Dick Shawn

Dick Shawn
Born	Richard Schulefand December 1, 1923(1923-12-01) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Died	April 17, 1987 (aged 63) San Diego, California, U.S.
Other name(s)	Richy Shawn
Occupation	Actor/Comedian
Years active	1956—1987
Spouse(s)	Rita Bachner (1928-1987)

Dick Shawn (December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor and comedian.

Biography

Shawn was born Richard Schulefand in Buffalo, New York. Shawn is best remembered for his roles as Sylvester Marcus, the bohemian beach-bum son of Ethel Merman's Mrs. Marcus in Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and as Lorenzo St. DuBois/Adolf Hitler in the musical Springtime for Hitler, the play within the movie The Producers. He provided the Snow Miser's voice in The Year Without a Santa Claus.

He had continued success with his stand-up comedy act that he successfully performed for over 35 years in nightclubs around the world. His award-winning one-man stage show, The Second Greatest Entertainer in the Whole Wide World, was sometimes performed with a unique opening: When the audience entered the theater, they saw a bare stage with a pile of bricks in stage center. When the play began, Shawn emerged from the pile of bricks. The startling effect of this required complete concentration and breath control because the slightest movement of the bricks could ruin the surprise appearance. With such conceptual comedy, Shawn often advanced beyond accepted creative boundaries.

In addition to roles in more than 30 movies and seven Broadway productions, Shawn made numerous television appearances, toured often and periodically performed a one-man show that mixed songs, sketches and pantomime. He was a frequent speaker at the infamous Friars Club Roasts in Los Angeles and New York. At one of the X-rated stag roasts that had overdosed on tasteless routines by previous speakers, Shawn simply walked up to the microphone, took a long pause and "vomited" pea soup onto himself and other speakers at the dais.

His many TV appearances ranged from The Ed Sullivan Show to TV movies, sitcoms, dramas and a music video, "Dance" by the hair metal band Ratt (1986). Among his roles in anthology TV series, he starred in an Amazing Stories episode, Miss Stardust, directed by Tobe Hooper, about a bizarre intergalactic beauty pageant.

Personal life

Shawn was married to Rita Bachner in 1946, and they had four children: Amy, Wendy (married to Actor/Director Joey Travolta), Adam, and Jennifer. He has one grandchild, Rachel Travolta.

Death

While performing on stage at UC San Diego's Mandeville Hall, Shawn began a comedy bit about himself and the audience surviving nuclear war. At one point in the act, Shawn portrayed a politician reciting campaign clichés, including: "If elected, I will not lay down on the job"; later, when he collapsed face down on the stage, the audience thought it was part of the act, unaware that he had actually suffered a massive heart attack.

After some time had gone by, there were catcalls. Finally, someone appeared on stage, kneeled down to examine Shawn, stood up and asked: "Is there a doctor in the house?" Another person came on stage, turned him over and began administering CPR. The audience was told to go home, but almost no one left since it appeared to be part of Shawn's act. When paramedics arrived, bewildered audience members began leaving, still unsure of what they had witnessed. A notice in the following day's San Diego Union newspaper clarified that Shawn had indeed died during the performance.^[1][2]

Filmography

References

External links

• Dick Shawn at Find a Grave
• Dick Shawn at the Internet Broadway Database
• Dick Shawn at the Internet off-Broadway Database
• Dick Shawn at the Internet Movie Database
• 'Love Power' song clip by Dick Shawn as Lorenzo St. DuBois (LSD) in 'The Producers-1968' on Youtube
• Dick Shawn clip on the Dinah Shore Chevy Show-1959 on Youtube