Bernard Shalom Kotzin (November 11, 1918 – December 14, 1997), known professionally as Stubby Kaye, was an American actor, comedian, vaudevillian and singer, known for his appearances on Broadway and in film musicals.[1]
Kaye was first generation born Bernard Sholom Kotzin in 1918, at West 114th Street in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan. He kept his original name secret throughout his career. His parents were Jewish-Americans originally from Russia and Austria-Hungary. His father, David Kotzin, was a dress salesman, and the former Harriet "Hattie" Freundlish was his mother. He was raised in the Far Rockaway section of Queens and later in The Bronx, where he acted in student productions at DeWitt Clinton High School, and where he graduated in 1937.[2]
In 1939, he won the Major Bowes Amateur Hour contest on radio where the prize included touring in vaudeville,[1] where he was sometimes billed as an "Extra Padded Attraction". During the Second World War, he joined the USO where he toured battle fronts and made his London debut performing with Bob Hope. After the war, he continued to work in vaudeville and as master of ceremonies for the swing orchestras of Freddy Martin and Charlie Barnet.[3]
As Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, first on Broadway (1950) and then in the film version (1955), Kaye introduced "Fugue for Tinhorns" ("I got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere...") and "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat". He created the role of Marryin' Sam in Li'l Abner on Broadway (1956), introducing the song "Jubilation T. Cornpone".[1] In 1957 he was named best actor in a musical by the Outer Critics Circle.[4] In his New York Times review, Brooks Atkinson said Kaye sang "it with that vaudeville rhythm and those vaudeville blandishments that turn song numbers into triumphant occasions." He also played the role in the film (1959).[5] His next Broadway show, Everybody Loves Opal, starring Eileen Heckart, closed after 21 performances in 1961.[6]
In the mid-1950s, Kaye guest starred on NBC's early sitcomThe Martha Raye Show. In 1958, he appeared on the short-lived NBC variety showThe Gisele MacKenzie Show. About this time, he also appeared on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. In the 1959–60 television season, Kaye co-starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom Love and Marriage.[1]
In the 1960s, Kaye became known as the host of a weekly children's talent show, Stubby's Silver Star Show. During the 1962–63 television season, he was a regular on Stump the Stars. On April 14, 1963, he guest-starred as "Tubby Mason" in NBC's Ensign O'Toole, a comedy series, starring Dean Jones.
From 1964 to 1965, Kaye hosted the Saturday-morning children's game show Shenanigans on ABC. Shenanigans was a children's television game show produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions that aired from September 26, 1964, to March 20, 1965, and again from September 25 to December 18, 1965. He was dubbed "the Mayor of Shenanigans" and sang the theme song.[7]
Kaye died at his Rancho Mirage, California, home of lung cancer on December 14, 1997, at the age of 79.[5][9] He was survived by his wife, Angela Bracewell, whom he married in England in 1966.[2]
