Artie Auerbach
Encyclopedia
Arthur Auerbach (May 17, 1903 - October 3, 1957), was an American comic actor and professional photographer who became famous as “Mr. Kitzel”, first on the Al Pearce
radio show in 1937 then as a regular on the Jack Benny
radio show for 12 years. He also worked with Phil Baker before joining the Jack Benny Show.
for the New York tabloid Daily Mirror
and the New York Daily News. Among the more famous stories he covered were the Lindbergh kidnapping
and the Hall-Mills murder case. While a photographer, Auerbach had become very popular at private parties by telling Yiddish anecdotes. It was during his days as a press photographer when Auerbach had the inspiration for the character that would prove to give him his greatest fame. He was on an assignment at a Bronx drug store when he heard a voice singing a popular song of the time, "Yes, Sir, That My Baby" with a strong Yiddish dialect and he loved the voice and personality. The character evolved into the lovable and laughable Mr. Kitzel. Auerbach and the druggist who inspired the character, Maurice Adollf, became long-time close friends. Auerbach described Adollf as "a wealthy man who had found peace of mind... the thing we are all battling to find."
, and in 1934 he made his stage debut in the Broadway revue Calling All Stars as a hillbilly. Auerbach had first submitted comedy sketches for Brown with the intention of selling the material. However, Brown agreed to use them only if Auerbach performed them himself. It was at the point the character of Mr. Kitzel, which means "to tickle or make laugh" in Yiddish, was first performed.
Auerbach was then cast in the hugely popular radio program The Goldbergs
and its predecessor House of Glass (1935). By 1941, despite appearing regularly on various radio programs, Auerbach still felt insecure about his future in show business and asked his newspaper for his seventh consecutive leave of absence. His work included, a regular role on the CBS The Wonder Show (the sponsor was Wonder Bread) with Lucille Ball
, Gale Gordon
and Jack Haley
in 1938 and appearing as Mr. Kitzel on both The Abbott and Costello radio show and in the 1943 film Here Comes Elmer which featured the cast of the Al Pearce radio program. During World War Two he performed overseas with the USO
. However, it was his appearances on the Jack Benny Show which brought Auerbach his greatest fame.
"The pickle in the middle with the mustard on top." In 1946 this catch phrase was turned into a novelty song
, written by Jack Benny Show writer John Tackaberry
and songwriter Carl Sigman
, featuring Auerbach as the singer. With the lyrics "The pickle in the middle with the mustard on top. Just the way you like them and they're all red hot.", the song became popular in the late 1940s. The song led to his being named Man of the Year by the National Pickle Packers Association. His other catch phrase was the exclamation “ooh ooh, hooo!” usually delivered in response to a question from Jack. Auerbach's Mr. Kitzel was unique among the characters on the show as being the only one not to treat Jack disparagingly. His character moved with the show when it made the transition from radio to television and he continued to appear until his death.
A typical Benny-Kitzel exchange:
Artie Auerbach was born in New York City of Polish descent. His father, Wolfgang, was a dancer in London, England and died at a young age. Artie Auerbach had two sisters.
Ed Sullivan's
column of March 29, 1938 announced that Auerbach would be marrying Cleo Manning (later Cleo Morgan then Smith). A young actress, Manning achieved some notoriety when she made her screen debut by being kissed by Clark Gable
in the 1941 film Honky Tonk
. Cleo Manning's cousin, Lucille Ball
, at the time a blonde RKO
star, interceded in the marriage because Manning was not of age. They were at the license bureau when Ball persuaded them to wait. Auerbach and Manning were later married.
Auerbach's second wife, Doris, was much younger than himself and they never had children.
On October 3, 1957 Artie Auerbach died of a heart attack at 54 years of age in Van Nuys, California. He had entered the West Valley Community Hospital the previous day as an emergency patient. On the same day that he died, Auerbach had been scheduled to begin rehearsals for a part on the Jack Benny television show. He was survived by his wife, Doris, and two sisters.
Al Pearce
Albert Pearce was a comedian, singer and banjoist who was a popular personality on several radio networks from 1928 to 1947....
radio show in 1937 then as a regular on the Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
radio show for 12 years. He also worked with Phil Baker before joining the Jack Benny Show.
Press photographer
Artie Auerbach had a successful career as a reporter and photographerPhotojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
for the New York tabloid Daily Mirror
New York Daily Mirror
The New York Daily Mirror was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the Evening Journal and New York American, later consolidated into the New York Journal...
and the New York Daily News. Among the more famous stories he covered were the Lindbergh kidnapping
Lindbergh kidnapping
The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was the abduction of the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The toddler, 18 months old at the time, was abducted from his family home in East Amwell, New Jersey, near the town of Hopewell, New Jersey, on the evening of...
and the Hall-Mills murder case. While a photographer, Auerbach had become very popular at private parties by telling Yiddish anecdotes. It was during his days as a press photographer when Auerbach had the inspiration for the character that would prove to give him his greatest fame. He was on an assignment at a Bronx drug store when he heard a voice singing a popular song of the time, "Yes, Sir, That My Baby" with a strong Yiddish dialect and he loved the voice and personality. The character evolved into the lovable and laughable Mr. Kitzel. Auerbach and the druggist who inspired the character, Maurice Adollf, became long-time close friends. Auerbach described Adollf as "a wealthy man who had found peace of mind... the thing we are all battling to find."
Comedian
Auerbach was discovered by Phil Baker who loved his dialect humor. Auerbach was a master of some 30 dialects. Baker introduced Auerbach to Lew BrownLew Brown
Lew Brown was a lyricist for popular songs in the United States.Brown was born as Louis Brownstein in Odessa, Russian Empire...
, and in 1934 he made his stage debut in the Broadway revue Calling All Stars as a hillbilly. Auerbach had first submitted comedy sketches for Brown with the intention of selling the material. However, Brown agreed to use them only if Auerbach performed them himself. It was at the point the character of Mr. Kitzel, which means "to tickle or make laugh" in Yiddish, was first performed.
Auerbach was then cast in the hugely popular radio program The Goldbergs
The Goldbergs
The Goldbergs is a comedy-drama broadcast from 1929 to 1946 on American radio, and from 1949 to 1956 on American television. It was adapted into a 1948 play, Me and Molly, and a 1973 Broadway musical, Molly.-Radio:...
and its predecessor House of Glass (1935). By 1941, despite appearing regularly on various radio programs, Auerbach still felt insecure about his future in show business and asked his newspaper for his seventh consecutive leave of absence. His work included, a regular role on the CBS The Wonder Show (the sponsor was Wonder Bread) with Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy, The Lucy Show...
and Jack Haley
Jack Haley
John Joseph "Jack" Haley was an American stage, radio, and film actor best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and Kansas farmworker Hickory in The Wizard of Oz.-Career:...
in 1938 and appearing as Mr. Kitzel on both The Abbott and Costello radio show and in the 1943 film Here Comes Elmer which featured the cast of the Al Pearce radio program. During World War Two he performed overseas with the USO
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
. However, it was his appearances on the Jack Benny Show which brought Auerbach his greatest fame.
The Jack Benny Show
The Jack Benny Show had previously included a Jewish-accented character, “Shlepperman”, played by Sam Hearn but it was discontinued in the late 1930s. In 1946 Auerbach was hired as a permanent, although only occasional, character, Mr. Kitzel (sometimes spelled “Kitzle”). In January he made his first appearance as a hot dog vendor at the Rose Bowl game Jack was attending. His appearance went over so well with the audience and Benny himself that he returned the next week. As the hot dog vendor he became famous for the catch phraseCatch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
"The pickle in the middle with the mustard on top." In 1946 this catch phrase was turned into a novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
, written by Jack Benny Show writer John Tackaberry
John Tackaberry
John Tackaberry was a radio writer for The Jack Benny Show.-Early years:He was born in Adelaide, Australia and grew up in Oonadata, a small railroad stop in the Simpson Desert in the Australian State of South Australia...
and songwriter Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman was an American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York...
, featuring Auerbach as the singer. With the lyrics "The pickle in the middle with the mustard on top. Just the way you like them and they're all red hot.", the song became popular in the late 1940s. The song led to his being named Man of the Year by the National Pickle Packers Association. His other catch phrase was the exclamation “ooh ooh, hooo!” usually delivered in response to a question from Jack. Auerbach's Mr. Kitzel was unique among the characters on the show as being the only one not to treat Jack disparagingly. His character moved with the show when it made the transition from radio to television and he continued to appear until his death.
A typical Benny-Kitzel exchange:
- Mr. Kitzel: I'll never forget my wedding. When they said "If anyone has any objections to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." a voice from the back hollered "Don't marry her!"
- Jack Benny: Oh, my goodness! Who was it?
- Mr. Kitzel: Me, I'm a ventriloquist.
Personal life and death
Ed Sullivan's
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
column of March 29, 1938 announced that Auerbach would be marrying Cleo Manning (later Cleo Morgan then Smith). A young actress, Manning achieved some notoriety when she made her screen debut by being kissed by Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
in the 1941 film Honky Tonk
Honky Tonk (1941 film)
Honky Tonk is a 1941 black-and-white western film starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner.-Plot:Con man "Candy" Johnson and his friend "Sniper" flee town using quick wits and magic tricks. They catch a train to Yellow Creek, Nevada, where a gold rush is in progress. Aboard, he meets Elizabeth Cotton...
. Cleo Manning's cousin, Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, at the time a blonde RKO
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
star, interceded in the marriage because Manning was not of age. They were at the license bureau when Ball persuaded them to wait. Auerbach and Manning were later married.
Auerbach's second wife, Doris, was much younger than himself and they never had children.
On October 3, 1957 Artie Auerbach died of a heart attack at 54 years of age in Van Nuys, California. He had entered the West Valley Community Hospital the previous day as an emergency patient. On the same day that he died, Auerbach had been scheduled to begin rehearsals for a part on the Jack Benny television show. He was survived by his wife, Doris, and two sisters.
External links
- Video Mr. Kitzel appearance on Jack Benny TV show Sept.15 1953
- Script of Mr. Kitzel appearance on Al Pearce radio show Feb.12, 1942
- Account of Auerbach appearance on "The Wondershow" (1938)