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Joe Smith (comedian)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joe Smith (February 16, 1884 - February 22, 1981) was a vaudeville comedian with Charles Dale (1881-1971) as the act Smith & Dale.[1]

Biography

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He was born as Joseph Sultzer on February 16, 1884, in Manhattan, New York City. He partnered with Charles Dale in 1898 after they had met colliding in a bicycling accident. One of their first performances was with Will Lester's Imperial Vaudeville & Comedy Company in 1901. Smith and Dale headlined the first all-American variety bill to tour Europe in 1909. They later went to Hollywood, where they made films for Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures starting in 1929.[1]

In 1972 Neil Simon produced The Sunshine Boys, based on the lives of Smith and Dale.[1]

He died on February 22, 1981, at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Joe Smith, 97, A Star Of Vaudeville As Part Of Comedy Team 73 Years". New York Times. February 23, 1981. Retrieved 2015-01-06.
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