Jack Pearl

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Jack Pearl
Pearl in 1952
Born
Jack Perlman

(1894-10-29)October 29, 1894
New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 25, 1982(1982-12-25) (aged 88)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeMount Hebron Cemetery
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Vaudevillian
Years active1932–1952
SpouseWinnie Desbrought

Jack Pearl (born Jack Perlman; October 29, 1894 – December 25, 1982) was an American vaudeville performer and a star of early radio. He was best known for his character Baron Munchausen.[1]

Vaudeville and early films

Poster for Meet the Baron (1933)

Born in New York, Pearl debuted as an entertainer in School Days,

Gus Edwards's vaudeville act.[2]

He made the transition from vaudeville to broadcasting when he introduced his character Baron Munchausen on

catch phrase
soon became part of the national lexicon.

Typical of the dialogue:

Hall: You seem to be effervescent tonight.
Munchausen: Haff you effer seen me ven I effer vasn't?

Pearl played this character and others in Broadway musical revues of the 1920s and 1930s: The Dancing Girl (1923), Topics of 1923 (1923–1924), A Night in Paris (1926), Artists and Models (1927–1928), Pleasure Bound (1929), International Review (1930), Ziegfeld Follies of 1931, Pardon My English (1933) and All for All (1943).[3]

In 1923, Pearl and

Lee DeForest sound-on-film process Phonofilm which are now in the UCLA Film and Television Archive
.

Radio

Pearl's radio career included stints as the host of The Lucky Strike Hour (1932–34) and The Jack Pearl Show,[4]: 170  which ran from late 1936 through early 1937, sponsored by Raleigh and Kool Cigarettes.[5]

The success of his first radio series brought him to the attention of

DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, and Hollywood Party
(1934).

With the cancellation of his second radio series, Pearl found himself struggling to find work. He continued in radio with shows like, Jack and Cliff (1948),

The Pet Milk Show (1950),[4]: 269  and The Baron and the Bee (1952), a quiz show,[4]
but he never recaptured his mid-1930s fame.

In 1934, a juvenile novel, Jack Pearl as Detective Baron Munchausen, was based on his radio scripts. On February 8, 1960, he received a star at 1680 Vine Street on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his radio work.[6] Pearl died in New York in 1982.

He was an uncle to the agent and producer Bernie Brillstein.[7]

Personal life

Pearl was married to Winifred Desborough.[8]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1927 Two Flaming Youths Pearl
1933 Meet the Baron The Famous Baron Munchausen of the Air
1934 Hollywood Party Baron Munchausen

References

  1. . Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  2. ^ . Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  3. ^ "Jack Pearl". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ "The Jack Pearl Show". OTRRpedia. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  6. ^ "Jack Pearl". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  7. ^ Frank Rose, The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business, 1995, New York: Harper, p. 261.
  8. Newspapers.com. Open access icon

External links