|
Henny was born in England –
a temporary stop for his parents who had fled Russia and were on their
way to America. His father was a hat maker who earned $13 a week working
12-hour days. Young Henny foraged the streets for pieces of coal that
fell from delivery wagons and he made a few pennies that way.
He didn’t take school very seriously and was eventually
thrown out of Manual Training High School. He worked in local dance bands
playing the violin. He had his own group and called the band “Hen
Youngman and his Syncopaters.” He wasn’t making a lot of money
so he moonlighted as a summons server.
In the summers he played the Catskill resorts. In 1932,
he found work as a master of ceremonies as well as musician. He needed
material to keep audiences amused every night and raided the joke books,
memorizing every page. The jokes the audience liked stayed in.
The Best of the Worst of Henny Youngman, Collectables, 1997.
|
