Al Shean

Actor: Al Shean

Born: May 12, 1868 in Dornum, Germany
Died: Aug 12, 1949 in Hollywood, California
Occupation: Actor
Active: '30s
Major Genres: Drama, Musical
Career Highlights: Tim Tyler's Luck, Symphony of Living, Hitch Hike to Heaven
First Major Screen Credit: Music in the Air (1934)

Biography

German-born vaudeville entertainer Al Shean entered show business folklore as one-half of the comedy team of Gallagher and Shean. Few people can remember the team's jokes or routines, but many can recite from memory the duo's signature song, "Absolutely, Mr. Gallagher? Postively, Mr. Shean." Of more significance to the film world, Shean was the younger brother of Minnie Marx, who in turn was the mother of the Marx Brothers. When the merry Marxes were struggling in vaudeville in the World War I years, it was Uncle Al Shean who wrote several of the team's best and most popular sketches; he also decided that Harpo Marx would be a more effective comedian if he didn't try to speak on stage. The Marx Brothers returned the favor by seeing to it that the aging, impecunious Al Shean was cast in substantial character roles in such MGM films as San Francisco (1936), The Great Waltz (1938), and Ziegfeld Girl (1941). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Al Shean

Born	Albert Schönberg May 12, 1868(1868-05-12) Dornum, Germany
Died	August 12, 1949 (aged 81) New York City, United States
Occupation	Comedian

Al Shean (May 12, 1868, Dornum, then a part of Prussia, now Germany - August 12, 1949, New York City) was the stage name for comedian Albert Schönberg. He is most remembered for being half of the vaudeville team Gallagher and Shean, and as the uncle of the Marx Brothers.

Schönberg's father was a magician. His sister, Minnie, married Sam "Frenchie" Marx, whose children would become the Marx Brothers. After making a name for himself in vaudeville, Shean teamed up with Edward Gallagher to create the act Gallagher and Shean. While the act was successful, the men apparently did not like each other much.

Shean went on to some solo roles, the professor in the film San Francisco (1936), including portraying a priest in the film Hitler's Madman (1943) and as the grandfather in The Blue Bird (1940), and some three dozen other films. He and Gallagher also made an early sound film at the Theodore Case studio in Auburn, New York in 1925.^[1]

Shean's son, also named Al Shean, worked on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

References

^ "Gallagher and Shean". CBX Media. 2003-11-19. http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/G/GallagherandShean1925.html. Retrieved February 21 2008.

External links

v • d • e The Marx Brothers

Chico Marx · Harpo Marx · Groucho Marx · Gummo Marx · Zeppo Marx Minnie Marx · Sam Marx · Al Shean · Sadye Marks Barbara Marx · Susan Fleming · Eden Hartford · Erin Fleming Arthur Marx · Melinda Marx · Miriam Marx · Brett Marx · Gregg Marx

Films with Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Zeppo	Humor Risk (1921) • The Cocoanuts (1929) • Animal Crackers (1930) • The House That Shadows Built (1931) • Monkey Business (1931) • Horse Feathers (1932) • Duck Soup (1933)

Films with Chico, Harpo, and Groucho	A Night at the Opera (1935) • A Day at the Races (1937) • Room Service (1938) • At the Circus (1939) • Go West (1940) • The Big Store (1941) • A Night in Casablanca (1946) • Love Happy (1949) • The Story of Mankind (1957)

Musicals with Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Zeppo	I'll Say She Is (1924) • The Cocoanuts (1925) • Animal Crackers (1928)

Other	Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel (1932) (radio) • You Bet Your Life (TV) • The Incredible Jewel Robbery (1959) (TV) • Deputy Seraph (1959) (TV)

Persondata
NAME	Shean, Al
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Schönberg, Albert
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Comedian
DATE OF BIRTH	1868-05-12
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dornum, Germany
DATE OF DEATH	1949-08-12
PLACE OF DEATH	New York, United States

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Al Shean

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