |||
| Dec | Gayety | Harry Steppe Dorothy Golden, dancer |
Pittsburgh Press | |||
| 1925 | Jan | Gayety Theater Columbia Burlesque | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Mabel Reflow Lola Pierce |
Pittsburgh Press | |
| March | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal |
Chicago Tribune | |||
| Apr | Empire Theater Temperance Street Columbia Burlesque (Columbia Circuit) |
Cain and Davenport present Harry Steppe and His Big Show Week of April 13 |
Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Vic Casmore Hite and (Mabel) Reflow, singer George McClennon, comedian |
Canadian Jewish Review | ||
| May | New York, NY | Columbia Theater Times Square (Columbia Circuit) |
O.K. | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Mabel Reflow, singer Lola Pierce, singer George McClennon, dancer Miller and Ryan, dancers Three Golfers, acrobats Solly Hito, juvenile and a whistler |
New York Times | |
| Aug | (New) Lyric Theater | O.K. |
Harry Steppe George McClennon Owen Martin, straight man Vic Casmore Mite Mabel Reflow, singer |
Bridgeport Telegraph | ||
| Sep | Gayety | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Vic Casmore |
Pittsburgh Press | ||
| Oct | Cleveland, OH | Columbia | Steppe's Own Show | Harry Steppe George McClennon |
Afro-American | |
| Oct | Zanesville, OH | Weller Columbia Circuit |
Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Owen Martin, straight man George McClennon, jazz clarinetist Jacque Wilson, blues singer Carmen Sisters, dancers Rube Walman, whistler |
Zanesville Times Signal Zanesville Signal Zanesville Times Signal |
|
| 1926 | Apr | Boston, MA | Casino Theater (Columbia Circuit) |
Steppe's Own Show | Afro-American | |
| June | New York, NY | The Lemon Bit | New York Times | |||
| Boston, MA | Gaiety Theater | Harry Steppe's OK | Gaiety Theater Study Report | |||
| 1927 | Oct | Atlanta, GA | The Supper Club The Debate |
Harry Steppe Lola Pierce |
Atlanta Constitution | |
| 1928 | Feb | Decatur, Illinois Decatur, Illinois Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,... |
Matrimony à la Carte with Lola Pierce | |||
| June | New York, NY | Loew's Theater | Loew's Weekly | |||
| 1929 | Sep | Gayety | Harry Steppe and His Own Big Show | Canadian Jewish Review | ||
| Dec | Washington, DC | 9th Street | Harry Steppe and His Show | Washington Post | ||
| Dec | Pittsburgh, PA | Academy Theater | Harry Steppe and His Show Monte Carlo Fortune Hunters |
Harry Steppe Betty and Bud Abbott Bud Abbott William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.-Early life:... Billie Holmes, blues singer Frances Knight, ingenue Rube Walman Lee Baird, second comedian Gertie Foreman Jerry DeVere |
Pittsburgh Press | |
| 1930 | Sep | Orpheum Theatre | Harry Steppe and His Show | Reading Eagle | ||
| Oct | Pittsburgh, PA | Academy Theater | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Jeanne Steele, jazz singer Ann Clair, ingenue Lloyd and Ardell Wilbur Dobbs, comedian George Raymond, baritone Dixon and Morrell, sister act |
Pittsburgh Press | |
| 1931 | Mar | Orpheum Theater (Mutual Circuit) |
Fashion Parade | Harry Steppe Sonny Kest, ingenue Lee Hickman Dorothy Alexander |
Reading Eagle | |
| Oct | Pittsburgh, PA | Academy Theater (Columbia Circuit) |
Rumba Girls | Harry Steppe Jerri McCauley |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | |
| 1933 | Apr | Ritz | Harry Steppe Max Furman Lew Patel Eddie Dale Harry Burns Olsen and Johnson Olsen and Johnson John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem... |
Syracuse Herald | ||
| Nov | Hartford, CT | Parsons Theater | Harry Steppe Eddie Lloyd, comedian Lew Denny, straight man |
Hartford Courant | ||
| 1934 | Sep | Variety | Red Hot | Harry Steppe Joe DeRita Curly Joe DeRita Joe DeRita , born Joseph Wardell, was an American comedian who is best known as Curly-Joe DeRita, the "sixth" member of the Three Stooges.-Early life:... Happy Hyatt Abe Sher Al Golden, director |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pittsburgh Press |
|
Sources
- "Really The Blues," by Mezz Mezzrow and Bernard Wolfe, Citadel Press (Trade Paper), 1990, pg.27. ISBN 0-8065-1205-9. Excerpt: "You could see most of the celebrities of the day, colored and white, hanging around the De Luxe. Bill Robinson, the burlesque comedian Harry Steppe, comedian Benny Davis, Joe Frisco, Al Jolson, Sophie Tucker, Blossom Seeley, a lot of Ziegfeld Follies actors..."
- American song: the complete musical theatre companion, by Ken Bloom, 1985, Page 130
External links
- Bananas in Entertainment, cites Harry as originator of "Top Banana." Citation derived from newspapers and playbills in the Harvard Theater Collection.