George Jessel
George Jessell was born April 3, 1898 in Bronx, New York. He was a well-known American entertainer whose career spanned radio, television and film. By the age of 10, Jessell was already performing in vaudeville and on Broadway – and entertaining would become a way of life for him.
He was famous for his comedic timing and also for his voice. In 1921 he recorded the hit The Toastmaster and by 1925 he was one of Broadway’s biggest stars. He starred in the hit show The Jazz Singer on Broadway and was cast as the lead in the film version of the Jazz Singer, but later turned it down when his salary demands weren’t met. Instead, he starred in Private Izzy Murphy, which led to other small movie roles.
In 1934, he launched the George Jessel Variety Hour, a comedy variety show that only aired for a few months on the CBS network. In 1937, he starred in 30 Minutes in Hollywood. Both of these shows were short-lived. Later he starred in For Men Only from 1939-1940 as the emcee. However, it also failed.
Jessell was known as much for his personal life as his career. He had affairs with three famous ladies – Helen Morgan, Lupe Velez, and Pola Negri. In 1934, he married Norma Talmadge – a silent movie star who was married when they started their affair. After they divorced in 1939 he was caught breaking into her house with a gun and shooting at her lover.
In the 1940s, Jessel became a producer of musicals for 20th Century Fox and all in all he produced 24 musicals for the studio. At the same time, he also became known as a toastmaster and performed at banquets. It was during the 1940's and early 50's that he made many guest appearances on radio and he can be heard on The Big Show, Command Performance,The Andrews Sisters, Duffy's Tavern and more frequently on The Fred Allen Show and The Jack Benny Program and I will be adding some of these to RUSC over the next few days.
In 1953, he returned to radio with the George Jessel Salutes. This show transitioned him into television in 1954 when he starred on The George Jessel Show. In 1968 he became the star of the variety show Here Come the Stars.
Politically, Jessel was also controversial. He was outspoken with his support of the Vietnam War. He also promoted civil rights and denounced anti-Semitism. These ideals were ahead of his time.
In 1969, Jessel won the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his work with charities. In 1981, at the age of 83, George Jessell died from a heart attack.
Even toward the end of his life he was known for keeping company with young showgirls. You can read more about his life in his 1975 autobiography The World I Lived In. While Jessel was never hugely successful in radio, his career in film and television as both a performer and a producer makes him an important figure in American entertainment.
Happy listening my friends,
