Jimmy Durante
Holy Cross Cemetery
Often known as "The Schnozzola" because of his prominent, bulbous nose,
Jimmy Durante started his career playing the piano and singing in
New York City nightclubs. He moved to Broadway, appearing in the
Durante was then teamed with Buster Keaton, who was
nearing the end of his career, in several unsuccessful comedies,
including "The Passionate Plumber" (1932), "Speak Easily" (1932)
and "What! No Beer?" (1933). Durante was more successful on his
own, providing musical and comedic relief in supporting roles in
"The Phantom President" (1932), "Palooka" (1934), "Strictly Dynamite"
(1934), "Little Miss Broadway" (1938), "Melody Ranch" (1940),
"The Man Who Came to Dinner" (1942), "Music for Millions" (1944),
"It Happened in Brooklyn" (1947) and "On an Island With You" (1948).
A singer, comedian, actor and composer,
Durante was a popular performer on TV musical and comedy
variety shows in the 1950s and 1960s, and he won an
Emmy Award as Best Comedian in 1953. Durante also hosted his own TV show, "The Jimmy Durante Show," from
1954 to 1956. He ended each show with a phrase that became one of his many trademarks: "Goodnight,
Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."
Durante's final film appearance was
in "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" (1963), in which he played a criminal who's dying statement (before
he literally "kicks the bucket") prompted a wild race involving pretty much every comic actor in Hollywood
to find his buried fortune. Durante also provided the
narration for the animated Christmas film, "Frosty the Snowman" (1969).
Durante's career was revived posthumously when his
recordings of "As Time Goes By" and "Make Someone Happy" were included
on the popular soundtrack of "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993).
Durante was born James Francis Durante on Feb. 10,
1893, in New York City, NY. He died on Jan. 29, 1980, in Santa Monica, CA.
1893 - 1980
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