Victor Borge
Encyclopedia
Victor Borge
born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish
comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,
The Unmelancholy Dane,
and The Great Dane.
, Denmark, into a Jewish family. His parents, Bernhard and Frederikke Rosenbaum, were both musicians—his father a violist
in the Royal Danish Orchestra
and his mother a pianist. Like his mother, Borge began piano lessons at the age of two, and it was soon apparent that he was a prodigy. He gave his first piano recital when he was eight years old, and in 1918 was awarded a full scholarship at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, studying under Olivo Krause
. Later on, he was taught by Victor Schiøler
, Liszt
's student Frederic Lamond, and Busoni
's pupil Egon Petri
.
Borge played his first major concert in 1926 at the Danish concert-hall Odd Fellow Palæet (The Odd Fellow's Lodge building). After a few years as a classical concert pianist, he started his now famous "stand up" act, with the signature blend of piano music and jokes. He married American Elsie Chilton in 1933, the same year he debuted with his revue acts. Borge started touring extensively in Europe, where he began telling anti-Nazi
jokes.
When the Nazis occupied Denmark during World War II
, Borge was playing a concert in Sweden
, and managed to escape to Finland
. He traveled to America on the USS American Legion, the last neutral ship to make it out of Petsamo
, Finland, and arrived 28 August 1940, with only 20 dollars (equal to $ today), with $3 (equal to $ today) going to the customs fee. Disguised as a sailor, Borge returned to Denmark once during the occupation to visit his dying mother.
's radio show, but was hired soon after by Bing Crosby
for his Kraft Music Hall
.
From then on, fame rose quickly for Borge, who won Best New Radio Performer of the Year in 1942. Soon after the award, he was offered film roles with stars such as Frank Sinatra
(in Higher and Higher
). While hosting The Victor Borge Show on NBC
beginning in 1946, he developed many of his trademarks, including repeatedly announcing his intent to play a piece but getting "distracted" by something or other, making comments about the audience, or discussing the usefulness of Chopin
's "Minute Waltz
" as an egg timer. Or he would start out with some well-known classical piece like Beethoven
's "Moonlight Sonata" and suddenly move into a harmonically suitable pop or jazz tune like Cole Porter
's "Night and Day
" or "Happy Birthday to You
".
(comma, period, exclamation mark, etc.) as exaggerated onomatopoeic sounds. Another is his "Inflationary Language", where he incremented numbers embedded in words, whether they are visible or not ("once upon a time" becomes "twice upon a time", "wonderful" becomes "twoderful", "forehead" becomes "fivehead", "tennis" becomes "elevennis", "I ate a tenderloin with my fork and so on and so forth" becomes "'I nine an elevenderloin with my five'k' and so on and so fifth").
Borge used physical and visual elements in his live and televised performances. He would play a strange-sounding piano tune from sheet music, looking increasingly confused; turning the sheet upside down, he would then play the actual tune, flashing a joyful smile of accomplishment to the audience (he had, at first, been literally playing the actual tune upside down). When his energetic playing of another song would cause him to fall off the piano bench, he would open the seat lid, take out the two ends of an automotive seatbelt, and buckle himself onto the bench, "for safety." Conducting an orchestra, he might stop and order a violinist who had played a sour note to get off the stage, then resume the performance and have the other members of the section move up to fill the empty seat while they were still playing. His musical sidekick in the 1950s, Leonid Hambro
, was a well-known concert pianist. In 1968, classical pianist Şahan Arzruni
joined him as his straightman, performing together on one piano a version of Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody
, considered a musical-comedic classic.
He also enjoyed interacting with the audience. Seeing an interested person in the front row, he would ask them, "Do you like good music?" or "Do you care for piano music?" After an affirmative answer, Borge would take a piece of sheet music from his piano and say, "Here is some", and hand it over. After the audience's laughter died down, he would say, "That'll be $1.95" (or whatever the current price might be). He would then ask whether the audience member could read music; if the member said yes, he would ask a higher price. If he got no response from the audience after a joke, he would often add "...when this ovation has died down, of course". The delayed punch line to handing the person the sheet music would come when he would reach the end of a number and begin playing the penultimate notes over and over, with a puzzled look. He would then go back to the person in the audience, retrieve the sheet music, tear off a piece of it, stick it on the piano, and play the last couple of notes from it.
Making fun of modern theater, he would sometimes begin a performance by asking if there were any children in the audience. There always were, of course. He would sternly order them out, then say, "We do have some children in here that means I can't do the second half in the nude. I'll wear the tie. (pause) The long one. (pause) The very long one, yes."
In his stage shows in later years, he would include a segment with opera singer Marilyn Mulvey. She would try to sing an aria, and he would react and interrupt, with such antics as falling off the bench in "surprise" when she hit a high note. He would also remind her repeatedly not to rest her hand on the piano. After the routine, the spotlight would fall upon Mulvey and she would sing a serious number with Borge accompanying in the background.
several times during 1948. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States the same year. He started the Comedy in Music show at John Golden Theatre
in New York City on 2 October 1953. Comedy in Music became the longest running one-man show in the history of theater with 849 performances when it closed on 21 January 1956, a feat which placed it in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Continuing his success with tours and shows, Borge played with and conducted orchestras including Chicago Symphony Orchestra
, the New York Philharmonic and London Philharmonic
. Always modest, he felt honored when he was invited to conduct the Royal Danish Orchestra
at the Royal Danish Theatre
in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1992.
His later television appearances included his "Phonetic Punctuation" routine on The Electric Company
in a filmed sketch; he would also use it on the record to follow during the "Punctuation" song. He appeared several times on Sesame Street
and was a guest star during the fourth season of The Muppet Show
.
Victor Borge continued to tour until his last days, performing up to 60 times per year when he was 90 years old.
, both as a celebrity panelist, and as a contestant with the occupation "poultry farmer"; Starting in the 1950s, as a businessman, Borge raised and popularized Rock Cornish hens.
Borge helped start several trust funds, including the Thanks to Scandinavia Fund, which was started in dedication to those who helped the Jews escape the German persecution during the war.
Aside from his musical work, Borge wrote three books, My Favorite Intermissions and My Favorite Comedies in Music (both with Robert Sherman
), and the autobiography Smilet er den korteste afstand ("The Smile is the Shortest Distance") with Niels-Jørgen Kaiser.
Borge fathered five children (who occasionally performed with him): Ronald Borge and Janet Crowle with Elsie Chilton, and Sanna Feirstein, Victor Bernhard (Vebe) Jr., and Frederikke (Rikke) Borge with Sarabel.
Borge died in Greenwich, Connecticut
, at the age of 91, after more than 75 years of entertaining. He died peacefully in his sleep a day after returning from a concert in Denmark. "It was just his time to go", Frederikke Borge said. "He's been missing my mother terribly." According to his wish, to mark his connection to both USA and Denmark a part of Victor Borge's ashes is interred at Putnam Cemetery
in Greenwich, with a replica of Danish icon The Little Mermaid
sitting on a large rock at the gravesite, the other part in Western Jewish Cemetery (Mosaisk Vestre Begravelsesplads), Copenhagen, Denmark.
When in 1998 the Royal Danish Orchestra
celebrated its 550th anniversary, Borge was appointed an honorary member – at that time one of only 10 in the orchestra's history.
Borge received Kennedy Center Honors
in 1999.
Victor Borge Hall, located in Scandinavia House in New York City, was named in Borge's honor in 2000, as was Victor Borges Plads
("Victor Borge Square") in Copenhagen in 2002. Celebrating Borge's Centennial in 2009 a statue was erected on the square.
with "Victor Borge: A Centennial Celebration."
A television special about his life, 100 Years of Music and Laughter, aired on PBS
on 14 March 2009.
born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,
The Unmelancholy Dane,
and The Great Dane.
Early life and career
Borge was born Børge Rosenbaum in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark, into a Jewish family. His parents, Bernhard and Frederikke Rosenbaum, were both musicians—his father a violist
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
in the Royal Danish Orchestra
Royal Danish Orchestra
The Royal Danish Orchestra is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events...
and his mother a pianist. Like his mother, Borge began piano lessons at the age of two, and it was soon apparent that he was a prodigy. He gave his first piano recital when he was eight years old, and in 1918 was awarded a full scholarship at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, studying under Olivo Krause
Olivo Krause
Olivo Vilhelm Eduard Oscar Krause was a Danish oboist and composer who had studied under Edmund Neupert and Agnes Adler. A member of the Royal Danish Orchestra from 1882, he became first soloist in 1893 when he also played as a soloist at the Bayreuth Festival. In 1915, he founded and played in...
. Later on, he was taught by Victor Schiøler
Victor Schiøler
Victor Schiøler was a Danish classical pianist .-Biography:He studied with his mother, then with Ignaz Friedman and Artur Schnabel. He made his debut in 1914 and from 1919 toured Europe. He made his first American tour after the war in 1948-49. He was also active as a conductor in Denmark...
, Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
's student Frederic Lamond, and Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
's pupil Egon Petri
Egon Petri
Egon Petri was a classical pianist.-Biography:Petri's family was Dutch and he was born a Dutch citizen, but he was born in Hanover in Germany and was brought up in Dresden. His father was a professional violinist who taught his son that instrument. Petri played in the Dresden Court Orchestra and...
.
Borge played his first major concert in 1926 at the Danish concert-hall Odd Fellow Palæet (The Odd Fellow's Lodge building). After a few years as a classical concert pianist, he started his now famous "stand up" act, with the signature blend of piano music and jokes. He married American Elsie Chilton in 1933, the same year he debuted with his revue acts. Borge started touring extensively in Europe, where he began telling anti-Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
jokes.
When the Nazis occupied Denmark during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Borge was playing a concert in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and managed to escape to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. He traveled to America on the USS American Legion, the last neutral ship to make it out of Petsamo
Pechengsky District
Pechengsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located to the northwest of the Kola Peninsula on the coast of the Barents Sea and borders with Finland in the south and southwest and with Norway in the west, northwest, and north...
, Finland, and arrived 28 August 1940, with only 20 dollars (equal to $ today), with $3 (equal to $ today) going to the customs fee. Disguised as a sailor, Borge returned to Denmark once during the occupation to visit his dying mother.
Move to America
Even though Borge did not speak a word of English upon arrival, he quickly managed to adapt his jokes to the American audience, learning English by watching movies. He took the name of Victor Borge, and, in 1941, he started on Rudy ValleeRudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
's radio show, but was hired soon after by Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
for his Kraft Music Hall
Kraft Music Hall
The Kraft Music Hall was a popular variety program, featuring top show business entertainers, which aired on NBC radio and television from 1933 to 1971....
.
From then on, fame rose quickly for Borge, who won Best New Radio Performer of the Year in 1942. Soon after the award, he was offered film roles with stars such as Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
(in Higher and Higher
Higher and Higher (film)
Higher and Higher is a 1943 musical film starring Michèle Morgan, Jack Haley, and Frank Sinatra, loosely based on a 1940 Broadway musical written by Gladys Hurlbut and Joshua Logan. The film, however, written by Jay Dratler and Ralph Spence with additional dialogue by William Bowers and Howard...
). While hosting The Victor Borge Show on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
beginning in 1946, he developed many of his trademarks, including repeatedly announcing his intent to play a piece but getting "distracted" by something or other, making comments about the audience, or discussing the usefulness of Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
's "Minute Waltz
Minute Waltz
The Waltz in D flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, popularly known as the Minute Waltz, and also Valse du petit chien, is a waltz for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin. It is dedicated to the Countess Delfina Potocka.-History:...
" as an egg timer. Or he would start out with some well-known classical piece like Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's "Moonlight Sonata" and suddenly move into a harmonically suitable pop or jazz tune like Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's "Night and Day
Night and Day (song)
"Night and Day" is a popular song by Cole Porter. It was written for the 1932 musical play Gay Divorce. It is perhaps Porter's most popular contribution to the Great American Songbook and has been recorded by dozens of artists....
" or "Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
".
Borge's style
Among Borge's other famous routines is the "Phonetic Punctuation" routine, in which he recites a story, with full punctuationPunctuation
Punctuation marks are symbols that indicate the structure and organization of written language, as well as intonation and pauses to be observed when reading aloud.In written English, punctuation is vital to disambiguate the meaning of sentences...
(comma, period, exclamation mark, etc.) as exaggerated onomatopoeic sounds. Another is his "Inflationary Language", where he incremented numbers embedded in words, whether they are visible or not ("once upon a time" becomes "twice upon a time", "wonderful" becomes "twoderful", "forehead" becomes "fivehead", "tennis" becomes "elevennis", "I ate a tenderloin with my fork and so on and so forth" becomes "'I nine an elevenderloin with my five'k' and so on and so fifth").
Borge used physical and visual elements in his live and televised performances. He would play a strange-sounding piano tune from sheet music, looking increasingly confused; turning the sheet upside down, he would then play the actual tune, flashing a joyful smile of accomplishment to the audience (he had, at first, been literally playing the actual tune upside down). When his energetic playing of another song would cause him to fall off the piano bench, he would open the seat lid, take out the two ends of an automotive seatbelt, and buckle himself onto the bench, "for safety." Conducting an orchestra, he might stop and order a violinist who had played a sour note to get off the stage, then resume the performance and have the other members of the section move up to fill the empty seat while they were still playing. His musical sidekick in the 1950s, Leonid Hambro
Leonid Hambro
Leonid Hambro was an American concert pianist and composer.-Life:He was the son of immigrant Russian Jews; his father was a pianist accompanying silent films....
, was a well-known concert pianist. In 1968, classical pianist Şahan Arzruni
Sahan Arzruni
Şahan Arzruni is an Armenian pianist, composer, ethnomusicologist, lecturer, writer and producer.Arzruni was born in Istanbul, Turkey, whose family name belongs to an ancient Armenian dynasty...
joined him as his straightman, performing together on one piano a version of Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S.244/2, is the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by composer Franz Liszt, and is by far the most famous of the set. Few other piano solos have achieved such widespread popularity, offering the pianist the opportunity to reveal exceptional skill as a virtuoso,...
, considered a musical-comedic classic.
He also enjoyed interacting with the audience. Seeing an interested person in the front row, he would ask them, "Do you like good music?" or "Do you care for piano music?" After an affirmative answer, Borge would take a piece of sheet music from his piano and say, "Here is some", and hand it over. After the audience's laughter died down, he would say, "That'll be $1.95" (or whatever the current price might be). He would then ask whether the audience member could read music; if the member said yes, he would ask a higher price. If he got no response from the audience after a joke, he would often add "...when this ovation has died down, of course". The delayed punch line to handing the person the sheet music would come when he would reach the end of a number and begin playing the penultimate notes over and over, with a puzzled look. He would then go back to the person in the audience, retrieve the sheet music, tear off a piece of it, stick it on the piano, and play the last couple of notes from it.
Making fun of modern theater, he would sometimes begin a performance by asking if there were any children in the audience. There always were, of course. He would sternly order them out, then say, "We do have some children in here that means I can't do the second half in the nude. I'll wear the tie. (pause) The long one. (pause) The very long one, yes."
In his stage shows in later years, he would include a segment with opera singer Marilyn Mulvey. She would try to sing an aria, and he would react and interrupt, with such antics as falling off the bench in "surprise" when she hit a high note. He would also remind her repeatedly not to rest her hand on the piano. After the routine, the spotlight would fall upon Mulvey and she would sing a serious number with Borge accompanying in the background.
Later career
Borge appeared on Toast of the Town hosted by Ed SullivanEd 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...
several times during 1948. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States the same year. He started the Comedy in Music show at John Golden Theatre
John Golden Theatre
The John Golden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 252 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan. Designed in a Moorish style along with the adjacent Royale Theatre by architect Herbert J. Krapp for Irwin Chanin, it opened as the Theatre Masque on February 24 1927 with the play Puppets of Passion...
in New York City on 2 October 1953. Comedy in Music became the longest running one-man show in the history of theater with 849 performances when it closed on 21 January 1956, a feat which placed it in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Continuing his success with tours and shows, Borge played with and conducted orchestras including Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
, the New York Philharmonic and London Philharmonic
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
. Always modest, he felt honored when he was invited to conduct the Royal Danish Orchestra
Royal Danish Orchestra
The Royal Danish Orchestra is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events...
at the Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1992.
His later television appearances included his "Phonetic Punctuation" routine on The Electric Company
The Electric Company
The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977...
in a filmed sketch; he would also use it on the record to follow during the "Punctuation" song. He appeared several times on Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
and was a guest star during the fourth season of The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
.
Victor Borge continued to tour until his last days, performing up to 60 times per year when he was 90 years old.
Other endeavors
Borge made several appearances on the long running TV show What's My Line?What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
, both as a celebrity panelist, and as a contestant with the occupation "poultry farmer"; Starting in the 1950s, as a businessman, Borge raised and popularized Rock Cornish hens.
Borge helped start several trust funds, including the Thanks to Scandinavia Fund, which was started in dedication to those who helped the Jews escape the German persecution during the war.
Aside from his musical work, Borge wrote three books, My Favorite Intermissions and My Favorite Comedies in Music (both with Robert Sherman
Robert Sherman (music critic)
Robert Sherman is an American music critic, radio personality, academic, and writer on music. He is the son of pianist Nadia Reisenberg. From 1964-2003 he was a music critic for The New York Times. Since 1969 he has hosted the folk music radio program Woody's Children; for the first 30 years on...
), and the autobiography Smilet er den korteste afstand ("The Smile is the Shortest Distance") with Niels-Jørgen Kaiser.
Family
After divorcing his wife Elsie, he married Sarabel Sanna Scraper in 1953 and they stayed married until her death at the age of 83 in September 2000.Borge fathered five children (who occasionally performed with him): Ronald Borge and Janet Crowle with Elsie Chilton, and Sanna Feirstein, Victor Bernhard (Vebe) Jr., and Frederikke (Rikke) Borge with Sarabel.
Borge died in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, at the age of 91, after more than 75 years of entertaining. He died peacefully in his sleep a day after returning from a concert in Denmark. "It was just his time to go", Frederikke Borge said. "He's been missing my mother terribly." According to his wish, to mark his connection to both USA and Denmark a part of Victor Borge's ashes is interred at Putnam Cemetery
Putnam Cemetery
Putnam Cemetery is a non-sectarian cemetery located in Greenwich, Connecticut. It is affiliated with adjacent Saint Mary's Cemetery, which is a Catholic cemetery. The cemetery is located in a quiet residential neighborhood and is the final resting place of several notable people...
in Greenwich, with a replica of Danish icon The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (statue)
The statue of The Little Mermaid sits on a rock in the harbour of the capital of Denmark. Based on a tale by Hans Christian Andersen, the small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and a major tourist attraction....
sitting on a large rock at the gravesite, the other part in Western Jewish Cemetery (Mosaisk Vestre Begravelsesplads), Copenhagen, Denmark.
Legacy
Borge received an honorary degree from Trinity College, Hartford in 1997.When in 1998 the Royal Danish Orchestra
Royal Danish Orchestra
The Royal Danish Orchestra is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events...
celebrated its 550th anniversary, Borge was appointed an honorary member – at that time one of only 10 in the orchestra's history.
Borge received Kennedy Center Honors
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The Honors have been presented annually since 1978 in Washington, D.C., during gala weekend-long events which culminate in a performance for—and...
in 1999.
Victor Borge Hall, located in Scandinavia House in New York City, was named in Borge's honor in 2000, as was Victor Borges Plads
Victor Borges Plads
Victor Borges Plads is a public square in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on Nordre Frihavnsgade, roughly halfway between Trianglen and Strandboulevarden, and has several restaurants and cafés with outdoor service....
("Victor Borge Square") in Copenhagen in 2002. Celebrating Borge's Centennial in 2009 a statue was erected on the square.
Victor Borge: A Centennial Celebration
From 23 January to 9 May 2009, the life of Borge was celebrated by The American-Scandinavian FoundationThe American-Scandinavian Foundation
The American-Scandinavian Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting international understanding through educational and cultural exchange between the United States and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden...
with "Victor Borge: A Centennial Celebration."
A television special about his life, 100 Years of Music and Laughter, aired on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
on 14 March 2009.
Discography
- Phonetic Punctuation Parts 1 and 2 (1945, Columbia Records 36911, 78 rpm)
- The Blue Serenade / A Lesson in Composition (1945, Columbia Records 36912, 78 rpm)
- Brahms’ Lullaby / Grieg Rhapsody (1945, Columbia Records 36913, 78 rpm)
- A Mozart Opera by Borge / All The Things You Are (1945, Columbia Records 36914, 78 rpm)
- A Victor Borge Program (1946, Columbia Album C-111, 4 discs 78 rpm – a set containing the four previous releases)
- Unstarted Symphony / Bizet's Carmen (1947, Columbia Records 38181, 78 rpm)
- Intermezzo / Stardust (1947, Columbia Records 38182, 78 rpm)
- Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2 / Inflation Language (1947, Columbia Records 38183, 78 rpm)
- Clair de Lune / Vuggevise (1947, Columbia Records 38184, 78 rpm)
- An Evening with Victor Borge (1948 Columbia Album C-161, 4 discs 78 rpm – a set containing the four previous releases)
- A Victor Borge Program (1951, Columbia Records CL-6013, 10
LP) - Comedy in Music, Vol. 1 (1954, Columbia Records CL-6292, 10
LP) - Comedy in Music, Vol. 2 (1954, Columbia Records CL-6293, 10
LP) - Comedy in Music (1954, Columbia Records CL-554, LP)
- Caught in the Act (1955, Columbia Records CL-646, LP)
- Brahms, Bizet and Borge (1955, Columbia Records CL-2538, 10
LP) - ½ Time På Dansk (1958, Fona 251 HI-FI, 10
LP) - The Adventures of Piccolo, Saxie and Company (1959, Columbia Records CL-1223, LP)
- The Adventures of Piccolo, Saxie and Company (1959, Coronet KLP 762, LP (AUS))
- Victor Borge Plays and Conducts Concert Favorites (1959, Columbia Records CL-1305/CS-8113, LP)
- Borge's Back (1962, MGM E/SE-3995P, LP)
- Borge's Back (1962, MGM CS-6055, LP (UK))
- Borgering on Genius (1962, MGM 2354029, LP – same material as Borge's Back)
- Great Moments of Comedy (1964, Verve V/V6 15044, LP – same material as Borge's Back)
- Victor Borge presents his own enchanting version of Hans Christian Andersen (1966, Decca DL7-34406 Stereo, LP)
- Comedy in Music (1972, CBS S 53140, LP)
- Victor Borge at His Best (1972, PRT Records COMP 5, 2 LPs)
- Victor Borge Live At The London Palladium (1972, Pye NSPL 18394, LP)
- My Favorite Intervals (1975, PYE NSPD 502, LP)
- 13 Pianos Live in Concert (1975, Telefunken-Decca LC-0366)
- Victor Borge 50 Års Jubilæum (1976, Philips 6318035, LP)
- Victor Borge Show (1977, CBS 70082, LP, in Danish)
- Victor Borge Live in der Hamburger Musikhalle (1978, Philips 6305 369, LP)
- Victor Borge Live (1978, Starbox LX 96 004 Stereo, LP)
- Victor Borge – Live(!) (1992, Sony Broadway 48482, CD)
- The Piano & Humor of the Great Victor Borge (1997, Sony Music Special Products 15312, 3 CDs)
- The Two Sides of Victor Borge (1998, GMG Entertainment, CD)
- Caught in the Act (1999, Collectables Records 6031, CD)
- Comedy in Music (1999, Collectables Records 6032, CD)
- Phonetically Speaking – And Don't Forget The Piano (2001, Jasmine 120, CD)
- En aften med Victor Borge (2003, UNI 9865861, CD)
- I Love You Truly (2004, Pegasus (Pinnacle) 45403, CD)
- Victor Borge King of Comedy (2006, Phantom 26540, CD)
- Verdens morsomste mand: alle tiders Victor Borge (2006, UNI 9877560, CD)
- Unstarted Symphony (2008, NAX-8120859, CD)
- Comedy in Music (2009, SHO-227, CD)
Filmography
- Frk. Møllers JubilæumFrk. Møllers jubilæumFrøken Møllers jubilæum is a 1937 Danish comedy film directed and written by Lau Lauritzen Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks. The film stars Liva Weel and Victor Borge .-Cast:*Liva Weel ... Frk. Møller...
(1937) - Der var engang en ViceværtDer var engang en viceværtDer var engang en vicevært is a 1937 Danish family film directed by Lau Lauritzen Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks and written by Børge Müller. The film stars Osvald Helmuth and Connie Meiling .-Cast:* Osvald Helmuth ... Vicevært Christensen...
(1937) - Alarm (1938)
- De tre måske fireDe tre måske fireDe tre måske fire is a 1939 Danish family film directed by Lau Lauritzen, Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks.-Cast:* Victor Borge - Kontorist* Lau Lauritzen - Kontorist* Poul Reichhardt - Kontorist* Per Gundmann - Kontorist* Børge Munch Petersen - Kontorchef...
(1939) - Higher and HigherHigher and Higher (film)Higher and Higher is a 1943 musical film starring Michèle Morgan, Jack Haley, and Frank Sinatra, loosely based on a 1940 Broadway musical written by Gladys Hurlbut and Joshua Logan. The film, however, written by Jay Dratler and Ralph Spence with additional dialogue by William Bowers and Howard...
(1943) - The Story of Dr. WassellThe Story of Dr. WassellThe Story of Dr. Wassell is a Technicolor World War II film set in the Dutch East Indies, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper, Laraine Day, Signe Hasso, and Dennis O'Keefe. It is based on the wartime activities of US Navy Doctor Corydon M...
(1944) - The Daydreamer (1966)
- The King of ComedyThe King of Comedy (1983 film)The King of Comedy is a 1983 American dark comedy film starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, and directed by Martin Scorsese. The subject of the movie is celebrity stalking...
(1983)
External links
- A Tribute to Victor Borge.
- A website dedicated to Victor Borge.
- Victor Borge and the Bosendorfer Imperial Pianos with images, video and sound files provided by his management
- Internet Archive: Victor Borge Collection