- Ben Blue
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birthname = Benjamin Bernstein
birthdate = birth date|1901|9|12|df=yes
birthplace = Montréal, Quebec
deathdate = death date and age|1975|3|7|1901|9|12
deathplace =Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
othername =
occupation =
yearsactive = 1927–1975
spouse =
domesticpartner =
website =Ben Blue (
September 12 ,1901 –March 7 ,1975 ), born Benjamin Bernstein, was aCanadian-American actor andcomedian .In the 1920s Bernstein joined a popular orchestra, Jack White and His Montrealers. The entire band emphasized comedy, and would continually interact with the joke-cracking maestro. Blue, the drummer, would sometimes deliver corny jokes while wearing a ridiculously false beard. The band emigrated to the United States, and appeared in two early sound musicals: the
Vitaphone short subject "Jack White and His Montrealers" and Universal's feature-lengthTechnicolor revue "King of Jazz ".Blue left the band to establish himself as a solo comedian, portraying a bald-headed dumb-bell with a goofy expression. Producer
Hal Roach featured him in his "Taxi Boys" comedy shorts, but Blue's dopey character was an acquired taste and he was soon replaced by other comedians. Later in the 1930s he worked atParamount Pictures , notably in "The Big Broadcast of 1938 ", and later atMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer . In 1950, he had his own short-lived TV series, "The Ben Blue Show", and was also a regular on "The Frank Sinatra Show ".In 1951, Blue began concentrating on managing and appearing in nightclubs in
Hollywood andSan Francisco . Blue andMaxie Rosenbloom owned and performed in Hollywood's top nightclub in the 1940' called "Slapsie Maxie's." Again, in the 1960's he opened a nightclub inSanta Monica, California , called "Ben Blue's". It quickly became the "in" place and night-after-night was packed with top celebrities. Ben closed the club three years later because of health problems. Blue made the cover of TV Guide'sJune 11 ,1954 Special Issue along withAlan Young , headlining an edition featuring that season's summer replacement shows. He also made appearances in TV shows such as "The Jack Benny Program ".In 1958, he hosted a TV show called "Ben Blue's Brothers". The show didn't get picked upon a network, but the pilot was seen in 1965. In "
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ," his role was the pilot of theCurtiss Jenny biplane that flewSid Caesar &Edie Adams . Blue also made an appearance in the 1943 film "Ziegfeld Follies ". Ben Blue started making cameos in comedy movies around the 1960s. One of his most-recognized roles in films was as Luther Grilk in "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming ". He especially had a part inJerry Van Dyke 's TV series "Accidental Family " in 1967. He worked his way until his final film appearance, "Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? , "in 1968. He made one of his last TV appearances in "Land of the Giants "in 1969. He was also seen the following year in theDora Hall vanity syndicated TV special, "Once Upon a Tour".Ben Blue died in
Hollywood onMarch 7 ,1975 and was interred in theHillside Memorial Park Cemetery inCulver City, California . After his death, his career papers covering 1935 to 1955 were deposited in the Special Collections at theUCLA Library .External links
*imdb name|id=0089478|name=Ben Blue
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