Joe Laurie, Jr.
Joe Laurie, Jr. (February 24, 1892, Russian Empire - April 29, 1954, New York City, New York) was a vaudeville monologist who later performed on Broadway. (Another source lists his birthplace as New York, New York.),[1]
On radio he was one of the comedic panelists on the popular joke-telling series, Can You Top This? with Edward Hastings Ford.[2] He also portrayed the character of Sniffy on the Mutual daytime drama, We Were Always Young.[3]
Books
His jokes were part of Cream of the Crop (Grosset and Dunlap, 1947) along with other members of the Can You Top This? team.
He collaborated with Abel Green on the show business history, Show Biz: From Vaude to Video (1951) and then followed with his memoir, Vaudeville: From the Honky-Tonks to the Palace (1953).
Laurie's first wife was his vaudeville partner, Aleen Bronson, in the act, Laurie & Bronson. During the 1940s, Laurie and his second wife, Nellie Butcher (1922–1954), lived in Manhattan.
References
- ↑ DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 160.
- ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 61.
- ↑ Shradow, Karl. "Mutual's Forgotten Soap Operas," Radio Recall, April 2006.
External links
- Photo of Joe Laurie Jr.
- Joe Laurie, Jr. papers, 1877-1954 [bulk 1912-1954], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Joe Laurie Jr. drawings collection, 1914-1952, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Annie Hart papers and scrapbooks, 1922-1947 , held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Includes correspondence from Joe Laurie, Jr.