Jack Waldron (actor)

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For other uses, see Jack Waldron (disambiguation).
Jack Waldron
Born
Jack Kestenbaum[1]

(1893-02-03)February 3, 1893
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 21, 1969(1969-11-21) (aged 76)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Stage performer
  • actor
  • comedian
  • film actor
Years active1920s–1950s
Style

Jack Waldron (born Jack Kestenbaum; February 3, 1893 – November 21, 1969) was an American actor-comedian, singer and dancer.

Early life[edit]

As a boy, his two passions were baseball and the theatre, and he began his career as a dancer in vaudeville.[1] During the Meuse–Argonne offensive in World War I, he entertained the troops as a member of the "Argonne Players".[2]

Career[edit]

After the war, he played in Chicago nightclubs during the Prohibition years: the Chez Paris, Colosimo, the Paramount, and the Follies; he knew many of the racketeers of the period, including Al Capone.[1] After the repeal of Prohibition, Waldron returned to New York to entertain in cafes.[1]

On Broadway, he played the role of Tommy in Flossie (1924),[3][4] an unspecified role in The Great Temptations (1926),[5] one of the Boys of the Chorus in Hello Daddy! (1928–1929)[6][7] and again in Woof Woof (1929–1930).[8][9] In the 1950s, he played Mike Spears in the revival of Pal Joey (1952–1953),[10][11][12] a salesman in The Pajama Game (1954–1956),[13][14] Myron H. Hubbard in The Vamp (1955),[15][16] and Schatzie Harris in Say, Darling (1959).[17]

As a comedic actor, he was known for his short films for Vitaphone Varieties: A Breath of Broadway (#2691, September 5, 1928) and Radio and Relatives (December 30, 1938). He also played a bartender in a 1951 episode of Martin Kane, Private Eye.[18]

The Lambs[edit]

Waldron was elected to The Lambs Theatre Club in 1949 and was later made an Honorary Life member. He was elected to Council 1960-1969 and became Shepherd in 1969, six months before his death.[18]

Death[edit]

Waldron died of cardiac arrest, suddenly and quietly during the night on November 21, 1969, in the arms of his wife Harriet.[19]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Hardee 2010, p. 218.
  2. ^ Lyons, November 1969.
  3. ^ Dietz 2019, pp. 205–206.
  4. ^ Flossie IBDB #9533.
  5. ^ The Great Temptations IBDB #10084.
  6. ^ Dietz 2019, pp. 505–506.
  7. ^ Hello Daddy! IBDB #10814.
  8. ^ Dietz 2019, pp. 559–560.
  9. ^ Woof Woof IBDB #11014.
  10. ^ Dietz 2014, pp. 94–97.
  11. ^ Green 2019, p. 153.
  12. ^ Pal Joey IBDB #2165.
  13. ^ Dietz 2014, pp. 169–172.
  14. ^ The Pajama Game IBDB #2454.
  15. ^ Dietz 2014, pp. 223–225.
  16. ^ The Vamp IBDB #2554.
  17. ^ Dietz 2014, pp. 339–340.
  18. ^ a b The Lambs Member Roster.
  19. ^ Hardee 2010, p. 219.

Sources[edit]

Books[edit]

  • Dietz, Dan (2019). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals (hardcover) (1st ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-5381-1281-6.
  • Dietz, Dan (2014). The Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals (hardcover) (1st ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4422-3504-5.
  • Green, Stanley (2019). Broadway Musicals Show by Show (softcover) (9th ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4930-4769-7.
  • Hardee, Lewis J. Jr. (2010) [1st pub. 2006]. The Lambs Theatre Club (softcover) (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7864-6095-3 – via books.google.co.uk.

Newspapers[edit]

Websites[edit]

External links[edit]


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