Red Buttons
Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film Sayonara. He was nominated for awards for his acting work in films such as They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Harlow, and Pete's Dragon. Buttons played the lead role of Private John Steele, the paratrooper hung up on the town steeple clock, in the 1962 international ensemble cast film The Longest Day.
Red Buttons | |
|---|---|
Buttons in 1959 | |
| Born | Aaron Chwatt February 5, 1919 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 13, 2006 (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1935–2006 |
| Spouses | Helayne McNorton (m. 1949; div. 1963)Alicia Prats (m. 1964; died 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt[1] on February 5, 1919, in Manhattan,[1] New York City, to Jewish immigrants Sophie (née Baker) and Michael Chwatt.[2][3] At 16 years old, Chwatt got a job as an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, the Bronx, New York City. The combination of his red hair and the large, shiny buttons on the bellhop uniforms inspired orchestra leader Charles "Dinty" Moore to call him "Red Buttons", the name under which he would later perform.
Later that same summer, Buttons worked on the Borscht Belt;[1] his straight man was Robert Alda. Buttons was working at the Irvington Hotel in South Fallsburg, New York, when the master of ceremonies became incapacitated, and Buttons asked for the chance to replace him. In 1939, Buttons started working for Minsky's Burlesque; in 1941, José Ferrer chose Buttons to appear in a Broadway show The Admiral Had a Wife, a farce, set in Pearl Harbor at Oahu, Hawaii. It was due to open on December 8, 1941, but never did, as it was deemed inappropriate after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In later years, Buttons would joke that the Japanese only attacked Pearl Harbor to keep him off Broadway.
Career
In September 1942, Buttons made his Broadway debut in Vickie with Ferrer and Uta Hagen. Later that year, he appeared in the Minsky's show Wine, Women and Song. This was the last classic burlesque show in New York City history, as the Mayor La Guardia administration closed it down. Buttons was on stage when the show was raided.
Drafted into the United States Army Air Forces, Buttons in 1943 appeared in the Army Air Forces' Broadway show Winged Victory, along with several future stars, including Mario Lanza, John Forsythe, Karl Malden, and Lee J. Cobb. A year later, he appeared in Darryl F. Zanuck's movie version of the play, directed by George Cukor. Buttons also entertained troops in the European Theater in the same Jeep Show unit as Mickey Rooney.
After the war, Buttons continued to perform in Broadway shows. He also performed at Broadway movie houses with big bands. In 1952, Buttons received his own variety series on television, The Red Buttons Show, which ran for three years on CBS. It was the number-11 show in prime time in 1952.[4] In 1953, he recorded and had a two-sided hit with "Strange Things Are Happening"/"The Ho Ho Song", with both sides/songs essentially being the same.
His role in Sayonara was a dramatic departure from his previous work. In this film, co-starring with Marlon Brando, he played Joe Kelly, an American airman stationed in Kobe, Japan, during the Korean War, who marries Katsumi, a Japanese woman (played by Miyoshi Umeki), but he is barred from taking her back to the US. His moving portrayal of Kelly's calm resolve not to abandon the relationship, and the touching reassurance of Katsumi, impressed audiences and critics alike. Buttons won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Umeki won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film.
After his Oscar-winning role, Buttons performed in numerous feature films, including the African adventure Hatari! with John Wayne, the adventure Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) (where he received top billing), the war epic The Longest Day, the biopic Harlow, the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure, the dance-marathon drama They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, the family comedy Pete's Dragon, the disaster film When Time Ran Out with Paul Newman, and the age-reversal comedy 18 Again! with George Burns.
In 1966, Buttons again starred in his own TV series, a spy spoof called The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, which ran for one season. Buttons also made guest appearances on several TV programs, including The Eleventh Hour, Little House on the Prairie, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Knots Landing, and Roseanne. His last TV role was in ER.
He became a nationally recognizable comedian, and his "Never Got a Dinner" routine was a standard of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast for many years. He made numerous appearances at Friars Club roasts and Chabad telethons, where he was often brought on and off stage to the tune of "Hava Nagila". (He once told an interviewer, "I'm a Jew who is doing comedy, not a 'Jewish comic'."[5])
His best-known catchphrase, "Never got a dinner!" formed the basis for elaborately eccentric lists of famous people (and their mothers) who had not been honored with celebrity dinner roasts. Another of his catchphrases was "I did not come here to be made sport of," which was later taken up by radio talk-show host Howie Carr.
Buttons received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television, located at 1651 Vine Street. He was number 71 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.
Personal life
Buttons married actress Roxanne Arlen in 1947, but the marriage soon ended in divorce. He married Helayne McNorton on December 8, 1949. They divorced in 1963. His last marriage was to Alicia Prats, which lasted from January 27, 1964, until her death in March 2001. With Prats he had two children, Amy Buttons and Adam Buttons. He was the advertising spokesman for Century Village, Florida, a retirement community.
Buttons was an early member of the Synagogue for the Performing Arts, and at the time Rabbi Jerome Cutler was the rabbi.[6]
Death
Buttons died of complications from cardiovascular disease on July 13, 2006, at age 87 at his home in Century City, Los Angeles.[7] He had been ill for a while and was with family members when he died. His ashes were given to his family after cremation.[1]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Winged Victory | Whitey/Andrews Sister | credited as Cpl. Red Buttons |
| 1946 | 13 Rue Madeleine | Second Jump Master | uncredited |
| 1951 | Footlight Varieties | Red Buttons | |
| 1957 | Sayonara | Joe Kelly | |
| 1958 | Imitation General | Corporal Chan Derby | |
| 1959 | The Big Circus | Randy Sherman | |
| 1961 | One, Two, Three | Military Police Sergeant | uncredited |
| 1962 | Hatari! | Pockets | |
| 1962 | Five Weeks in a Balloon | Donald O'Shay | |
| 1962 | The Longest Day | Private John Steele | |
| 1962 | Gay Purr-ee | Robespieree | Voice Role |
| 1963 | A Ticklish Affair | Flight Officer Simon "Uncle Cy" Shelley | |
| 1964 | Your Cheatin' Heart | Shorty Younger | |
| 1965 | Up from the Beach | Private first class Harry Devine | |
| 1965 | Harlow | Arthur Landau | |
| 1966 | Stagecoach | Peacock | |
| 1969 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Sailor | |
| 1971 | Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? | Mickey Isador | |
| 1972 | The Poseidon Adventure | James Martin | |
| 1976 | Gable and Lombard | Ivan Cooper | |
| 1977 | Viva Knievel! | Ben Andrews | |
| 1977 | Pete's Dragon | Hoagy | |
| 1979 | C.H.O.M.P.S. | Bracken | |
| 1980 | When Time Ran Out... | Francis Fendly | |
| 1988 | 18 Again! | Charlie | |
| 1990 | The Ambulance | Elias Zacharai | |
| 1994 | It Could Happen to You | Walter Zakuto | |
| 1999 | The Story of Us | Arnie Jordan | |
| 2001 | Odessa or Bust | The Old Man | Short Film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | The Milton Berle Show | Himself – Comedian | "Red Buttons/Judy Canova/The Crackerjacks/Ella Logan/Russell Swan" |
| 1951 | Suspense | unknown role | "Merryman's Murder" |
| 1952–55 | The Red Buttons Show | Himself (Host) | 4 episodes |
| 1952–66 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Himself (Comedian/Singer) | recurring role (10 episodes) |
| 1956 | Studio One | St. Emergency | "The Tale of St. Emergency" |
| 1958 | Hansel and Gretel | Hansel | TV movie |
| 1958 | The Eddie Fisher Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Jerry | "A Marriage of Strangers" |
| 1959 | Startime | Joe Henders | "Something Special" |
| 1959–1961 | General Electric Theater | Tippy-Top/Lieutenant George Poole | 2 episodes |
| 1960 | Death Valley Days | Levi Strauss | "The Million Dollar Pants" |
| 1960 | The United States Steel Hour | Inspector Plover | "The Case of the Missing Wife" |
| 1962 | Frontier Circus | Earl Youngblood | "Never Won Fair Lady" |
| 1962 | Saints and Sinners | Joe Roganyan | "All the Hard Young Men" |
| 1962 | Password | Himself (Celebrity Contestant) | "Jane Powell vs. Red Buttons" |
| 1982–85 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Himself | recurring role (17 episodes) |
| 1963 | 20th Annual Golden Globes | Himself (Host) | TV special |
| 1964 | The Eleventh Hour | Cody Evans | "Sunday Father" |
| 1964 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Walter Wallace | "The Last of the Strongmen" |
| 1965 | Ben Casey | Bill Jacoby | "Journeys End in Lovers Meeting" |
| 1965–66 | The Andy Williams Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1966 | The Double Life of Henry Phyfe | Henry Wadsworth Phyfe | series regular (17 episodes) |
| 1966–73 | The Bob Hope Show | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 1967 | The Danny Thomas Hour | Al Risko | "The Zero Man" |
| 1967–68 | The Dean Martin Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1967–74 | The Merv Griffin Show | Himself | recurring role (16 episodes) |
| 1968–69 | The Jackie Gleason Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1969–70 | Love, American Style | Norman (segment "Love and the Geisha") | 2 episodes |
| 1970 | George M! | Sam H. Harris | TV movie |
| 1970–73 | The Hollywood Squares | Himself (Panelist) | 3 episodes |
| 1970 | Breakout | Pipes | TV movie |
| 1973 | ABC Afterschool Special | Alexander | "Alexander" |
| 1975 | Little House on the Prairie | William "Willie" O'Hara | "Circus Man" |
| 1975 | Wonder Woman | Ashley Norman | "The New Original Wonder Woman" |
| 1975 | Let's Make a Deal | Himself (Special Guest) | "#5.1" |
| 1975–84 | Dean Martin Celebrity Roast | Himself | 14 episodes — "Valerie Harper" (1975) — "Muhammad Ali" (1976) — "Dennis Weaver" (1976) — "Joe Gargaiola" (1976) — "Danny Thomas" (1976) — "Angie Dickinson" (1977) — "Gabe Kaplan" (1977) — "Ted Knight" (1977) — "Peter Marshall" (1977) — "Dan Haggerty" (1977) — "Frank Sinatra" (1978) — "Jack Klugman" (1978) — "Jimmy Stewart" (1978) — "George Burns" (1978) — "Betty White" (1978) — "Suzanne Somers" (1978) — "Joe Namath" (1979) — Joan Collins" (1984) — "Mr. T." (1984) |
| 1976 | Louis Armstrong — Chicago Style | Red Cleveland | TV movie |
| 1976 | Flannery and Quilt | Luke Flannery | TV movie |
| 1977 | The Sunshine Boys | Willie Clark | TV movie |
| 1977 | Telethon | Marty Rand | TV movie |
| 1978 | The Users | Warren Ambrose | TV movie |
| 1978 | Movie Movie | Peanuts/Jinks Murphy | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Vega$ | Tommy Cirko | 2 episodes |
| 1979 | Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July | Milton (Voice Role) | TV movie |
| 1980 | Power | Solly Weiss | TV movie |
| 1980 | Pink Lady | Police Sergeant / Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1980 | The Dream Merchant | Bruce Benson | Miniseries (2 episodes) |
| 1981 | Aloha Paradise | Nick | "Letter from Broadway/Letter from Cyrano/Letter from a Secret Admirer" |
| 1981 | Leave 'em Laughing | Roland | TV movie |
| 1981 | Side Show | Harry | TV movie |
| 1982 | Off Your Rocker | Seymour Slatz | TV movie |
| 1978–83 | The Love Boat | Jimmy Morrow/Buddy Redmond/Uncle Cyrus Foster | 3 episodes |
| 1978–83 | Fantasy Island | Marty Howard/Cornelius Kelly/Tony Emerson | 3 episodes |
| 1985 | Reunion at Fairborough | Jiggs Quealy | TV movie |
| 1985 | Alice in Wonderland | The White Rabbit | Miniseries |
| 1987 | 227 | Toots | "The Audit" |
| 1987 | Knots Landing | Al Baker | recurring role (6 episodes) |
| 1987–89 | It's Garry Shandling's Show. | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | The Cosby Show | Jake Bennett | "Cliff and Jake" |
| 1993–94 | Roseanne | Jake | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Cosby | Mr. Tibbles | "My Dinner with Methuseleh" |
| 1988 | Ghosts of Fear Street | Grandpa | TV movie |
| 1995–98 | Biography | Himself (Interviewee) | 5 episodes — "Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker" (1995) — "Gypsy Rose Lee: Naked Ambition" (1996) — "Alan Alda: More That Mr. Nice Guy" (1997) — "Phil Silvers: Top Banana" (1997) — "John Wayne: American Legend" (1998) |
| 1995–2005 | ER | Jules "Ruby" Rubadoux | recurring role (5 episodes) |
| 1999 | Early Edition | Walter Stites | "Pinch Hitters" |
| 2000 | Family Law | Carl Porter | "Second Chance" |
| 2002 | Philly | Murray Klopman | "The Curse of the Klopman Diamonds" |
| 2002 | Street Time | Sam Kahan | recurring role (4 episodes) |
| 2002 | Presidio Med | Chick | "Milagros" |
Accolades and honors
Throughout his career, Buttons received several awards and nominations for his work in both film and television.
| Accolade | Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 1958 | Best Supporting Actor | Sayonara | Won | |
| BAFTA Awards | 1959 | Most Promising Newcomer to Film | Nominated | [8] | |
| Golden Boot Awards | 1984 | Honoree | — | Won | |
| Golden Globes | 1958 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | Sayonara | Won | [9] |
| 1966 | Harlow | Nominated | |||
| 1970 | Imitation General | Nominated | |||
| Laurel Awards | 1958 | Top New Male Personality | — | Nominated | |
| 1958 | Top Male Supporting Performance | Sayonara | Won | ||
| 1959 | Imitation General | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2005 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (for playing "Mr. Rubadoux. for episode "Ruby Redux") | ER | Nominated | [10] |
| Saturn Awards | 1978 | Best Supporting Actor | Pete's Dragon | Nominated | |
| Walk of Fame | 1960 | Star on the Walk of Fame — Television (February 8, 1960. At 1651 Vine Street.) | — | Won | [11] |
References
- ^ a b c d Comedian Red Buttons dies at 87 July 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. July 14, 2006.
- ^ "Motion Pictures". Encyclopaedia Judaica. Keter Publishing House. 1971–1972.
- ^ "Red Buttons Biography (1919-)". filmreference.com. from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1950's". classictvhits.com. from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Stage-screen giant Red Buttons pressing all the rights ones at 80". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. December 11, 1998. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The Rabbi Plays One on TV". September 19, 2003. from the original on July 17, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2008. The Forward
- ^ . CBC Arts. July 13, 2006. Archived from the original on March 3, 2007.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Red Buttons". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Red Buttons". Television Academy. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Red Buttons". Hollywood Walk of Fame. October 25, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
External links
- Interview with Red Buttons' Television Writer, August 2012
- Red Buttons at IMDb
- Red Buttons at the Internet Broadway Database
- Red Buttons at AllMovie
- "Red Buttons on Dean Martin Roast" on YouTube, video, 4 minutes