Lew Brice Explained

Lew Brice (October 26, 1893 – June 16, 1966) was an American actor, dancer and comedian.

Biography

He was born Louis Borach on October 26, 1893, in Manhattan, New York City, the brother of Fannie Brice. He was the youngest of four children born to Rose Stern, a Hungarian Jewish woman who emigrated to America at age ten; and Alsatian immigrant Charles Borach. Charles and Rose were saloon owners and had four children, Philip (born 1887), Carrie (born 1889), Fania, and Louis.^{[1] [2]}

Brice married actress Mae Clarke on February 26, 1928; the union ended in divorce in 1930.^[3] The Public Enemy, released in 1931, would contain one of cinema's more famous (and frequently parodied) scenes, in which James Cagney pushes a half grapefruit into Clarke's face, then goes out to pick up Jean Harlow.^[4] The film was so popular that it ran 24 hours per day at a movie theatre in Times Square upon its initial release; four months after the premiere, The Hollywood Reporter informed readers that Brice claimed to have seen the film more than 20 times (and at least twice per week) and that Brice "says he goes to see the scene wherein Mae Clarke gets hit in the eye with a grapefruit—and that it's a plazure!"^[5]

He died June 16, 1966, in Hollywood, California, aged 72.

Stage performances

• The Passing Show of 1913 (July – Sept 1913)^[6]
• The Passing Show of 1914 (June – Sept 1914)^[7]
• Maid in America (Feb – May 1915)^[8]
• Step This Way (May – Aug 1916)^[9]
• Americana (July 1926 – Feb 1927)^[10]
• Billy Rose's Crazy Quilt (May – Jul 1931)^[11]

Film

• The Income Tax Collector (1923)^[12]
• Partners Again (1926) Pazinsky
• Lew Tyler's Wives (1926) Buzzy Mandelbush
• Happy Days (1929) Minstrel Show Performer^[13]
• The Window Cleaners (1930), one-reel Vitaphone comedy short featuring the song of the same name, adapted from their vaudeville routine^[14]
• Two Seconds (1932) uncredited reporter^[13]

Notes and References

1. Book: Goldman, Herbert G.. Fanny Brice. registration. 1992. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-535901-5. 7–10.
2. News: Fanny Brice Dies at the Age of 59 . . May 30, 1951 . 2014-10-26 .
3. Book: Clarke, Mae. Featured Player: An Oral Autobiography of Mae Clarke. January 1, 1996. Scarecrow Press, Incorporated. 978-0-8108-3044-8. 30–40.
4. Clarke 1996, p. back cover.
5. News: Chivalry. August 26, 1931. The Hollywood Reporter. 1. .
6. Web site: The Passing Show of 1913. IBDB. The Broadway League. 3 August 2014.
7. Web site: The Passing Show of 1914. IBDB. The Broadway League. 3 August 2014.
8. Web site: Maid in America. IBDB. The Broadway League. 3 August 2014.
9. Web site: Step This Way. IBDB. The Broadway League. 3 August 2014.
10. Web site: Americana. IBDB. The Broadway League. 3 August 2014.
11. Web site: Billy Rose's Crazy Quilt. IBDB. The Broadway League. 3 August 2014.
12. Book: Balducci, Anthony. Lloyd Hamilton: Poor Boy Comedian of Silent Cinema. 17 July 2009. McFarland. 978-0-7864-4159-4. 241.
13. Web site: Lew Brice. AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. 4 August 2014.
14. Book: The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926-1931 . 978-0-7864-4319-2 . Bradley . Edwin M. . 11 May 2009 . McFarland .