Oh, Wonderful!!! I read of "Joe Frisco" in The Great Gatsby, and wondered who he was. I heard George Burns casualy use his name as a punch line to a joke on the "George and Gracie" radio show. I saw a photo and read a discription on Wikipedia, and eventualy heard him on an episode of the Bing Crosby radio show. But only now have I seen the man dancing. This has been the end of a chain of events that started 15 years ago! Thanks!
Joe Frisco was also well known in the business as being as spontaneously funny offstage as well as on...
Once while walking in New York with a friend, he passed "Moondog", the famous counter-culture composer who always dressed like a Viking Warrior, complete with wild long white beard, ragged suit of leather patches and a horned helmet. "What does he do for a living?" the friend wondered.
Frisco's answer: "He s-s-s-ells caves!"
His last role was in "The Sweet Smell of Success."
Joe Frisco had a natural stutter that he capitalized on, and made part of his act. The story goes that he was fearful of being robbed at night in hotel rooms and that every night, in a new hotel, he would say (with respect to whatever city he found himself in). "W-w-w-ell, h-h-h-h-ere I am in Ch-Ch-Ch-Chicago, B-B-B-BROKE AG-G-G-GAIN."
I uploaded this short clip because I searched youtube for anything on Joe Frisco and had no results. In reading about early jazz musicians and bands Joe Frisco's name comes up again and again as a vaudeville performer bands played for. I wonder if there is any more film footage of him? I really liked the band accompanying him playing that hot jazz version of Sweet Georgia Brown. Now I know why is name is associated with early jazz bands by the music played by the band accompanying him.
Check out the Jazz Singer DVD set. One of the discs is a compilation of early 1-reel Vitaphone shorts, and there is one very funny short w. Joe Frisco called the "Happy Hottentots". If you want to hear some of his comedy routines, he was on the Bing Crosby radio show quite frequently in the early 1940s, most of them having to do with bad luck at the race track. Among other things, he was a compulsive gambler.
I have that Jazz Singer DVD set. I bought it when it was released because I wanted to see the Vitaphone shorts. Went back and watched Happy Hottentots. It's funny. I had forgotten Frisco was in that short.
Wow - Joe Frisco was certainly luminous. One of the true great vaudeville performers and dancers of the 20th century.
3investigators 7 months ago
please show The Happy Hottentots-It's a very funny short
lebow1 9 months ago
I'll bet the Late Undisputed King Of Pop had this on his hard-drive.
RIP
Cheers.
from,
del-boy.
YouAreSpotOnWithThat 1 year ago
Can't get enough Joe Frisco. Nosiree baby. Just this and "Sweet Smell of Success."
margotdarby 2 years ago
Rest in peace, Joe dear. Please send my greetings to your friend, and my beloved grandfather, Julius!
RIP to a great man.
TheHappyDragonfly 2 years ago
Oh, Wonderful!!! I read of "Joe Frisco" in The Great Gatsby, and wondered who he was. I heard George Burns casualy use his name as a punch line to a joke on the "George and Gracie" radio show. I saw a photo and read a discription on Wikipedia, and eventualy heard him on an episode of the Bing Crosby radio show. But only now have I seen the man dancing. This has been the end of a chain of events that started 15 years ago! Thanks!
VandalStork 2 years ago
Joe Frisco was also well known in the business as being as spontaneously funny offstage as well as on...
Once while walking in New York with a friend, he passed "Moondog", the famous counter-culture composer who always dressed like a Viking Warrior, complete with wild long white beard, ragged suit of leather patches and a horned helmet. "What does he do for a living?" the friend wondered.
Frisco's answer: "He s-s-s-ells caves!"
His last role was in "The Sweet Smell of Success."
MissingJLink 2 years ago
Joe Frisco had a natural stutter that he capitalized on, and made part of his act. The story goes that he was fearful of being robbed at night in hotel rooms and that every night, in a new hotel, he would say (with respect to whatever city he found himself in). "W-w-w-ell, h-h-h-h-ere I am in Ch-Ch-Ch-Chicago, B-B-B-BROKE AG-G-G-GAIN."
Wallerfan 3 years ago
Thanks for that specific information on the details of Joe Frisco and his stutter. I had read he had one but never read how he used it. Thanks.
jazzgirl1920s 3 years ago
I love Sweet Georgia Brown, and Frisco is great!
OscarPetersonFan 3 years ago
I uploaded this short clip because I searched youtube for anything on Joe Frisco and had no results. In reading about early jazz musicians and bands Joe Frisco's name comes up again and again as a vaudeville performer bands played for. I wonder if there is any more film footage of him? I really liked the band accompanying him playing that hot jazz version of Sweet Georgia Brown. Now I know why is name is associated with early jazz bands by the music played by the band accompanying him.
jazzgirl1920s 3 years ago
Check out the Jazz Singer DVD set. One of the discs is a compilation of early 1-reel Vitaphone shorts, and there is one very funny short w. Joe Frisco called the "Happy Hottentots". If you want to hear some of his comedy routines, he was on the Bing Crosby radio show quite frequently in the early 1940s, most of them having to do with bad luck at the race track. Among other things, he was a compulsive gambler.
RRaquello 2 years ago
I have that Jazz Singer DVD set. I bought it when it was released because I wanted to see the Vitaphone shorts. Went back and watched Happy Hottentots. It's funny. I had forgotten Frisco was in that short.
jazzgirl1920s 2 years ago
@OscarPetersonFan
The song is not Sweet Georgia Brown it is Darktown Strutter's Ball, the song he used when he performed at the Ziegfeld Follies.
wwozdj 1 year ago
@wwozdj Darktown Strutter's Ball starts at 0:19. The first tune is Sweet Georgia Brown.
OscarPetersonFan 1 year ago