Radio and television mirror (July-Dec 1951)

There's Only One Jimmy (Continued from page 39) nose. He chews at a cigar when he isn't singing . . . His necktie is black. He hasn't worn a colored tie since the death of his wife in 1943. You quickly discover that this fivefoot seven-inch H-bomb is a perfectionist, even in rehearsal . . . "He works a full show every time he does the rehearsal," his old friend and associate, Lou Cohen, tells you proudly. You nod assent as you watch from the sidelines. When Jimmy goes through his songs he uses his voice full strength, sings every word with the special Durante inflection. No umptyumpty-um stuff for him, as some other performers do to save their energy. "Whatta note, whatta pear-shaped tone," he'll exclaim. When he first started his TV show, someone asked how he thought he'd do in the new medium. "All I can say is when I get in front of dat monster I'll do what I always done, give 'em all I got," was his answer. It still stands, but now he always ends up with, "Dat box is moider," and shakes his head, wondering where this TV is leading . . . No one knows how many sensitive young people have written him because they, too, have oversize noses. Because Jimmy never thought of his as a liability and it never made him unhappy, he is able to tell them how little classic features have to do with leading a happy life. They usually wind up convinced it's a mark of distinction to have a nose of noble proportions . . . Jimmy's wife was a beautiful, intelligent and charming woman who gave up her own career when she married him. They met when he was in his early twenties, and was playing the piano in a small nightclub. Jeanne was applying for a job as singer. He fell for her right away, and from the first she was sure he would be one of the greatest comedians of his time. He was born in New York on February 10, 1893, of a non-professional family .. . His dad was a barber on the Lower East Side and as a youngster he worked as a lather boy in the shop, soaping such famous faces as the late Al Smith's . . . When Jimmy showed a talent for music, his parents sent him to a neighborhood "professor" to study piano. The first club he worked was an obscure Bowery spot. Then there was Diamond Tony's, where he began to work in a black turtleneck sweater, his trade-mark for years. His own Club Durant, started in 1924, was the turning point in his success. As usual, Jimmy banged the piano, his old friend Eddie Jackson sang and danced, and finally Lou Clayton bought in and joined the show. That was the beginning of the famous Clayton, Jackson and Durante trio . . . When Clayton died in California last September 12, Jimmy could hardly tear himself away from his old partner's side during the week he was ill. Eddie Jackson, of course, is still performing brilliantly with Jimmy on TV. Jimmy has never forgotten any of the people he knew on his way up . . . Everybody knows he's a pushover for a touch, but no one knows, least of all Jimmy, how much money he has "lent" to friends and strangers. His house in Beverly Hills and his suite at the Hotel Astor in New York are always filled with people. He keeps irregular hours, goes to bed when other people are bracing themselves against the morning alarm, works prodigiously, is seldom alone . . . His hotel rooms are the meeting place for all his friends and associates. Gag writers, agents, managers, old pals, showfolk of all kinds wander in and out. The little fellow himself paces the rooms restlessly, usually swathed in a blue dressing gown . . . "Gimme lotsa noise," he grins. "I thrive on da stuff." The television set is on, tuned to a fight if there is one . . . Telephones ring constantly, the neon lights from the huge electric •sign across the street blink on and off. He reads detective stories . . . He gives both time and money to benefits, more freely than almost any other actor, and this in a business known for its open hearts and hands . . . Eddie Jackson tells about the time eight of them went to a little Italian restaurant for Jimmy's favorite pizza (he always asks everyone along to meals) . . . As Jimmy passed a table where an Italian workman was seated, Eddie heard him say, "There goes Durante, a king with the heart of a peasant." Known and loved as a simple fellow, completely aboveboard, there is one secret he keeps . . . When he says "Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are," everybody wonders who she is . . . Even those who know won't tell. Fight tooth decay, guard your gums — to keep your Whole Mouth Healthier! Two-way Ipana cleansing* helps protect your teeth and gums both! Are you doing all you should to keep your whole mouth healthier? 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