Jimmy Durante
Comedian, composer, actor, singer and songwriter ("Inka Dinka Doo") Jimmy Durante was educated in New York public schools. He began his career as a Coney Island pianist, and organized a five-piece band in 1916. He opened the Club Durant with Eddie Jackson and Lou Clayton, with whom he later formed a comedy trio for vaudeville and on television. He appeared in the Broadway musicals "Show Girl", "The New Yorkers", "Strike Me Pink", "Jumbo", "Red Hot and Blue", and "Stars in Your Eyes". By 1936, he had appeared at the Palladium in London. Later he had his own radio and television shows, and was a featured headliner in night clubs. Biographer Gene Fowler wrote his biography, "Schnozzola". Joining ASCAP in 1941, he collaborated musically with Jackie Barnett and Ben Ryan, and his other popular song compositions include "I'm Jimmy That Well-Dressed Man", "I Know Darn Well I Can Do Without Broadway", "I Ups to Him and He Ups to Me", "Daddy Your Mamma Is Lonesome For You", "Umbriago", "Any State In the Forty-Eight", "Chidabee Chidabee Chidabee", and "I'm Jimmy's Girl".
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · The Rudolph, Frosty & Friends Sing Along as
- 2017 · JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala as Self
- 2014 · And the Oscar Goes To... as Self (archive footage)
- 2011 · Don Knotts: Tied Up with Laughter as Himself
- 2004 · Checking Out: Grand Hotel as (archive footage)
- 2002 · Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2001 · The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1 as Self (archive footage)
- 2000 · Hollywood Musicals of the 40's as Self (archive footage)
- 1994 · That's Entertainment! III as (archive footage)
- 1988 · Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC as Self (archive footage)
- 1984 · Going Hollywood: The '30s as (archive footage)
- 1982 · Showbiz Goes to War as (archive footage)
- 1976 · That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)
- 1976 · It's Showtime as Self (archive footage)
- 1975 · Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
- 1974 · That's Entertainment! as (archive footage)
- 1971 · The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour as
- 1971 · The Pearl Bailey Show as Self
- 1970 · The Don Knotts Show as Self
- 1969 · Frosty the Snowman as Narrator (voice)
- 1969 · Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters as Self
- 1968 · The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
- 1967 · The Mothers-in-Law as Jimmy Durante
- 1966 · Alice Through the Looking Glass as Humpty Dumpty
- 1964 · The Hollywood Palace as Self - Singer
- 1963 · It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as Smiler Grogan
- 1962 · Billy Rose's Jumbo as Anthony ('Pop') Wonder
- 1962 · The Lucy Show as Jimmy Durante
- 1962 · The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers as Self - Host
- 1961 · The Last Judgment as The man with the large nose
- 1960 · Pepe as Jimmy Durante
- 1959 · The Frank Sinatra Timex Show as Self
- 1957 · Beau James as Jimmy Durante
- 1956 · The Dinah Shore Chevy Show as Self
- 1956 · The Steve Allen Show as Self
- 1954 · The Jimmy Durante Show as Self - Host
- 1954 · Summer Playhouse as
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self
- 1950 · The Milkman as Breezy Albright
- 1950 · Four Star Revue as Host
- 1950 · The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- 1950 · The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self - Cameo
- 1950 · The Bob Hope Show as Self
- 1950 · The Great Rupert as Mr. Louie Amendola
- 1950 · What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self - Singer
- 1948 · On an Island with You as Buckley
- 1947 · This Time for Keeps as Ferdi Farro
- 1947 · It Happened in Brooklyn as Nick Lombardi
- 1946 · Two Sisters from Boston as 'Spike'
- 1944 · Music for Millions as Andrews
- 1944 · Two Girls and a Sailor as Billy Kipp / Julian Kipp
- 1942 · Breakdowns of 1942 as Self
- 1941 · You're in the Army Now as Homer "Jeeper" Smith
- 1941 · The Man Who Came to Dinner as Banjo
- 1940 · Melody Ranch as Cornelius J. Courtney
- 1938 · Little Miss Broadway as Jimmy Clayton
- 1938 · Sally, Irene and Mary as Jefferson Twitchel
- 1938 · Start Cheering as Willie Gumbatz
- 1936 · Land Without Music as Jonah J. Whistler
- 1936 · Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) as Self
- 1935 · Carnival as Fingers
- 1934 · Student Tour as Hank Merman
- 1934 · Hollywood Party as Jimmy Durante
- 1934 · Strictly Dynamite as Moxie
- 1934 · Hollywood on Parade No. B-9 as Self
- 1934 · George White's Scandals as Happy McGillicuddy
- 1934 · Palooka as Knobby Walsh
- 1933 · Meet the Baron as Joe McGoo
- 1933 · Broadway to Hollywood as Jimmy
- 1933 · Hell Below as Ptomaine' - Ships Cook
- 1933 · What! No Beer? as Jimmy Potts
- 1933 · Give a Man a Job as
- 1932 · Hollywood on Parade No. A-3 as Self
- 1932 · The Phantom President as Curly Cooney
- 1932 · Blondie of the Follies as Jimmy
- 1932 · Speak Easily as James
- 1932 · Hollywood on Parade as Self
- 1932 · The Wet Parade as Abe Shilling
- 1932 · The Passionate Plumber as Julius J. McCracken
- 1931 · The Christmas Party as Santa Claus (uncredited)
- 1931 · The Cuban Love Song as O.O. Jones
- 1931 · New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford as Schnozzle
- 1930 · The March of Time as Self
- 1930 · Roadhouse Nights as Daffy (as Durante)