S. Z. Sakall

S.Z. Sakall
from Small Town Girl (1953)
Born	Gerő Jenő February 2, 1883(1883-02-02) Budapest, Hungary (Austria-Hungary)
Died	February 12, 1955 (aged 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other name(s)	S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall Szoke Szakall
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1926—1954
Spouse(s)	Giza Grossner (1916–1918; her death) Anne Kardos (1920–1955; his death)

Szőke Szakáll (February 2, 1883 – February 12, 1955), known as S.Z. Sakall, was a Hungarian-Jewish film character actor. He was in many films including In the Good Old Summertime, Lullaby of Broadway, Christmas in Connecticut and Casablanca in which he played Carl, the head waiter.

Chubby-jowled Sakall played numerous supporting roles in Hollywood musicals and comedies in the 1940s and 1950s. His rotund cuteness earned Sakall the nickname "Cuddles," and he was often billed as S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall in his later films, though he was never happy with the name. He was famous for using the phrase "everything hunky dory."

Early career

Szőke Szakáll was born Gerő Jenő, but even during his schooldays he was writing sketches for Budapest vaudeville shows under the pen-name Szőke Szakáll ("blonde beard", in reference to his own beard, grown to make him look older), which he retained when at the age of 18 he turned to acting.

The actor became a star of the Hungarian stage and screen in the 1910s and 1920s. At the beginning of the 1920s, he moved to Vienna, where he appeared in Hermann Leopoldi's Kabarett Leopoldi-Wiesenthal. In the 1930s, he was, next to Hans Moser, the most significant representative of the Wiener Film, the Viennese light romantic comedy genre. He also appeared in Berlin.

His first film role was in 1927, in Familientag im Hause Prellstein. In 1929, he appeared in Ihre Majestät die Liebe (which was remade in Hollywood as Her Majesty Love, with W.C. Fields in Sakall's role) and Two Hearts in Waltz Time in 1930. For a brief period during this time, he ran his own production company.

When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Sakall was forced to return to Hungary. He was involved in over 40 movies in his native land. When Hungary joined the Axis in 1940, he headed for Hollywood with his wife. Many of Sakall's close relatives later died in Nazi concentration camps, including all three of his sisters and his niece, as well as his wife's brother and sister.

The war years

Sakall began a career that included "an endless succession of excitable theatrical impresarios, lovable European uncles and befuddled shopkeepers." His first Hollywood role was in the 1940 comedy It's a Date opposite Deanna Durbin. His first big hit was Ball of Fire with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. Later, he signed a contract with Warner Brothers, where he had a number of other small roles, including in 1942's Yankee Doodle Dandy with James Cagney.

Casablanca

Later that year, at the age of 59, he portrayed his most famous character, Carl the head waiter in Casablanca. Producer Hal Wallis signed Sakall for the role three weeks after filming had begun. When he was first offered the part, Sakall hated it and turned it down. Sakall finally agreed to take the role provided they gave him four weeks of work. The two sides eventually agreed on three weeks. He received $1,750 per week for a total of $5,250. He actually had more screen time than either Peter Lorre or Sydney Greenstreet.

Later career

Sakall appeared in 30 more movies after this, including 1945's Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck. Sakall appeared in four films in 1948: the drama Embraceable You, followed by April Showers, Michael Curtiz's Romance on the High Seas (Doris Day's film debut), and Whiplash.

1949 was a big year for Sakall. He was in four top movies. First Sakall played Felix Hofer in the Doris Day's second film, My Dream Is Yours. Later that year, he starred with June Haver and Ray Bolger in Look for the Silver Lining. Next, he played Otto Oberkugen in In the Good Old Summertime, with Judy Garland and Van Johnson. Finally, Sakall was given the principal role of songwriter Fred Fisher in Oh, You Beautiful Doll, though top billing went to June Haver.

Sakall appeared in nine more movies during the 1950s, two of them musicals with Doris Day, playing J. Maxwell Bloomhaus in Tea for Two and Adolph Hubbell in Lullaby of Broadway. His other roles included: Poppa Schultz in the Errol Flynn western Montana; Miklos Teretzky in the June Haver musical The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady; Don Miguel in the Randolph Scott western Sugarfoot; Uncle Felix in the musical Painting the Clouds With Sunshine with Virginia Mayo; in one of the episodes in the movie It's A Big Country which featured such famous names as Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Gary Cooper, Janet Leigh, Fredric March and Ethel Barrymore. His last movie was in 1954 where he had the role of Joseph Ruder in The Student Prince.

Death

Sakall died of a heart attack in Hollywood shortly after filming the The Student Prince on February 12, 1955, ten days after his 72nd birthday. Sakall is buried in the Garden of Memory in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, which is also the resting place of Casablanca co-stars Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, and John Qualen along with producer Hal B. Wallis, director Michael Curtiz and composer Max Steiner.

Partial filmography

• Two Hearts in Waltz Time, originally titled Zwei Herzen im 3/4 Takt or Zwei Herzen im Dreiviertel Takt (1930)
• Die Finanzen des Großherzogs (1934). Gustaf Gründgens first film as a director
• It's a Date (1940)
• The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
• That Night in Rio (1941)
• Ball of Fire (1941)
• Broadway (1942)
• Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
• Casablanca (1942)
• Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
• Wonder Man (1945)
• Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
• The Dolly Sisters (1945)
• San Antonio (1945)
• Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946)
• Never Say Goodbye (1946)
• Romance on the High Seas (1948)
• My Dream Is Yours (1949)
• In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
• Tea for Two (1950)
• Sugarfoot (1951)
• Lullaby of Broadway (1951)
• Small Town Girl (1953)
• The Student Prince (1954)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: S. Z. Sakall

• S. Z. Sakall at the Internet Movie Database
• S.Z. Sakall at the TCM Movie Database
• S.Z. Sakall at The New York Times
• S.Z. Sakall at Find A Grave
• Photographs of S.Z. Sakall