Joe E. Lewis

Joe E. Lewis (January 12, 1902 – 4 June, 1971), born Joseph Klewan in New York City, was an American comedian and singer.

Biography

In 1927, Lewis refused the request of Jack "Machine Gun" McGurn (an Al Capone lieutenant) to renew a contract that would have bound him to sing and perform at the "Green Mill Cocktail Lounge", which was partly owned by Capone. After refusing, because he had been offered more money by a rival gang to appear at their own club - "The New Rendezvous", he was later assaulted one morning in November 1927 in his 10th floor Commonwealth Hotel room, mutilated and left for dead. It took him a few years to learn to speak again. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507367/bio Joe E. Lewis - Biography ] ] Capone, who was fond of Lewis, was displeased with the assault, but wasn't about to take action against one of his top lieutenants. He proceeded to provide Lewis with $10,000 to allow him to recover properly and eventually resume his career. [ [http://www.weirdchicago.com/greenmill.html Weird Chicago: Legend Of The Green Mill ] ] [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=More Old Jewish Comedians |url=http://www.playbackstl.com/content/view/7484/167/ |quote=Early in his career, Lewis was assaulted by one of Al Capone's thugs for declining an offer to perform at Chicago's Green Mill club, a Capone hideaway. He was beaten so badly it took him several years to learn to speak again. |publisher=Playbackstl |date= |accessdate=2008-04-12 ]

Lewis toured in the USO shows with Ray Bolger in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Joe appeared in the movies "Too Many Husbands" (the 1931 short comedy), "Private Number" (1936), "The Holy Terror" (1937), "Private Buckaroo" (1942) & played himself in "The Lady in Cement" (1968). He appeared frequently on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and was the "Mystery Guest" three different times on "What's My Line" and was interviewed on "Person to Person" in 1956. He married Martha Stewart in 1946 and they divorced in 1948. Random House published Lewis's biography "The Joker is Wild" written by Art Cohn in 1955. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507367/bio Joe E. Lewis - Biography ] ]

He died in 1971 and was buried in Cedar Park Cemetery, Emerson, New Jersey. cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Sometimes the Grave Is a Fine and Public Place |url= |quote=Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus [sic] tends toward performers. Martin Balsam, who won both a Tony and an Oscar was buried there in 1996. Joe E. Lewis, the comic whose rough life was portrayed by Frank Sinatra in the 1957 movie, "The Joker Is Wild," is nearby. (As are two illustrious nonperformers, the Nobel Prize writer Isaac Bashevis Singer and the poet Delmore Schwartz.)|publisher=New York Times |date=March 28, 2004 |accessdate=2007-08-21 ]

Quotations

*"It's post time!" - a reference to horses at the starting gate - after which he would start a new cocktail.
*"A friend in need is a pest."
*"You're not drunk enough if you can still lie on the floor without hanging on."
*"I went on a diet, swore off drinking and heavy eating, and in 14 days I lost two weeks."
*"I distrust camels, and anyone else who can go a week without a drink."

Portrayal in film

*In the film "The Joker Is Wild" (1957), Lewis was portrayed by Frank Sinatra.

References

External links

*
* [http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/joe_e_lewis.html Joe E. Lewis quotes]
* [http://www.greenmilljazz.com/ Green Mill Cocktail Lounge]
* [http://www.uso.org/whatwedo/entertainment/historicalusocampshows/ USO shows]
* [http://www.myalcaponemuseum.com/id39.htm biography from myalcaponemuseum.org]