Born in Ekaterinoslav, Russia August 28, 1905, Sam Levene was a Broadway, film, radio and television actor and director who in a career spanning more than five decades created some of the most legendary comedic roles in American theatrical history. Tony Award®-nominee for Best Actor in a play in 1961 for The Devil's Advocate, Sam Levene was posthumously inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
Recognized as Broadway royalty, Sam Levene was one of Broadway's favorite character actors, with fifty years of playing cops, con men, theatrical types, gamblers and hassled husbands. Sam Levene's celebrated legendary performances include:
- Nathan Detroit, a gambling promoter, in the landmark 1950 original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls.
- Patsy, a professional if not always successful gambler in the 1935 original and longest running Broadway production ever of George Abbott's Three Men On A Horse which had a Broadway run of 835 performances.
- Gordon Miller, the desperate small-time shoestring producer, in the 1937 original Broadway production of Room Service, a farce, directed by George Abbott which ran for 500 performances.
- Al Lewis, the retired vaudevillian in Neil Simon's 1972 original Broadway production of The Sunshine Boys
- Sidney Black, the theatrical producer of a Broadway flop in Moss Hart's original 1948 Broadway production of Light Up The Sky
- Horace Vandergelder opposite Ruth Gordon as Dolly Levi in the premiere 1954 UK production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker.
- Officer Finkelstein, a Jewish policeman searching for the murderer of a Nazi diplomat in Otto Preminger's original 1939 Broadway production of Claire Booth Luce's Margin For Error.
- Veteran theatre producer Oscar Wolfe in the acclaimed 1975 all-star Broadway revival of The Royal Family directed by Ellis Raab in a cast that Clives Barnes said Noel Coward would have called ‘divine.
- Businessman Boss Mangan in the acclaimed 1959 all-star Broadway revival of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House.
- Dr. Aldo Meyer, the kindhearted Jewish doctor, in the 1961 Broadway production of The Devil's Advocate, for which Levene received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Actor in a play.
- Max Kane, a theatrical agent with a dud client in the 1932 original Broadway production of Dinner at Eight written bv Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman.
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| Sam Levene as Al Lewis and Jack Albertson as Willie Clarke, 2 retired vaudevillians, The Sunshine Boys, original 1972 Broadway production |
Sam Levene, Master of Comedy, Drama and Farce
A master of farce and comedy, Sam Levene was a consummate dramatic actor who received greater recognition and critical praise for his comedic expertise and stage timing who routinely receiving critical acclaim, even when the show itself was not top quality. Theatergoers, critics, directors and producers were unanimous about Broadway legend and Tony Award®-nominee Sam Levene’s extraordinary gift as a performer who was equally at home in comedy, farce and drama. Best known for his ability to carry a show, Sam Levene was known for his sharply etched starring performances, including roles in 39 Broadway productions, two major stage productions in the United Kingdom, dozens of National Tours, many of original Broadway productions Levene originated plus hundreds of Summer Stock productions at just about every major United States theatre.
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| Sam Levene Window Cards |
One Of The Great Veteran Actors of The American Stage
Recognized as one of the great veteran actors of the American stage with an innate command of comedic timing and extraordinary stage savvy, Sam Levene earned a niche in American theatrical history by perfecting a certain species of comic hero and for the majority of those appearances routinely received over-the-title star billing on Broadway and theatrical stages in the States and abroad, star billing on television and radio and co-star billing in motion pictures. Sam Levene was equally adept in segueing from comedy to farce to drama to musical comedy to fictionalized biographical assignments portraying infamous gangsters like Larry Faye in The Larry Faye Story on The Untouchables starring Robert Stack and Louis ‘Lepke’ Buchalter, the Jewish Mafia leader, head of Murder, Inc., for David Susskind's CBS anthology, The Witness.
Sam Levene: Starring Roles in Over 250 Stage, Film, Radio, TV Productons
Sam Levene had starring roles in over 250 different productions on stage, radio, television and film. A working actor for his entire 54 year career, Sam Levene was rarely at liberty with a range of projects on stage including Broadway as well as roles in film, television and radio. Sam Levene was a Broadway and Hollywood favorite appearing in a variety of roles, including policemen, servicemen, gamblers, gangsters, newspaper reporters, theatrical producers, businessmen, hassled husbands, actor's agent, dress manufacturer and doctors, even a psychiatrist. Sam Levene was the archetypal New Yorker on stage and screen who shined in creating rough character parts, often playing working class roles with names like Patsy, Dino and Hymie and appeared with who's who of Broadway and Hollywood stars and directors.
Sam Levene's longevity was due in part to his ability to show the amiability and even sweetness beneath the rough hewn tough exteriors of his characters, however bad they may have seemed. Laurence Maslon and Michael Kantor observe “the theater has always embraced certain stars as one of their own, comedians who both ennoble and energize a live event with their presence" and include Sam Levene on a list of Broadway stars along with Beatrice Lillie, Carol Channing, Robert Morse, Zero Mostel and Nathan Lane.
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| Selection Sam Levene Broadway & Touring Playbills and Window Cards from legendary actor's 54 year show business career |
Sam Levene Dedicated to Theater, Performed Over 100 Different Plays & Musicals
Unlike most of his contemporaries who either abandoned performing on stage or did so occasionally, Sam Levene dedicated his entire career to performing on stage. For 54 years, Sam Levene had an active presence on Broadway and on tour; often returning to a role if the producers welcomed him and the show was still running after taking limited time to perform in radio, film or TV.
The Stage Was Sacred To Sam Levene
The stage was sacred to Sam Levene; he loved performing on it, whether on Broadway or the road, it didn't matter. Although Levene achieved great acclaim creating sharply etched roles on stage, film, radio and television, there is no question Levene favored the stage, sanctioning the theatre to a higher level. Levene said "I try to think of the theater as an art form". Levene loved performing on stage; it really didn't matter if he was performing on a Broadway stage or on a stage from one of the many hundreds of theaters Levene had performed on during every decade of his show business career, some of which he played 10 and 12 times over the decades. It really didn't matter. Levene said "an actor without a stage is a bum. If you're a painter or a writer, you can paint or write even if nobody buys or reads. But acting requires an outlet. The outlet is the stage - any stage".
Sam Levene: Theatre is not Glamour; it is Hard Work.
Sam Levene was quick to point out that "theatre is not glamorous; it is hard work, getting a part, getting yourself up for the performance, night after night, keeping your concentration-and when it's over, they forget you". In a 1958 interview with the Kansas City Star, Levene observed "I'm one of the few who believes in schools for young actors. When I was in the dress business I had to go to school to learn to be a cutter. Anyone interested in acting should learn the technical things-how to walk, stand, sit. They also should understand what an actor brings to a part-imagination, humility, great love of work, a sense of humor". Sam Levene pointed out "the desire to act isn't enough, and neither is talent. You have to be able to take the heartaches-the parts you don't get, the plays that open and close the same week. After awhile, you realize, the play isn't the thing-its acting that's important and you have to eat, sleep and live it".
Sam Levene said Acting is Precarious and Insecure Business
Sam Levene said "acting is a precarious and insecure business, that lacks continuity. There's no recipe or magic formula. I can't say do such and such and you'll be a successful. Acting is like any other line of work. You might make a go of it or you might not". Levene also observed "No matter if the play is a hit or not, you are always beginning again. Even if the play lasts two or three years, it eventually closes and you have to get another part, go through another rehearsal period and another opening night". Levene said "first you want a small part, any part. You get that and you want a feature part. When you're featured, you want to be a star and when you're a star, you want to stay one. In this business, you can starve at any level. The theatre is one of the most difficult businesses anyone could choose. Even the money isn't as good as people think".
During Summers when Sam Levene was not performing on Broadway he was an in demand Summer circuit star, often hopping from one production to another, often with just a week's rehearsal, sometimes filming a movie during the day. In a 1975 interview, Sam Levene said the most important thing an actor does is to relate, listen, project, to interpret as the director or author wishes you to. If you're only using memory, you are not playing a part, Everyone has his own method, but it's the digesting of a part that's so important. The listening, the most important thing is for an actor to listen, in order to create a character.
Sam Levene described his dedication to the stage to Associated Press writer William Glover in just eight words, "Hard work, more hard work and hard work" Levene says morosely. Levene says the "only thing that bothers him is no audience". “I can make an audience laugh or cry. I prefer neither-just let me work."
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| The Impossible Years producers David Black & Walter Hyman saluted Sam Levene's 40th Anniversary on Broadway with The New York Times ad |
Sam Levene Directed by Theatrical Giants
In 1976 interview with Tom McMorrow for The New York Daily News, Sam Levene said he has been directed by all the stage greats, including Antonette Perry, Tyrone Guthrie, George Abbott, Jed Harris, Moss Hart, Ellis Raab and Otto Preminger.
Sam Levene said "George Abbott is the greatest comedy director. He taught me to play farce with sincerity. Moss Hart had a great sense of what will work on a stage". Levene said "Ellis Raab was the best", his director for the all star revival of The Royal Family. Levene said "Raab has patience, creativity and an understanding of the actor's problem. George Abbott never had the patience of a Raab. And Jed Harris, he never had the patience of anybody! He was impossible. He ranted and raved and tore his hair out. But Ellis Raab is always cool. He's the opposite of an Otto Preminger, who screams and upsets the actors".
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| Sam Levene as Oscar Wolfe in The Royal Family, all star 1975 Broadway revival directed by Ellis Raab |
When Jerry Zaks directed acclaimed 1992 Guys and Dolls revival, Zaks recognized and respected Sam Levene's greatness. Zaks realized Sam Levene's original 1950 Broadway performance in Guys and Dolls left a permanent indelible stamp on the role of Nathan Detroit. Jerry Zaks understood Nathan Lane's performance as Nathan Detroit should never enter cartoon territory. Actors who perform a Sam Levene role as a cartoon quickly realize that never works. That also applies to actors who play a Sam Levene role just for laughs; play a Sam Levene role just for laughs and audiences and won't be engaged. Even worse, the actor's performance won't be funny.
It happens time and time again when critics review revivals from Levene's original Broadway show resume; invariably revival reviews often compare an actor's performance to Sam Levene's indelible original gold standard performance even decades later. Frequently critics of Sam Levene revivals will reference Sam Levene's classic, legendary performance as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Patsy in Three Men On A Horse, Al Lewis in The Sunshine Boys, Sidney Black in Light Up The Sky, Gordon Miller in Room Service, Oscar Wolfe in The Royal Family, etc., even though most of these Sam Levene performances are not preserved on film.
Frank Rich, then Chief Theatre Critic, The New York Times, like most critics, praised the 1992 Guys and Dolls revival directed by Jerry Zaks stating: “this is an enchanting rebirth of the show that defines Broadway dazzle. However, regarding Nathan Lane's performance as Nathan Detroit, Frank Rich observed “the supremely gifted actor Nathan Lane does not remotely echo the first Nathan Detroit, Sam Levene, for whose New York Jewish cadences the role was written. Mr. Lane is more like a young Jackie Gleason and usually funny in his own right, though expressions like 'all right, already' and 'so nu?' do not fall trippingly from his tongue.”
Los Angeles Times Critic Emeritus Sylvie Drake reviewed the 1993 Guys and Dolls touring production also directed by Jerry Zaks at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre and had a similar observation writing: "The wiry Garrison's Detroit physically harks back more to the 1950 original played by Sam Levene, than to Nathan Lane, who played the role on Broadway last year. But unlike Levene, Garrison doesn't come across down, dirty or gritty. Knowing this actor's talent, one finds his amiable New York gangster surprisingly bloodless and almost genteel.
Sam Levene: 54 year Broadway Presence: 1927-1980
During his entire 54 year show business career, Sam Levene maintained an active Broadway presence from 1927 until 1980, always returning to the stage if a role was there, or took limited time off to do radio, film, TV while performing in the theatre. Sam Levene was dedicated to the theatre and truly loved performing on stages around the world; Levene made a conscious effort to never abandon performing on the stage.
For over five decades Sam Levene was a familiar face to Broadway audiences in a staggering list of 39 Broadway shows, the majority starring roles in the original Broadway production. Most extraordinary, Sam Levene originated the original Broadway performance in 33 original Broadway productions. On Broadway alone Sam Levene performed a staggering 6,214 times in 39 Broadway productions over his 54 year Broadway career, equivalent to performing constantly eight times a week for 15 years, 52 weeks a year.
While not all of Sam Levene's Broadway shows were box office hits, Sam Levene appeared in 18 original Broadway productions that had Broadway runs of over 100 performances; 13 of these productions had Broadway runs of more than 200 performances. Most extraordinary Levene starred in five Broadway shows that he performed over 500 times on Broadway, which he then followed up with additional starring performances on the road. And that doesn't include thousands of performances Sam Levene performed on stages around the world, including 10 major theatrical productions alone at Washington, D.C.'s The National Theatre. A consistent headline performer, Sam Levene appeared on just about every stage in every major American city during his theatrical career.
Producers and theatre owners around the country and Canada knew advertising Sam Levene’s star presence would ensure a strong base of ticket sales by loyal fans that looked forward to seeing Sam Levene in a range of vehicles. After Sam Levene's mega success as Nathan Detroit in the original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls, Levene's star presence and command of the stage was so strong, Levene repeatedly transformed several mediocre Broadway productions that would normally close abruptly into Broadway hits running for several hundred performances, largely due to unanimous critical praise of his stage performances.
Sam Levene Final Broadway Appearance in 54th Year On Broadway
In 1980 Sam Levene made his final Broadway appearance, in the year he passed away, starring in his 39th Broadway show at the John Golden Theatre opposite Esther Rolle in Horowitz & Mrs. Washington, a comedy written by Henry Denker and directed by legendary director Joshua Logan. Unfortunately, the Broadway production closed after 10 previews and 6 performances. However, Sam Levene's star power and comedic performance enabled a six month National Tour of Horowitz and Mrs. Washington co-starring Claudia McNeil, which went on Christmas hiatus on Saturday December 13, 1980, which turned out to be Sam Levene's final stage performance in Canada, just two weeks prior to his December 28, 1980 passing. Although Henry Denker's play Horowitz & Mrs. Washington was flawed, Sam Levene received consistent praise for his starring performance as Samuel Horowitz during the show's post Broadway tour. During a stop at the Pocono Playhouse, Elaine Moran wrote Sam Levene is definitely the star of this show. Samuel Horowitz played by Sam Levene is a Jewish Archie Bunker. Mr. Levene is marvelous as Horowitz and the play belongs to him. He could have laryngitis and still get his message across the the audience with his large piercing eyes and his body gestures. He got a lot of laughs as some members of the stage crew did not get off the stage before the lights were turned on.
Horowitz and Mrs. Washington Sam Levene's final 1980 Broadway show co-starring Esther Rolle
Sam Levene Born in Ekaterinoslav, Russia
Born in Ekaterinoslav, Russia, Sam Levene emigrated with his mother and father to the United States when he was two years old. The youngest of three sisters and one brother, Sam and his family lived on the Lower East Side; until Sam was 12 years old, the family lived on the east side of Avenue D and eighth street. The family's apartment was five floors up, hot in summer, frightfully cold in winter and a halavah factory for a neighbor; Sam Levene recalled the smell was unbearable, and as a result Levene always hated halavah.
Young Sam Levene attended P.S. 64 when it was a junior high school. Young Sam might have also become a cantor, but that was not possible as Sam could not sing. Sam Levene attended Stuyvesant High School and should have been a graduate of its class of 1923 but decided to drop out; ironically young Sam failed to qualify for the high school's dramatic society which was headed by J. Edward Bromberg, who later became a character actor; ironically 27 years later J. Edward Bromberg appeared in the 1950 film noir Guilty Bystander co-starring top billed Sam Levene as Captain Tonetti. The Broadway legend finally received his Stuyvesant High School diploma May 6, 1976 at New York's Princeton Club.
Other notable P.S. 64 Alumni include screenwriter, producer and director Joseph Mankiewicz, who directed the film version of Guys and Dolls. Coincidentally Joseph Mankiewicz wanted original Guys and Dolls Broadway star Sam Levene to reprise the role of Nathan Detroit in the film version but producer Samual Goldwyn insisted on giving the part to Frank Sinatra.
After dropping out of Stuyvesant High School, 18 year old Sam Levene abandoned his plan of attending Columbia Medical School and began working for his brother Joe's dress manufacturing business. Young Sam wanted to become a cracker jack salesman but Sam's brother Joe felt his younger brother needed more poise and polish before he would give him the promotion.
As a result, in 1925 Sam Levene enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts because he wanted "to learn how to walk, to talk and sell himself". One day after about three months at the Academy while Levene was having a lesson, Charles Jehlinger, director of the American Academy thought Sam Levene had the requisite talent to become an actor and after that, Levene thought so too. Sam's determination to desert the dress business incurred the ire of his family and particularly of his brother Joe who thought young Sam was crazy while his father never said anything about Levene’s journey at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Sam Levene's Father Harry Levine Only Saw One of Levene's Broadway Performances
Sam Levene's father, Harry Levine, an orthodox Jewish cantor only saw one of his son's Broadway performances, his legendary comedic performance as Patsy in 1935 original Broadway production of Three Men On A Horse. 30 year old Levene was still living with his parents in 1935 when he asked his father how he liked his performance; Levene's father told the Broadway star “you holler in the house and now you holler on stage, so what's the difference?” Levene's mother, Beth Weiner, saw every one of Sam Levene's early performances.
Sam Levene Stubbornly Proud Jewish Heritage
In Hollywood, where many names are changed to fit the marquise, numerous legendary directors and producers including Cecil B. DeMille tried to persuade Sam to Anglicize his last name. Sam Levene was stubbornly proud of his Jewish heritage and refused all requests by directors and producers who tried to persuade the actor to anglicize his last name, something that occurred frequently early in Levene's career.
Sam Levene Changed Spelling of Name From Sam Levine
Originally known as Sammy Levine and Samuel Levine early in his stage career, Levene changed the "i" to an "e" in his surname to avoid confusion with another actor at Actor's Equity, the theatrical union, who at the time was using the name "Sam Levine" so Sam decided to spell "Levene" phonetically.
Name Puts Kind Of Stamp On Roles Producers Think Actor Can Play
Sam Levene recognized his name "puts a kind of stamp on the kind of roles that producers think the actor can play".
Director Cecil B. DeMille Asked Sam Levene To Change His Name
In 1967 interview with journalist Norton Mockridge for the The World-Telegram, Sam Levene recalled his 1944 audition for the role of Murdock, an Irishman in The Story of Dr. Wassell, the film written and directed by Cecil B. DeMille starring Gary Cooper.
Sam Levene told Norton Mockridge "I lost the role twice!".Levene recalled "ten or eleven other actors auditioned too" and afterwards, DeMille called Levene and said "Of all the actors who auditioned, you're my first choice". Levene replied, "I thanked him and said 'Did I get the part?"“No" said DeMille, who told Levene "I'm sorry but it would disturb me to have an actor named Sam Levene play the role of an Irishman".
Sam Levene asked DeMille: "Did you find anything Jewish in my audition?" to which DeMille replied "No, that's what disturbs me. You were a better Irishman than the Irishman. But I can't give you the part as I just can't see the film credits reading the part of the Irishman played by Sam Levene".Shortly thereafter Levene got another call from DeMille, who told the actor: "I just want you to know that I've let the actor go that I first picked for the role of the Irishman, Murdock, and if your name weren't Sam Levene, I'd have given you the role. Instead I am going to give it to Paul Kelly". Levene said, "you called to tell me that?" "Yes" said DeMille "I thought you'd like to know!,"
Sam Levene told Cecil B. DeMille: when Pat O'Brien changes his, I'll change mine.
Sam Levene facetiously told Cecil B. DeMille, “when actor Pat O'Brien changes his name, I'll change mine."
Sam Levene was one of the few actors who had a Jewish name in the 1930's and 1940's; notably in The Purple Heart, Sam Levene played the role of Lt. Wayne Greenbaum, a level headed, brave New York bred Jewish lawyer who is defender and spokesman for a group of eight aviators brought to trial when they are downed in Japanese held territory; in Crossfire Levene was cast as Samuels, a Jewish civilian who was murdered at the start of the film; in a 1947 personal appearance, Levene said “Crossfire is a powerful denunciation of anti-Semitism and naturally I played the Jew and naturally I was killed."
Cy Feuer, co-producer of the original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls said in a New York Times interview "Sam Levene was the ultimate Jew," referring to the original Nathan Detroit. "It was perfect casting. He created the character by living."
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| Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide and Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit from the 1950 original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls |
Sam Levene got raves for his now legendary performance as Nathan Detroit on Broadway and across the pond in the first UK production of Guys and Dolls. But Hollywood didn't knock on Levene's door for the film version. Sam Levene lost the role of Nathan Detroit to Frank Sinatra. "You can’t have a Jew playing a Jew, it wouldn’t work on screen", producer Samuel Goldwyn argued, explaining he wanted Frank Sinatra rather than Levene — who had originated the role — to play the part of Nathan Detroit in the film version even though film director Joseph L. Mankiewicz wanted to cast Sam Levene.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz said "if there could be one person in the world more miscast as Nathan Detroit than Frank Sinatra that would be Laurence Olivier and I am one of his greatest fans; the role had been written for Sam Levene who was divine in it". Levene will break your heart when you listen to him sing 'All right, already, I’m just a no-goodnick . . .' on the original Guys and Dolls cast recording of 'Sue Me'".
Fordham Professor of Music Larry Stempel, author of Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater, said if given a choice, he would cast Sam Levene, who created the role on Broadway, as the ideal Nathan Detroit instead of Nathan Lane, who played the part in the Broadway revival or Frank Sinatra, who played the part on film, stating "Musically, he may have been tone-deaf, but he inhabited Frank Loesser’s world as a character more than a caricature."
Unanimous raves greeted Sam Levene for his portrayal of the skeptical but good-hearted Jewish doctor, Dr. Aldo Mayer, in the 1961 Broadway production of The Devil's Advocate. In a review of The Devil's Advocate for the New York Herald Tribune, theatre critic Walter Kerr wrote "Mr. Levene is genial true. As a Jewish doctor who must forever feel himself an outsider in the Catholic Italian hills...Sam Levene is superb in a role of many colors and nothing is more helpful than the tension of his unyielding integrity. There is bite as well as bravura elsewhere." In a 1967 interview with Theatre Critic William Glover of the Associated Press, Sam Levene said "the Jews I’ve played sometimes may have been similar but they were never schmaltzy; regarding the roles I’ve done, I’ve tried very carefully to define humor even if there was none.”
1927 Broadway Debut in Wall Street earning $15. Weekly Salary in Role of District Attorney
Sam Levene made his Broadway debut April 20, 1927 in the role of District Attorney in Wall Street, a melodrama, at Broadway's Hudson Theatre earning $15. a week. Before making his 1927 Broadway debut, Sam Levene was fortuitously hired by George Abbott for a role in the road company of Abbott’s Broadway hit comedy Broadway, which Levene played in California in 1926.
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| Sam Levene Actor's Equity Contract for $15 salary for Broadway debut in 1927 Wall Street |
Sam Levene Relished Every One of His 5 Lines in 1927 Broadway melodrama Wall Street
Decades later Sam Levene recalled he relished every one of his five lines in the three act Broadway debut play that lasted a mere 21 performances. Although Wall Street lasted three weeks, Sam Levene's Broadway career spanned 54 years. When Sam Levene began his 1927 Broadway career at the Hudson Theatre in Wall Street, there were eighty theaters on Broadway. In a Newsweek Magazine interview, December 17, 1962, Sam Levene said when I got in the theatre, I thought it was the most wonderful thing in the world. This is my life. This is where I'll die.
5 Years Broadway Flops Transformed Into 54 Year Broadway Career
Sam Levene's Broadway career began with five years of steady employment in nondescript roles in ten Broadway plays, including a successive series of Broadway flops. One of those flops was a 1929 Broadway play titled Solitaire about a Coney Island midget that ran for only four performances at the demolished Waldorf Theatre, partially financed with $500. last minute investment from Sam Levene's older brother Joe Levine.
Before coaxing his brother to invest in Solitaire, Sam Levene appeared in Jarnegan, the 1928 play that launched the Broadway debut of Joan Bennett, that ran 126 performances at Broadway's Longacre Theatre, opening September 24, 1928. Two months into the Broadway run of Jarnegan, Sam Levene left the show to appear as a Telephone Troublemaker in Tin Pan Alley, a three act Broadway show starring Claudette Colbert which did not run longer than the Broadway run of Jarnegan, clocking in with a Broadway run of only 69 performances. In 1929 Levene performed the role of Isadore Lipwitz in Headquarters 15 times at Broadway's Forrest Theatre which opened December 4, 1929.
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| Sam Levene was Telephone Troublemaker in Tin Pan Alley, a three act Broadway show starring Claudette Colbert |
A few months later, Sam Levene performed the role of Rosso for only 8 performances in This Man’s Town starring Constance Cummings at Broadway's Ritz Theatre, a play produced by George Jessel before stepping into the role of Forrest in the long-running mega hit Broadway play Street Scene by Elmer Rice at Broadway's Playhouse Theatre, a Broadway stage that Levene performed on four different times during his career, including two other long runs, Three Men On A Horse which a had a mega run of 835 performances and The Impossible Years which Levene performed for nearly a year on Broadway before headlining and directing the first US National tour.
Sam Levene Had Steady Employment on Broadway During 1930's
During the 1930's, Sam Levene had steady employment in numerous original Broadway shows produced by several theatrical legends, including four huge Broadway hits, and a few failures. In 1930, Levene had a 72 performance run in the Broadway comedy The Up and Up in the role of Solly at the Biltmore Theatre and in 1931 Sam Levene was seen by Broadway audiences for three weeks at the Avon Theatre as Cooper, a dumb detective, in Three Times the Hour at the Avon Theatre co-directed by the legendary Antoinette Perry and Brock Pemberton, followed by a four week run in Wonder Boy. In November 1930, Brock Pemberton also directed Sam Levene in Made in Hollywood at Pittsburgh's Nixon Theatre.
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| Dinner At Eight Playbill from 1932 original Broadway production at the Music Box Theatre |
Sam Levene's Broadway struggle ended in 1932 when he landed comedic role of Max Kane, a theatrical agent with a dud client in a bona-fide hit produced by Sam H. Harris in original Broadway production of George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's Dinner at Eight which ran for 232 performances at the Music Box Theatre, directed by co-author George S. Kaufman. Subsequent to the Broadway run, Sam Levene performed the same role in the Dinner At Eight National Tour. The cast also included Cesar Romero and Constance Collier.
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| Dinner At Eight caricature with Sam Levene from 1932 original Broadway production |
Renowned Broadway producer Guthrie McClintic employed Sam Levene in the role as Busch in the important 1934 drama, Yellow Jack, a role Levene reprised in the film version. In 1934 Max Gordon employed Sam Levene for a 40 performance stint in Spring Song which opened at Broadway's Morosco Theatre October 1, 1934. Sam Levene recalled for a short time in 1934 he was in two Broadway shows at the same time; performing in the first act of comedy Geraniums In My Window at the Longacre Theatre and the last two acts of Spring Song.
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| 2 pages from Sam Levene's Margin For Error Playbill scrapbook with telegrams, clippings, William Auerbach-Levy caricature & Clifford Odets note. |
Sam Levene Received Unanimous Praise Claire Booth Luce's Broadway play Margin For Error
Sam Levene received unanimous praise as Officer Finkelstein in the original 1939 Broadway production of Claire Booth Luce's satirical melodrama Margin For Area directed by Otto Preminger which opened, November 3, 1939 at the Plymouth Theatre running for 264 performances.
The Associated Press review headline stated: Woman Writes Stages First Anti-Nazi Hit. Sam Levene received critical praise for his performance as Officer Finkelstein. The AP review stated "It is Patrolman Finkelstein played to the hilt of his nightstick by Sam Levene from whom flows some of the most devastating quips Broadway has heard without bitterness, but with sarcasm that is somehow warmly human. Finkelstein proceeds to demolish Nazism as he solves the crime. They are verbal pyrotechnics of a high order in Miss Booth’s best writing to date".
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| Bert Lytell as Dr. Jennings & Sam Levene (right) as Officer Finkelstein in original 1939 Broadway production Margin For Error |
Sam Levene Had 4 Years Steady Employment Performing Role of Nathan Detroit
Cy Feuer and Ernst Martin were co-producers of the original Broadway 1950 production of Guys and Dolls which gave Sam Levene international stardom, acclaim and four years of steady employment in the States and United Kingdom.
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| Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit in the original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls |
Sam Levene Performed Role of Nathan Detroit Over 2,000 Times
Sam Levene performed the role of Nathan Detroit, the craps-shooter extraordinaire, over 2,000 times, first in the 1950 original and seminal and longest running Broadway production of Guys and Dolls, a role Sam Levene performed for over two years on Broadway plus the original five week Philadelphia try-out at the Shubert and Erlanger Theatres.
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| Guys and Dolls 1955 first Las Vegas production was first Broadway musical ever transferred & performed on the strip |
Sam Levene Reprised Role of Nathan Detroit in First UK & Las Vegas Productions
Subsequently Sam Levene reprised the role of Nathan Detroit in the first UK production of the musical in 1953 and also in the first 1955 Las Vegas production, a scaled down 90 minute production that Levene performed twice a day seven days a week, the first time a Broadway musical was performed on the strip. For reference, the actors in the first Las Vegas production performed 14 shows a week vs. 8 performances a week on Broadway.
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| Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit in original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls |
Sam Levene Became Broadway Star Seven Years After 1927 Broadway Debut
Seven years after making his 1927 Broadway debut, Sam Levene was recognized as a Broadway star when Alex Yokel hired Sam Levene to originate the now classic role of Patsy, the leader of the bar room turf, in Levene's 16th Broadway play, a professional if not always successful gambler in the 1935 original and longest running Broadway production ever of George Abbott's farce, Three Men On A Horse.
Brooks Atkinson, Drama Critic, The New York Times lauded Three Men On A Horse and Sam Levene's starring performance as Patsy in his January 31, 1935 review of the opening night performance. Brooks Atkinson observed "To be completely enjoyable, a comedy should be spontaneous, Three Men On A Horse has its labored moments when the two jokes are rubbed bare, and the strain on the acting is apparent, but most of it is shrewd and jocular horseplay with Sam Levene, giving a dynamic performance as the most feverish of the feed buyers, and William Lynn, fainting in comic coils as the pony soothsayer."
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| Playbill cover 1935 original Broadway production Three Men on a Horse at The Playhouse Theater starring Teddy Hart, Sam Levene and Shirley Booth. |
The original Broadway production of Three Men On A Horse made Sam Levene a Broadway star, and he began a long and memorable career playing Patsy like characters. He was the master at portraying, lovable gamblers, small-time crooks, and similar low-lifes, perhaps most memorably Nathan Detroit in the original Guys and Dolls. The production was a massive hit running for a then record 835 performances which temporarily held a long-run record for a non-musical Broadway play. Warner Brothers Studios bought the movie rights to the Broadway play and also provided the money to mount it on Broadway.
Ironically, Sam Levene recalled the cast felt Three Men On A Horse would run a week when the cast was rehearsing the farce, three weeks while performing the show during its tryout at Washington D.C's National Theatre, and a fair run after opening night on Broadway. Three Men On A Horse was so popular that at one time there were three simultaneous road companies and a London production, even a Milton Bradley board game!
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| Sam Levene transformed his 1937 Room Service Playbill into Broadway scrapbook featuring his Equity Contract, Broadway reviews, caricature, photographs, telegrams & correspondence from MGM & George Abbott. |
Sam Levene Starred in 2 George Abbott Back To Back Smash Broadway Hits
After starring as Patsy in George Abbott's original 1935 Broadway production of Three Men On A Horse which ran for 835 performances, Sam Levene had back to back Broadway smash hit success when legendary director, author and producer George Abbott cast Levene in the starring role as Gordon Miller, the shoestring producer in the original Broadway production of the farce, Room Service which opened May 19, 1937 at the Cort Theatre by then unknown playwrights John P. Murray and Allen Boretz which had a long-run of 500 performances.
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| Ralph Morehouse, left, Sam Levene as Gordon Miller, center & Donald MacBride in 1937 original Broadway production Room Service |
Levene's Room Service Contract Stipulated Increased Salary Contingent on Gross Box Office
Right before Room Service opened on Broadway, Sam Levene was paid $1,000. a week for the 1936 film Three Men On A Horse, recreating his original Broadway performance as Patsy. While Broadway never paid as well as Hollywood, Sam Levene's 1937 Room Service contract stipulated he would earn a larger salary contingent upon weekly gross box office. Sam Levene's 1937 Room Service Broadway contract stipulated if the box office gross was equal or exceeds $6,000, Levene's salary would increase by $100; if the receipts equal or exceed $8,500, Levene's weekly salary would increase by $200, and if box office receipts were equal or greater than $10,000., Levene would receive +$300. in addition to his weekly base salary. |
| Sam Levene's Room Service contract called for sliding scale salary contingent upon box office gross. |
Legendary Drama Critic Brooks Atkinson authored critical analysis of George Abbott's latest Broadway hit Room Service in the Sunday edition of The New York Times, May 30, 1937. Just as everyone was mentally closing the season and planning the annual villeggiatura, George Abbott put on Room Service. This is an item worth a little discussion at this languid time of the theatrical year....It is also further proof of an extraordinary talent in comic versatility. Mr. Abbott has produced "Boy Meets Girl”and "Brother Rat", which have been convulsing audiences in this laugh-starved bailiwick for a long time; he directed "Three Men On A Horse” which became a national institution and made many friends in London, and he has been up to his ears in fooling for years.”
Brooks Atkinson lauded Sam Levene's original 1937 Broadway performance in Room Service
Brooks Atkinson observed ”As an actor Mr. Abbott's choice in actor's is infallible and he treats them like follow-craftsmen.....Sam Levene who won his spurs in Three Men On A Horse, fairly leans on the comedy; his anxiety during the crises is a physical burden and mental torment. In the pauses as well as in the moments of action he gives himself completely to the succession of alarms that pursue him.“
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| Brooks Atkinson "STAGE LUNACY; ' Room Service' as Further Evidence George Abbott's Mastery of Fooling", The New York Times, May 30, 1937 |
In 1948 Sam Levene originated role of Sidney Black, the theatrical producer, based on legendary theatrical producer Billy Rose, in Moss Hart's original Broadway production of Light Up The Sky. Sam Levene also starred and directed the first National Company of Light Up The Sky before reprising the role of Sidney Black in Ford Theatre's TV production of the same name on CBS TV.
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| Sam Levene as Sidney Black, theatrical producer based on legendary producer Billy Rose, 1948 original Broadway production Light Up The Sky |
Sam Levene made his second appearance across the pond when he originated the role of Horace Vandergelder, the crotchety merchant of Yonkers in the 1954 premiere UK production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker opposite Ruth Gordon as Dolly Levi, a play that became the basis for the musical Hello Dolly.
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| Sam Levene as Horace Vandergelder and Ruth Gordon as Dolly Levi in first UK production 1954 Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker |
Sam Levene starred as Lou Winkler, a businessman in the original Broadway production of Fair Game, 1957 comedy by Sam Locke that Larry Gelbart solely attributed its Broadway run of 217 performances due to the extraordinary performance and star box office power of Sam Levene.
Fair Game co-starred Ellen McCrae in her Broadway debut; McCrae and would later change her name to Ellen Burstyn. Ms. Burstyn fondly recalls her co-starring role enabled her to get her first Equity card.
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| Sam Levene on Playbill Cover Fair Game, 1957 Broadway comedy whose 217 performance run due to Levene's star performance |
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| Ellen McCrae, now known as Ellen Burstyn & Sam Levene in Fair Game, 1957 Broadway comedy by Sam Locke |
Sam Levene's critically received starring performance as Sid Gray enabled Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore to get an even longer run of 308 performances for their three act Broadway comedy Make A Million, a run so successful, it surprised the co-authors. The co-authors originally wrote Make A Million for Sam Levene who was initially unavailable and turned the project down, never reading the script. At one point Jackie Gleason agreed to star but withdrew when he got a high paying offer to headline his CBS variety show. When Jackie Gleason became unavailable, Sam Levene was suddenly available; Levene finally read the script and agreed to do the three act comedy which he later headlined and directed when the play launched its National Tour. Make A Million was performed at two Broadway theaters, initially the Playhouse Theatre until April 11, 1959 subsequently transferring to Broadway’s Morosco Theatre until closing July 11, 1959.
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| Sam Levene as Sid Gray on Make A Million Playbill Cover, The Playhouse Theatre |
Make A Million was not well received, mostly receiving pans and mixed reviews, but Sam Levene’s star performance got a lot of attention and was critical to the show’s healthy Broadway run of 308 performances.
Chief Theatre Critic Walter Kerr’s reviewed the original Broadway production of Make A Million for The New York Herald Tribune stating this is not so much a review as a confession. I spent a good deal of last evening laughing at a very bad play. Robert Coleman, Theatre Critic, The Daily Mirror wrote Sam Levene can boot home a show like Acaro and Willie Shoemaker do horses. The only trouble is the latter are usually on good mounts while Sam has recently been drawing only fair to middling entrees. Still he gives them a heck of a ride. Take Make a Million, for instance which premiered at the Playhouse last night. It's an old fashioned, frantic farce. But with Sam in the saddle, there were moments when it was in contention.....If you want to see a great comedian in action are willing to overlook his vehicle, you might visit the Playhouse, Now don't get us wrong. Make a Million is unabashed hokum, innocent of true characterization, as lush with corn as Iowas’s acres, but it sports the colors of the one and only Sam Levene.
Lewis Funke, Chief Theatre Critic The New York Times wasn’t a fan of the show either, writing Sam Levene is still is one of the funniest men on Broadway. With those goggle eyes, those flailing arms, expressive hands, that gravely voice that undertone of skepticism and dismay he can give a twist of humor to some of the plainest lines even make them sound hilarious. One of these seasons he will find a comedy or farce that will match his talents and then we had all better look to our sides.
The New York Theatre Critics collectively agreed to a press agents dream, an unprecedented New York Times ad raving about Broadway star Sam Levene's performance with the headline: "Sam You Made Us Laugh Out Loud" agreed New York theatre critics: Fred Aston, World Telegram, Robert Coleman, The Daily Mirror, Walter Kerr, New York Herald Tribune, John McClain, Journal-American, Charles McHarry, The New York Daily News, Richard Watts, Jr., The New York Post. Leveraging Sam Levene's stellar critical notices worked; Make A Million ran 308 performances, an extraordinary run for a mediocre comedy that would no doubt flop today. The 1950's quiz show scandal short-circuited the possibility of adapting Make A Million for film or TV.
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| Make A Million Advertisement Featuring Sam Levene's Stellar Critical Reviews |
Make A Million was so successful Jack Benny said he would enjoy performing Make A Million for a month in summer stock. Jack Benny said I’d like a play, such as ‘Make a Million,’ which Sam Levene did on Broadway. Sam and I don’t think alike and our delivery is different, yet almost all of his comedies would be good for me without changing a word.
Sam Levene's star power resulted in box office magic when the legendary actor originated the starring role as Morris Seidman in the 1962 drama Seidman and Son. Seidman & Son had a 216 performance run at Broadway's Belasco Theatre prior to Levene headlining and directing the national company. Legendary newspaper columnist Leonard Lyons reported that Seidman & Son brought in a $300,000 advance due to the giant talents of Sam Levene.
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| Sam Levene as Al Lewis & Jack Albertson as Willie Clarke in Neil Simon's original 1972 Broadway production of The Sunshine Boys |
Sam Levene originated role of Al Lewis, original Broadway production Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys. In 1972 Sam Levene originated the starring role of Al Lewis, the retired vaudevillian opposite Jack Albertson as Willie Clark in the original, landmark Broadway production of The Sunshine Boys, Neil Simon’s beloved salute to vaudevillians.
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| Jack Albertson & Sam Levene in The Sunshine Boys, original Broadway production Window Card |
Sam Levene performed the role of Al Lewis 466 times on Broadway, first with Jack Albertson from December 20, 1972 through October 28, 1974 and later opposite Jack Gilford from October 30, 1974 until February 10, 1974. Sam Levene also reprised the role of Al Lewis in the first US National Tour co-starring Jack Albertson as Willie Clark and later played the role of Willie Clark opposite Ned Glass as Al Lewis in Cleveland and Chicago.
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| Personal and Unofficial Letter and Jury Duty Summons sent Mr. Al Lewis c/o Sam Levene in The Sunshine Boys at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre Former New York County Clerk, Norman Goodman and his wife attended the February 19, 1973 performance of The Sunshine Boys starring Sam Levene and Jack Albertson and apparently liked Sam Levene's performance so much Mr. Goodman sent a February 20, 1973 personal and unofficial letter with a jury duty summons to Mr. Al Lewis c/o Sam Levene at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre acknowledging Al Lewis' statement that he no longer receives even a jury duty notice.
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| Sam Levene publicity photo as Patsy in 1936 MGM film, Three Men On A Horse |
Not A Singer Sam Levene Starred in 5 Musicals, 3 on Broadway!
Not a singer, Sam Levene starred in 5 musicals, the most important, his legendary role as Nathan Detroit, a part written and crafted for him by Abe Burrows in the original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls, a role Sam Levene reprised and originated in the first UK production and the first Las Vegas production. Sam Levene also had starring roles in the original Broadway musical production of Cafe Crown co-starring Theodore Bikel and Let It Ride co-starring George Gobel.
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| Not a singer Sam Levene starred in five musicals, including three original Broadway productions! |
Sam Levene Reprised Role of Patsy 25 Years After Originating Role in 1961 Let It Ride Musical
A quarter of century after originating the role of Patsy, Sam Levene recreated the role of Patsy in
Let It Ride, a 1961 musical adaptation of Levene's Broadway and film hit Three Men On A Horse, co-starring George Gobel produced by Joel Spector. R.C.A. Victor Records, a division of R.C.A. made an angel investment of more than $100,000 in the 1961 Broadway musical production of Let It Ride to secure the recording rights of the original cast album starring George Gobel and Sam Levene. Unfortunately, the musical had a run of only 69 performances.
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| Producer Joel Spector hired Sam Levene to star in 2 original Broadway productions including 1961 musical Let It Ride |
Sam Levene co-starred with Robert Preston in The Prince Of Grand Street, which closed out of town during its 1978 pre-Broadway engagement. Sam Levene also headlined a touring musical production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum which broke box office records at Mineola, New York so that the producers extended his starring engagement run in the role originated on Broadway by his life-long friend Zero Mostel.
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| Heartbreak House Window Card, all star Broadway revival starring Sam Levene |
Sam Levene starred in three all star Broadway revivals, the first all star revival was the actor's lauded 1959 performance as Boss Mangan in Maurice Evans' production of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House which had a strictly limited Broadway run of 14 weeks.
According to The New York Times, James Joseph Myers, a retired Con Edison guard, thinks nothing of seeing a Broadway show more than once. “Generally the shows's the thing with Mr. Myers, but sometimes he will take in a performance because of his interest in a star. Myers saw Heartbreak House four times because of his admiration for Sam Levene. I remember him when he was a detective in films he said with a nostalgic twinkle in his eyes. He was a rough guy at that time but he has gotten a little older.”
Sam Levene received first place over the title star billing as Patsy, in 1969 all-star Broadway revival of Three Men On A Horse, a role the legendary Broadway star originated in the 1935 original Broadway production and performed on film and radio and numerous tours and stages over four decades. Clive Barnes, drama critic The New York Times, gave a favorable review to the all star revival stating Three Men on a Horse' Revived; All-Star Cast Excels in Betting Tale; Clive Barnes lauded Sam Levene's performance as Patsy writing "Sam Levene originated the role of Patsy in 1935-by now it's his. Still looking like a man whose eyes have been allocated the wrong size eyelids, still mugging, double-taking, offering his celebrated impersonation of an actor impersonating a character who had based himself on Damon Runyon, Mr. Levene is great. No one in the world plays Mr. Levene as he does, and what's more, no one ever will."
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| Sam Levene reprised 1935 original Broadway starring performance as Patsy in 1969 all star Broadway revival of Three Men on A Horse |
Although Sam Levene received positive critical acclaim reprising the role of Patsy, the 1969 all star revival didn't have the same Broadway run or success as Levene's 1935 original Broadway production. Box office sales were affected because two days after Three Men On A Horse opened, the all star revival of The Front Page starring Henry Fonda, Robert Ryan and Helen Hayes reopened, running 158 performances. Sadly Three Men On A Horse had an abbreviated run of 104 performances co-starring Jack Gilford in the role of Erwin vs. 835 performances for the original 1935 Broadway production. Directed by George Abbott, the 1969 all star Broadway revival of Three Men On A Horse also starred Dorothy Loudon as Mabel, Hal Linden, Rosemary Prinz, Butterfly McQueen and Paul Ford.
Sam Levene reprised the role of Patsy for three decades on stage, film, radio, TV and on tour, For three decades Sam Levene reprised his original Broadway role as Patsy from Three Men On A Horse numerous times on stage, film, TV and radio; the first time when he made his motion picture debut in the 1936 film, Three Men On A Horse directed by Mervyn LeRoy; three times on radio, two USO tours playing 200 shows to 120,000 servicemen, the first legitimate U.S. theatrical production mounted overseas. Due to security, the USO cast was reduced from 12 to 7 without losing a minute of running dialogue. According to a May 26, 1945 Billboard interview, Sam Levene said, "the G.I.s' gratefulness is absolutely embarrassing. They express it not only by applause but by meeting you personally and giving you objects which they have fought and bled for. They lose sight of the fact that they are the ones fighting the war."
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| The Royal Family Window Card, all star 1975 Broadway revival starring Rosemary Harris, George Grizzard, Eva LeGallienne & Sam Levene |
Sam Levene received critical acclaim in the role of Oscar Wolfe in the now legendary all star 1975 Broadway revival of The Royal Family which co-starred Eva LeGallienne, Rosemary Harris and George Grizzard that opened at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre. George Grizzard was replaced by Director Ellis Rabb shortly after the all-star revival opened. The New York Times Drama Critic Clive Barnes observed The Royal Family is an old comedy that has come up as fresh as a newly minted Bicentennial quarter—better, because it has real silver in it. Eva LeGallienne Rosemary Harris, Ellis Rabb and Sam Levene are just four of its many. gems.
Al Pacino, wow, that's an entrance, recalling Sam Levene's performance in 1975 all star Broadway revival of The Royal Family. Sam Levene’s entrance as Oscar Wolfe in the 1975 all star Broadway revival of The Royal Family made an indelible impression on young Al Pacino when he was 35. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Al Pacino recalls with extraordinary clarity how Sam Levene’s Broadway entrance in The Royal Family affected him when he watched the legendary star in the 1975 Broadway production of The Royal Family starring Eva LeGallienne, Rosemary Harris, Ellis Raab and Sam Levene.
Al Pacino: "Remember the great actor Sam Levene."
"I was watching "The Royal Family" once in the theatre. Sam Levene comes in, and just opens the doors and comes in. And I was a young actor and I thought Wow...."
"As soon as I saw that. I said wow that's an entrance."
Charlie Rose: "That's an entrance".
Al Pacino: "It wasn't an entrance it was something else. It was a gift. It was something else. He was opening the doors to something spectacular with light in it and adding everything and energy and joy and you know what it was?"
"He's done it for 50 years that's a big thing"
Sam Levene's done it for 50 years, that's a big thing, Al Pacino recalling Levene's celebrated performance as Oscar Wolfe in 1975 revival of The Royal Family
UPI arts editor Glenne Currie reviewed the Broadway revival of The Royal Family which opened December 30, 1975, writing "Sam Levene is magnificent as the aging agent, and is the only cast member who manages to make the sentimentality affecting, when he learns Fanny is too ill ever to act again.”
Nathan Lane said 1975 all star revival The Royal Family favorite theatre-going experience
Two time Tony Award® winner Nathan Lane said watching the 1975 Broadway revival of The Royal Family was one of his favorite theatre-going experiences. “Well, Rosemary Harris in everything, but she was particularly brilliant in what may be the greatest evening of theater I have ever had. So was Ellis Rabb as Tony, Sam Levene as Oscar Wolfe, Eva LeGallienne as Fanny Cavendish, Joseph Maher and Mary Louise Wilson. It was theatrical heaven. At the end of the second act Rosemary had this incredible speech which ended in her collapsing in the fastest pratfall I have ever seen and then leaping up realizing she would be late for her half-hour. She stopped the show.”
Producer Joseph M. Hymen employed Sam Levene twice, the first time when the legendary Broadway star was cast in the role of Sidney Black in the original Broadway production of Moss Hart's Light Up the Sky which ran for 214 performances; Joe Hymen also produced the subsequent 1949 national tour which Levene directed; nine years later Sam Levene starred in the 1957 comedy Fair Game, a Broadway play produced by Joseph M. Hymen that became a Broadway hit running for 217 performances solely on the basis of Sam Levene's star performance and ability to sell Broadway tickets.
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| Fair Game Window Card, 1957 Broadway comedy hit due to Sam Levene's box office power |
Broadway producer Joel Spector hired Levene twice, the first time, Sam Levene transformed a critical flop into a bona fide Broadway smash hit solely on the basis of his star performance as a television producer in Make a Million, a 1958 Broadway comedy staged by Jerome Chodorov that solely ran for 308 performances due to Levene's critical acclaim and box office prowess to sell Broadway tickets; Joel Spector also produced the national tour of Make a Million starring and directed by Sam Levene.
Three years later, Joel Spector cast Sam Levene as Patsy and George Gobel as Erwin in starring roles in the original 1961 Broadway musical Let It Ride which only had a run of 69 performances.
Sam Levene was the only American actor in company of UK legends when actor and producer Maurice Evans cast Sam Levene as businessman Boss Mangan in George Bernard Shaw's 1959 all star Broadway revival of Heartbreak House which had a strictly limited Broadway run of 14 weeks along with a six week pre-Broadway try-out in Washington, DC, Boston and Philadelphia.
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| Sam Norkin caricature starring Sam Levene in Shaw's Heartbreak House all star Broadway revival |
In an interview with Ward Morehouse, Sam Levene said he had never played Shakespeare, or Sophocles, or Ibsen. It might even be said that he is a classic example of the non-classical. So it is surprising, not to say startling, to learn that Sam will be seen this coming season in Bernard Shaw’s “Heartbreak House”. Sam will play the role of the capitalistic Boss Mangan, co-starred along wit Maurice Evans, Pamela Brown and Diane Cilento. He's now mildly terrified by the whole project. “I don’t know what I’m doing in it with all those Englishmen in there,” he said fretfully, eyes wide with apprehension. But I guess it’s time I got acquainted with some of the world’s best plays. It’ll be okay if I get away with it Otherwise, I’ll fall on my face and you guy’s might begin thinking—and talking. I’ve seen some of the Shaw plays—l get around— but I’d read practically nothing of his until I read ‘Heartbreak House.’ Still a Worrier “I hope I won’t embarrass myself. I’m still a worrier. Now that I’m older I worry more. You critic fellows have built me up so. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad notice."
In 1961, Sam Levene's long-time friend and former head of RKO Studios, Dore Schary, cast Sam Levene in the role of Dr. Aldo Meyer in The Devil's Advocate, a role that earned Sam Levene 1961 Tony Award® nomination for Best Actor in a Play.
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| Sam Levene in Seidman and Son Window Card, 1962 original Broadway production |
In 1962, producer Joel W. Schenker hired Sam Levene for the starring role of Morris Seidman in the original Broadway production and subsequent first National Tour of Seidman and Son which Levene also directed. Drama & Film critic Jay Carmody reviewed the National Tour production of "Seidman & Son" at the National Theatre, Washington, DC, observing author Elick Moll was able to get a two season run of "Seidman & Son" in New York and a chance for Sam Levene to reaffirm that there is no other comedian really like him. Carmody observed The most interesting thing about the two hours is that Mr.Levene takes the theatergoer on the complete tour of the dilemmas that have made most other playwrights furious or miserable. These include loneliness, lack of communication between parents and children, labor management relations, the housing shortage, the loss of zest in marriage, and even how not to sow the last few wild oats a middle-aged man usually finds in his pocket...Smartly, and generously, Director-Star Levene keeps “Seidman and Son” from looking like a one-character play. He is almost never off-stage and al ways the funniest presence on it.
18 years later Joel Schenker hired Sam Levene to star in the Broadway production of Horowitz and Mrs. Washington opposite TV star Esther Rolle, which turned out to be Sam Levene's final Broadway role in his 54th year as a working actor on Broadway.
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| David Merrick presented Sam Levene and Ruth Gordon in the 1960 Broadway production of The Good Soup captured by Sam Norkin |
Theatre legend David Merrick cast Sam Levene three times; Sam Levene created the legendary role of Horace Vandergelder opposite Ruth Gordon as Dolly Levi in the premiere UK production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, a role Levene performed 274 times in London's West End directed by Tyrone Guthrie. David Merrick later cast Levene in two Broadway productions considered flops, each directed by Garson Kanin and co-starring Kanin's wife Ruth Gordon, in the 1960 production of The Good Soup which ran for 21 performances and Dreyfus In Rehearsal which closed after 15.
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| Sam Norkin caricature announcing Sam Levene as Dr. Sidney Kingsley, replacing Alan King in Broadway hit The Impossible Years |
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| Sam Levene on Playbill Cover The Impossible Years at Broadway's Playhouse Theatre |
Due to Sam Levene's box office draw and star power, ticket sales for the Broadway production of The Impossible Years, a very average comedy written by Arthur Marx, son of Groucho Marx, remained strong after Sam Levene replaced TV comedian Alan King in the original 1966 Broadway production. Sam Levene performed The Impossible Years 322 times on Broadway prior to starring and directing in a one year national tour of the hit comedy.
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| Sam Levene on cover Broadway Souvenir Book in The Impossible Years |
Sam Levene was Al Lewis in 1972 original Broadway production Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys
Six years later Azenberg and Wolsk were lead producers when Sam Levene was cast as Al Lewis opposite Jack Albertson as Willie Clark to co-star in Neil Simon's original 1972 Broadway production of The Sunshine Boys; after performing the role of Al Lewis 466 times in the original Broadway production, Levene and Albertson headlined the subsequent national tour. In his December 21, 1972 review of the original Broadway production of The Sunshine Boys in The New York Times, Theatre critic Clive Barnes said “Jack Albertson as the heart stricken comic never puts a line wrong. He is always pathetic but never enough to make you cry. Lovely. His acerbic partner, Sam Levene, is as tough as vintage chewing gum.”
Sam Levene’s Observations as Director
In an 1967 interview with E.B. Radcliffe, Sam Levene said that he figures a major reason for his success as a director stems from the his ability to forget about his problems as an actor when he functions as a director getting the play ready. When I am blocking out a scene or plotting a specific piece of business I forget all about my problems as an actor and think only of the various characters I am directing on stage. As a director, I can't afford to pay favorites, not even for myself. Later when I feel that the scene is working right I can think about the nuances of my own performance. If the director is any good, the part should play itself.
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| Sam Levene Window Card The Impossible Years National Tour Morris A Mechanic Theatre |
Sam Levene Starred and Directed Numerous National Tours
When not performing on film or Broadway, Sam Levene headlined numerous National Tours of major stage productions, many he had originated on Broadway; many of these National Tours Levene also starred and directed. Sam Levene directed numerous National Tours, including first National Tours of Light Up The Sky, The Impossible Years, Fair Game, Make A Million, Don't Drink The Water, Seidman & Son and numerous productions of Three Men On A Horse. Other noteworthy National Tours include Sam Levene and Jack Albertson starring in first National Tour of The Sunshine Boys, the two legendary stars recreated their original Broadway performances as Al Lewis and Willie Clark which included stops at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto and the Shubert Theatre, California. Sam Levene also starred as in the first National Tour of The Royal Family all-star Broadway revival reprising his original Broadway performance as Oscar Wolfe co-starring Eva LeGallienne as Fanny Cavendish.
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| The Royal Family National Tour Window Card starring Sam Levene & Eva LeGallienne |
Sam Levene Demonstrated Age Doesn't Matter Reprising Numerous Broadway Performances
Remarkably Sam Levene had an uncanny ability to reprise several of his original Broadway performances long after he first created the respective role, demonstrating age didn't matter. Thirty-five years after Sam Levene first originated the role of Patsy in the original Broadway production of the 1935 Broadway production of Three Men On A Horse, Sam Levene reprised his sharply etched comedic portrayal performance as Patsy in a 1969 pre-Broadway Summer Stock tour of Three Men On A Horse in a production co-produced by Ken Gaston, Leonard Goldberg and Budd Filippo; the summer stock tour alternated Bert Parks and Tom Poston as co-star in the role of Erwin. Fun fact, Abe Vigoda was cast as Mr. Carver in the 1969 stock production of Three Men On A Horse directed by Sam Levene long before Abe Vigoda became a household name on Barney Miller.
Sam Levene agreed to star and direct the well-received 1969 Summer Stock tour of Three Men On A Horse, with the understanding he would star and direct the all-star Broadway revival. However, Sam Levene was replaced as director when co-author and original Broadway director George Abbott decided to helm the all-star Broadway revival which opened October 16, 1969 at the Lyceum Theatre which also starred Levene reprising his original 1935 Broadway role as Patsy. In 1971 Sam Levene reprised the role of Sidney Black in the 1970-1971 all star touring production of Light Up The Sky also starring Kitty Carlisle, Ruth Mcdevitt and Vivian Blaine directed by Harold J. Kennedy, a role Levene originated in the 1948 original Broadway production. Levene subsequently reprising the same role in 1975 in another touring production of Light Up The Sky.
Sam Levene, 1961 Tony Award® Nominee Best Actor In A Play The Devil's Advocate
Sam Levene was nominated for a Tony Award® for Best Actor in a play in 1961 for his reviting performance as Dr. Aldo Meyer in the original Broadway production of The Devil's Advocate, written, produced and directed by Dore Schary, based on the Morris West novel.
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| Sam Levene, 1961 Tony Award® Best Actor nominee as Dr. Aldo Meyer in Dore Schary's A Devil's Advocate |
Sam Levene Never Received Tony Award®
Sam Levene never received a lifetime acting award and frequently mentioned the egregious oversight in numerous press interviews. Although Sam Levene created some of the most legendary comedic roles in American theatrical history, many long-run hits, 20 years of Sam Levene's Broadway career was astonishingly NOT Tony eligible. By the time the Tony Awards were established in 1947, Sam Levene was already celebrating his 20th Broadway anniversary; sadly the Tony Award® never celebrated Sam Levene's enormous contribution to the American Theatre, a gross and insulting oversight.
Four Legendary Sam Levene Broadway Performances NOT Tony Award® Eligible
Four of Sam Levene's legendary original Broadway performances were NOT Tony Award® eligible, including Levene's performance as Patsy in the original 1935 Broadway production of Three Men On A Horse, Sam Levene's original 1937 Broadway performance as Gordon Miller in Room Service, a role Sam Levene performed over 500 times on Broadway; Levene's legendary performance as Max Gordon in George S. Kaufman's and Edna Ferber's 1932 original Broadway production of Dinner At Eight and Sam Levene's memorable and haunting performance as Officer Finkelstein in Claire Booth Luce's original 1939 Broadway production of Margin For Error. None of these legendary Sam Levene performances were Tony eligible because the Tony Awards was not established when Sam Levene originated these stage roles in the respective original Broadway productions. Sam Levene's performance as Horace Vandergelder in the world premiere of The Matchmaker in 1955 in the UK was also not Tony Award® eligible.
Sam Levene Posthumously Inducted The American Theatre Hall of Fame
Sam Levene was posthumously inducted April 9, 1984 into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
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| Sam Levene was inducted posthumously in The American Theatre Hall Of Fame, April 9, 1984 at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre |
Joseph K. Levene, Sam Levene's Son Accepted Posthumous Theatre Hall Of Fame Award
Joseph K. Levene, Sam Levene's son accepted the award from the late Dorothy Loudon, Levene's co-star in the 1969 all-star Broadway revival of Three Men On A Horse, and said if my father were here today, he would say why did it take you guys so long to give me this award?
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| Sam Levene posthumous April 9, 1984 induction American Theatre Hall of Fame Playbill |
Sam Levene Posthumous Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee
In 1998, Sam Levene along with the original Broadway cast of the 1950 Guys and Dolls Decca album was posthumously inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame even though Sam Levene was not a singer. Although Sam Levene only sings two songs on the original Guys and Dolls cast album, his legendary portrayal of Nathan Detroit in the landmark musical is so popular, his duet performance of Sue Me with Vivian Blaine can be heard on over 38 Guys and Dolls albums and compilations!
Al Hirschfeld Created Nine Caricatures Memorializing Sam Levene Broadway Performances
Al Hirschfeld, one of the greatest caricaturists of the 20th century, created nine caricatures memorializing Sam Levene performances from seven of Levene's original Broadway productions. The most iconic Sam Levene caricature created by Hirschfeld captures Sam Levene's original Broadway performance as Nathan Detroit wearing the iconic pinstripe suit designed by Alvin Colt in the 1950 Broadway production created for The New York Times, November 19, 1950.
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| Nine Al Hirschfeld caricatures memorializing Sam Levene's original Broadway performances Al Hirschfeld's iconic Guys and Dolls caricature was featured in several museum exhibitions including Guys and Dolls: The Fabled Musical of Broadway in 2000 at The Museum of The City of New York and in 2013 in Hirschfeld, The Line King's Library, which was exhibited at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. |
,%20graphite%20pencil,%20pasteboard%20(paper),%20swatch,%20tracing%20paper,%20watercolor%20(paint).jpg "Alvin Colt costume design for Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit in 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls Adhesive tape, gouache, graphite pencil, pasteboard, swatch, tracing paper, watercolor on paper") |
Alvin Colt costume design Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit in 1950 original Broadway production Guys and Dolls Adhesive tape, gouache, graphite pencil, pasteboard, swatch, tracing paper, watercolor on paper |
The first time Al Hirschfeld captured one of Sam Levene's legendary performances was his original Broadway performance as Patsy opposite Shirley Booth as Mabel in the 1935 original Broadway production of Three Men on a Horse directed and co-authored by George Abbott.
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| Al Hirschfeld's first caricature of Sam Levene, the 1935 original Broadway production of Three Men On A Horse. |
A second caricature of Sam Levene and Shirley Booth starring in the original Broadway production of Three Men On A Horse along with the Broadway casts from Tobacco Road and The Children's Hour was published in the Herald Tribune June 7, 1936 celebrates Broadway long-runs. Al Hirschfeld created two caricatures of Sam Levene's critically acclaimed performance as Max Gordon, the shoestring producer, in the original 1937 Broadway production of Room Service, published in the Herald Tribune and Brooklyn Eagle.
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| 1936 Al Hirschfeld of Sam Levene & Shirley Booth from Three Men On A Horse celebrated Broadway long runs, June 7, 1936 Herald Tribune |
Al Hirschfeld captured Sam Levene's poignant performance as Al Lewis giving Willie Clark "the finger" in the original Broadway production of The Sunshine Boys published in The New York Times, December 13, 1972 prior to its New York opening at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre, December 20, 1972.
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| Al Hirschfeld captured Sam Levene's performance as Al Lewis giving Jack Albertson as Willie Clark "the finger", 1972 Broadway production The Sunshine Boys |
Al Hirschfeld also captured Sam Levene's 1939 original Broadway performances as Officer Finkelstein in Clair Booth Luce's Margin For Error and Sidney Black in Moss Hart's 1948 original Broadway production of Light Up The Sky.
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| Sam Levene as Officer Finkelstein & Otto Preminger, right, as Karl Baumer in Margin For Error, caricature by William Auerbach-Levy |
Other notable caricaturists who memorialized Sam Levene's original Broadway performances include Sam Norkin, Al Frueh William Auerbach-Levy and Doug Anderson. Al Frueh, who created caricatures of Broadway shows, mostly for The New Yorker for three decades until 1962, captured six of Sam Levene's original Broadway performances, including Busch from the original Broadway production of Yellow Jack (1934), Patsy from the original Broadway production of Three Men on a Horse (1935), Sidney Black from the original 1948 Broadway production of Light Up The Sky, Nathan Detroit from the 1950 original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls; Boss Mangan in the 1959 all-star Broadway revival of Heartbreak House directed and co-starring Maurice Evans and Officer Finkelstein, the Jewish policeman, in the 1939 original Broadway production of Margin for Error.
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| Al Frueh caricature of original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls starring Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit |
William Auerbach-Levy Created 15 Caricatures Celebrating Sam Levene's Broadway Performances. Over four decades William Auerbach-Levy (1889-1964) created 15 caricatures celebrating ten Sam Levene original Broadway starring performances including: Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls (1950), five caricatures; Patsy in Three Men on a Horse (1935), Officer Finkelstein in Margin for Error (1939), Pvt. Dino Collucci in A Sound of Hunting (1945), Sidney Black in Light Up The Sky (1948), Lou Winkler in Fair Game (1957), Sid Gray in Make A Million (1958), Odilon in The Good Soup (1960), Patsy in Let It Ride (1961), Dr. Aldo Meyer in The Devil's Advocate (1961), Morris Seidman in Seidman and Son (1962).
Sam Norkin Memorialized Caricatures of More Than Dozen Sam Levene Performances
Celebrated caricaturist Sam Norkin memorialized over a dozen Sam Levene productions including three caricatures alone of Sam Levene's legendary performance as craps-shooter extraordinaire Nathan Detroit in the original 1950 Broadway production of Guys and Dolls.
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| 3 Sam Norkin caricatures memorialize Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit in the original 1950 Broadway production Guys and Dolls |
Sam Levene Motion Picture Debut as Patsy in Three Men On A Horse earning $1,000 week.
Nine years after making his Broadway debut, Sam Levene was lured to Hollywood when he made his 1936 motion picture debut as Patsy in the Warner Brothers film Three Men on a Horse, directed and produced by Mervyn LeRoy. Sam Levene earned $1,000 a week to recreate on film his acclaimed comedic Broadway role as Patsy he had played for seventy weeks in the original Broadway production of Three Men on a Horse. According to The New York Times after Levene completed Three Men on a Horse, Metro Goldwyn Mayer borrowed Levene from Warner Brothers to portray the role of Lieutenant Abrams in After The Thin Man starring Dick Powell and Myrna Loy, a role Levene reprised in Shadow Of A Thin Man also starring Powell and Loy.
Jimmy Stewart, a friend of Levene's, co-starred as David Graham in After The Thin Man. Stewart and Levene first worked together in the original 1934 Broadway production of Yellow Jack, a docudrama produced by theatrical legend Guthrie McClintic, which opened at the Martin Beck Theatre, March 6, 1934, running for 79 performances. Written by Sidney Howard, the play is based on the true record of Walter Reed and the researchers who discovered that the killer yellow fever was propagated by mosquitoes. The large cast included James Stewart, Edward Acuff, Myron McCormick and Sam Levene as Marine privates who volunteered to be bitten by the deadly insects. Jimmy Stewart appeared in the role of Medical Corps Private John O'Hara and Sam Levene was Private Busch. Yellow Jack generally received positive reviews, but the subject had limited popular appeal.
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| Jimmy Stewart & Sam Levene on the set of After The Thin Man, 1936 film |
Although Sam Levene continued to travel to the East Coast for his stage roots, he appeared fairly regularly in film, including the reprising the role of a Private Busch in the 1938 film Yellow Jack, a role Sam Levene originated on Broadway in 1934; Levene was the only member of the original Broadway cast to also appear in the movie. Sam Levene was also one of the fliers tortured by the Japanese in the 1944 film The Purple Heart, the important role of Joseph Samuels, a Jewish officer murdered by anti-Semitic soldier Robert Ryan in the Oscar nominated film Crossfire, a doctor in Dial 1119, the manager of Martin Milner's jazz quintet in Sweet Smell of Success co-starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.
Theater and film critic Jay Carmody observed in the Washington Star, March 19, 1944, there is a good living to be made in Hollywood these days if you are a particular type, recognizing Sam Levene as a Jewish type and William Bendix as a Brooklyn type; life in that case will be one role after another, each involving merely changing a name plus possibly one of uniform. Carmody noted that Sam Levene is in demand for Jewish roles stating Sam Levene has played in virtually every branch of the military service, one of Carlson's fiercest raiders in "Gung Ho” as a wonderfully articulate lieutenant navigator in "The Purple Heart". As in the case of William Bendix, the character has become a career for Sam Levene, one in which he is demonstrating that he is a superb actor of greater dimensions than those implied in his pre-war comedy roles.
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| Sam Levene publicity shot in The Purple Heart |
Sam Levene Repeatedly Refused To Sign Hollywood Studio Contract. Although repeatedly asked numerous times, Sam Levene steadfastly refused to sign a Hollywood studio contract. Sam Levene strongly believed signing a Hollywood contract would strangle his stage career precluding him the freedom to work in the theatre, including Broadway, his first love. Still, Sam Levene had a busy Hollywood career, performing in 50 films, working with all the major Hollywood studios.
50 Films with Hollywood Who’s Who. Sam Levene's film career includes a Hollywood Who's Who of actors and directors. Sam Levene worked with Barbara Stanwyck in two films, in 1938 Sam Levene co-starred as Lieutenant Brent in The Mad Miss Manton, the 1938 screwball comedy starring Henry Fonda. Sam Levene is a very exasperated NYPD Lieutenant but, you guessed it, the body is gone. Levene will spend the rest of the film being utterly frustrated by the case and downing in vast quantities of anti acid pills handed to him by his sergeant. Sam Levene was probably constitutionally incapable of giving a bad performance and is clearly having great fun, getting very near to going over the top but never quite going too far. He also gets some interrogation scenes that are fairly Noirish.
31 year old Barbara Stanwyck earned $60,000 for the film; 33 year old Fonda earned $25,000 and 35 year old Sam Levene earned $1,500 a week, an increase from the $1,000 a week salary Sam Levene earned for his 1936 motion picture debut film, Three Men On A Horse.
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| The Mad Miss Manton Lobby Cards starring Henry Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck & Sam Levene |
The following year Sam Levene appeared as Siggie in Golden Boy, an adaptation of the Clifford Odets play about the brutality of prizefighting which opened at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, September 15, 1939. Critics praised the performances of William Holden's at times perfect interpretation of fighter Joe Bonaparte, but it was 27 year old Lee J. Cobb as the senior Bonaparte and Sam Levene as William Holden's taxi driver brother-in-law who walked away with the film and the majority of reviews.
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| Publicity Caricature for 1939 Golden Boy film featured How Sam Levene became an actor |
Sam Levene Film Noir Legend
Sam Levene established himself as one of the great film noir stalwarts with a long list of film noir credits including his riveting and poignant performance as Samuels, the murdered GI, in the 1947 film Crossfire, considered one of RKO’s best film noirs and as Lieutenant Lubinsky in The Killers, considered the Citizen Kane of Noir. My dad, #SamLevene would like his #flmnoire honor, but not pleased @sagaftra still doesn't pay residuals for pre-1960 films. https://t.co/j8ArIQ573a pic.twitter.com/BskWp3iH79
— Joseph K. Levene (@JoeLevene) July 16, 2018
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| The Purple Heart window card starring Dana Andrews and Sam Levene |
Crossfire, was the first B-movie to receive a Best Picture Nomination, receiving five Academy Award Nominations. Shot in 28 days, Crossfire stars three Roberts, Robert Young, Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan. Sam Levene performs the pivotal role of Joseph Samuels, a murdered Jew who is brutally killed and found dead in his home. The haunting 1947 film was produced by Adrian Scott and director Edward Dmytryk, each of whom were blacklisted and lost their jobs at RKO; they were each targets of the the House Un-American Activities Committee, and ultimately charged with contempt of Congress.
Seldom has a motion picture touched off as enthusiastic a series of reviews as RKO's thrilling Crossfire, the Dore Schary production that opened in 1947. Moviegoers applauded Sam Levene's Crossfire performance. One remarked, "Would have liked to hear more of what Samuels had to say. He was wonderful." A viewer from Los Angeles wrote, "It made me proud to be a Jew. I think it made anyone proud of what they are too."
Burt Lancaster was so appreciative of Sam Levene's assistance to launch his career; the two actors worked together in three other films, including two film noirs, the 1947 film, Brute Force directed by Jules Dassin and the acclaimed film noir, Sweet Smell of Success.
4 Sam Levene films produced by Columbia:
2 Sam Levene films produced byTwentieth Century Fox:
#SamLevene, my dad, was passionate about CROSSFIRE, the 1947 film shot in 24 days he said was "a powerful denunciation of anti-Semitism". Released 3 months before HUAC Hollywood investigation, here is excerpt written by Sam Levene for a 1947 appearance. pic.twitter.com/mMTRxnYMfR
— Joseph K. Levene (@JoeLevene) July 24, 2019
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| Robert Ryan, Sam Levene, Steve Brodie in Crossfire, the landmark 1947 RKO film |
Police investigator Capt. Finlay, played by Robert Young investigates the brutal killing of Joseph Samuels, played by Sam Levene who was found dead at his home. The New York Times Film Critic Bosley Crowther, lauded the acting and wrote, Robert Ryan is frighteningly real as the hard, sinewy, loud-mouthed, intolerant and vicious murderer, and Robert Mitchum, Steve Brodie and George Cooper are variously revealing as his pals. Robert Young gives a fine taut performance as the patiently questing D.A., whose mind and sensibilities are revolted—and eloquently expressed—by what he finds. Sam Levene is affectingly gentle in his brief bit as the Jewish victim, and Gloria Grahame is believably brazen and pathetic as a girl of the streets.
The Killers featured the motion picture debut of Burt Lancaster, who just a year prior was professionally credited as Burton Lancaster when Levene helped the former circus acrobat land a part in the original Broadway production of A Sound of Hunting, a melodrama starring Sam Levene.
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| The Killers, 1947, featuring movie debut Burt Lancaster, the first of four films Burt Lancaster and Sam Levene did together |
Sam Levene is Sam Lubinsky in The Killers, a childhood friend of the Swede, a role played by Lancaster. Levene's co-starring role was fortuitous as he was instrumental in making Lancaster feel at ease in his motion picture debut. It was lucky he was on the set with Burt Lancaster maintained actor Jeff Corey because Burt didn't feel too comfortable in his first film. Sam would frequently get on his ass. C'mon, c'mon. Do the goddamn thing. You pick up the piece of jewelry. Can't you do that and say the f....ing line? Lancaster was never offended. He appreciated, because he loved Sam; everyone did.
When several Hollywood studios initially wanted to sign Burt Lancaster, Sam Levene, who was Lancaster's co-star in the 1946 Broadway melodrama A Sound of Hunting, agreed to represent him; eventually the two actors became lifelong friends. Together Lancaster and Levene fielded offers from David O. Selznick, 20th Century-Fox, Hal B. Wallis and Harold Hecht, whom Levene introduced to Lancaster who became Lancaster's long-time agent and Hollywood film production partner.
Burt Lancaster was so appreciative of Sam Levene's assistance to launch his career; the two actors worked together in three other films, including two film noirs, the 1947 film, Brute Force directed by Jules Dassin and the acclaimed film noir, Sweet Smell of Success.
Other Hollywood actors and directors Sam Levene worked with include Anthony Quinn: A Dream of Kings (1969); four films with Burt Lancaster: The Killers (1946), Brute Force, (1947), Three Sailors and a Girl (1953), Sweet Smell of Success (1957); Humphrey Bogart: Action in the North Atlantic (1943); two films with Henry Fonda: The Big Street (1942), The Mad Miss Manton (1938); Robert Ryan: Crossfire; Vincente Minnelli: Sing Your Worries Away (1942); two films with Myrna Loy and William Powell as Police Lt. Abrams: After the Thin Man (1936), Shadow of the Thin Man (1941); Gregory Peck: Designing Woman (1957); two films with Red Skelton: Whistling in Brooklyn (1943), I Dood It (1943); Al Pacino: ...And Justice for All (1979), Levene's final film role.
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| Sam Levene as Police Lt. Abrams, (right), William Powell as Nick, (center) lobby card, Shadow of the Thin Man, 1941 |
16 Sam Levene films produced by MGM:
• After the Thin Man, 1936
• Shadow of The Thin Man, 1941
• Yellow Jack, 1938
• The Shopworn Angel, 1938
• Married Bachelor, 1941
• Sunday Punch, 1942
• Grand Central Murder, 1942
• Whistling in Brooklyn, 1943
• I Dood It, 1943
• Shoe Shine Boy, 1943
• Killer McCoy, 1947
• Dial 1119, 1950
• The Opposite Sex, 1956
• Designing Woman, 1957
• The Last Embrace, 1979
• The Champ, 1979
6 Sam Levene films produced by Universal Pictures:
5 Sam Levene films produced by RKO:
4 Sam Levene films produced by Warner Brothers:
• Destination Unknown , 1942
• Gung Ho!, 1943
• The Killers, 1946,
• Brute Force, 1947,
• Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, 1957
• Kathy O, 1958
• The Mad Miss Manton, 1938
• Sing Your Worries Away, 1942
• The Big Street, 1942
• A Likely Story, 1947
• Crossfire, 1947, first B picture to receive Best Picture Academy Award Nomination.
• Three Men Men On A Horse, 1936
• Action in The North Atlantic, 1943
• Three Sailors And A Girl, 1953
• Dore Schary's Act One, 1963
4 Sam Levene films produced by Columbia:
• Golden Boy, 1939
•True Glory, 1945, winner Academy Award Best Documentary; most expensive documentary produced
• Leather Gloves, 1948
• And Justice For All, 1979
2 Sam Levene films produced byTwentieth Century Fox:
• The Purple Heart, 1944
• Elia Kazan's Boomerang, 1947
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| Sam Levene starred in With These Hands, 1950 documentary for The International Ladies Garment Workers Union |
Sam Levene appeared in a single film for each of these studios: Monogram, Classic Pictures, United Artists, Paramount, Calliope, National General, Big Hit Productions:
• Monogram: The Babe Ruth Story, 1948
• Classic Pictures: With These Hands, 1950
• United Artists: Sweet Smell of Success, 1957
• Paramount Pictures: Such Good Friends, 1971
• Calliope Films: The Money, 1975
• National General: A Dream Of Kings, 1969
• Big Hit Productions: God Told Me Too, 1976
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| Sam Levene & Anthony Quinn in the 1969 film A Dream of Kings |
Sam Levene's Live TV Debut, June 14, 1949
On June 14, 1949, Sam Levene recreated his legendary starring Broadway performance as Sidney Black in Moss Hart's Light Up The Sky, a scant eight months after the first broadcast of Ford's Theatre on CBS, a monthly event during the Golden Age of TV. Levene's debut on Live TV was fortuitous as Light Up The Sky was a last minute fill-in on CBS's Ford TV Theatre after MGM would nor allow planned TV adaptation of Edward, My Son to air on Ford's TV Theatre because MGM felt the TV adaptation would significantly reduce box office revenue for the Spencer Tracy film which was soon to open at Radio City Music Hall.
With only four days notice, the original 1948 Broadway cast of Moss Hart's Light Up The Sky starring Sam Levene as Sidney Black, Barry Nelson as Peter Sloan, Glenn Anders as Carleton Fitzgerald and Audrey Christie as Sam Levene's wife Frances Black was recruited as a last minute replacement for Ford Theatre, the first time any of these actors appeared on Live TV. Since Light Up The Sky had closed three weeks earlier, the cast only had four days to rehearse, sign contracts and "unlearn" their parts for the one hour Ford's Theatre live broadcast. Variety called it one of the top TV treats of the season containing a spark seldom found in the comedy department of video dramatics. 29 years later, Sam Levene recreated his acclaimed performance as Oscar Wolfe in the 1975 Broadway all star revival of The Royal Family preserved on PBS's Great Performances along with co-stars Eva LeGallienne, Rosemary Harris and Ellis Raab.
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| Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine meet Queen Elizabeth November 2, 1953 at Royal Variety performance, first since coronation |
Sam Levene Starred in 3 Notable BBC Performances Recreating Two Stage Performances
Across the pond, Sam Levene made three notable BBC appearances; on June 1, 1953, Sam Levene and Vivian Blaine recreated their original Broadway performances as Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide from the first UK production of Guys and Dolls, including their show stopping number of Sue Me in a special week long coronation celebration titled All Our Yesterdays celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
On November 2, 1953 Sam Levene was privileged to star in a special Royal Variety Command Performance of Guys and Dolls for Queen Elizabeth, the first since her Coronation.
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| Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit & Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide reprised original Broadway roles in first UK production Guys and Dolls at London's Coliseum |
For his third BBC appearance, Sam Levene recreated his UK performance of Horace Vandergelder opposite Ruth Gordon as Dolly Levi along with the original UK cast in The Matchmaker hosted by its author Thornton Wilder on August 29, 1954 prior to performing the role of Horace Vandergelder over 282 times in Germany and the West End. Subsequent to his six month Las Vegas appearance as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Levene guest starred with Helen Hayes, Gwen Verdon and Elaine Stritch on December 11, 1955 on the Colgate Comedy Hour Salute to George Abbott, honoring his good friend and director of Levene's Broadway long-run hit shows, Room Service and Three Men On A Horse.
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| Sam Levene & Vivian Blaine guest starred January 27, 1952, Variety Show The Royal Showcase |
On January 27, 1952 Vivian Blaine and Sam Levene, fresh on the heels of starring in the smash hit original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls guest starred on The U.S. Royal Showcase featuring master of ceremonies George Abbott. Sam Levene also provided a back-stage look and insight as guest-star on All Around the Town with Mike and Buff featuring Mike Wallace and his then wife Buff which aired on CBS, July 24, 1952. Prior to these guest appearances, Sam Levene and Robert Alda guest starred on The Milton Berle Show, December 19, 1950.
Sam Levene Frequent Star During Golden Age of TV
Sam Levene was a frequent guest star during the Golden Age of TV often recreating stage performances on television adaptations of stage productions Levene did not originate on Broadway as well as numerous dramas written for TV; the earliest, a 1953 appearance as Tevye on NBC on The World of Sholem Aleichem opposite Aline MacMahon as Goldie. In the 1950's, TV producers routinely relied on Broadway stars like Sam Levene who could perform a show in real time. TV producers preferred casting roles with Broadway actors like Sam Levene who could learn and perform long dialogue without assistance or prompting. Unlike many film actors who were uncomfortable performing pages of dialogue longer than a few minutes, it was routine for well established Broadway stars to perform roles that required extensive memorization.
| Gertrude Berg & Sam Levene signed to star in The Wonderful World of Sholom Aleichem, The New York Times, 11/14/1959 |
Sam Levene and Gertrude Berg Lead Stars The World of Sholem Aleichem
In 1959, legendary TV producer and host David Susskind recruited Broadway stars Sam Levene and Gertrude Berg, star of TV's The Goldbergs as lead stars for The World of Sholom Aleichem adapted by Arnold Perl from his 1953 off-Broadway play of the same name for a taped production for the anthology series, The Play of The Week. When the TV special was taped, Sam Levene was starring on Broadway in the all star revival of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House and Ms. Berg was starring on Broadway in A Majority of One. Sam Levene played the role of Mendele, the bookseller, who as narrator weaves the three plays which comprise The World of Sholom Aleichem into a unit. In the now legendary special, Sam Levene offers the briefest of biographies on Sholem Aleichem, noting the was the Yiddish-language Mark Twain of his day – although Mark Twain jokingly called himself the English-language Sholom Aleichem.
For this landmark TV event, Sam Levene replaced the celebrated Broadway actor Howard da Silva, who originated the role as Mendele the Bookseller, the narrator in the original off-Broadway production; Ms. Berg and Mr. Levene were joined by co-stars Nancy Walker, Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford and Lee Grant in the production directed by Don Richardson, one of a series of prestige two hour dramas David Susskind sold to independent stations as part of the innovative The Play Of The Week series for scheduling vs. the networks. Since the series was shot on film and not broadcast live, it could run at any time in any market.
Initially, The World of Sholom Aleichem debuted on New York's now-defunct WNTA-TV, December 14, 1959, and rebroadcast every night for a week; later it was shown in several large cities throughout the United States. Jack Gould, TV critic The New York Times "called The World of Sholom Aleichem a theatre of gentle beauty, compassion and social protest....Its unifying theme is the dignity and humor of the meek elsewhere. On the New York stage the program was an uncommon experience; it is more so on television."
TV critic Kay Gardella, reviewed The World of Sholom Aleichem for the New York Daily News, December 15, 1959, observing it is "not to be overlooked this week on TV." Gardella wrote "Rich with humor, warmth and understanding, these stories of Russian Jews is an adventure in viewing seldom encountered in today’s assembly line medium. Simplicity and sincerity were their hallmark with the only embellishment the very excellent performances of the cast by headed by Sam Levene, Zero Mostel, Morris Carnovsky, Jack Gilford, Nancy Walker and Gertrude Berg. Continuity was provided for the three one-actors by Sam Levene, who played Mendele, the bookseller. With a genuine feeling for and familiarity with the Jewish point of view, Levene made a sympathetic storyteller as he introduced the plays and departed such pertinent information as the meaning of Sholom Alleichem - Peace Be With You."
Lauded By Legendary New York Times Drama Critic Brooks Atkinson
Legendary drama critic Brooks Atkinson augmented Jack Gould's enthusiasm in The New York Times, January 6, 1960, observing The World of Sholom Aleichem with Gertrude Berg, Sam Levene, Morris Carnovsky and Nancy Walker, The Cherry Orchard with Helen Hayes, Susan Strasberg, E.G. Marshall and John Abbott - these are plays that are cherished in the theatre because in one degree or another they have enriched the lives of the people who saw them......On the other hand who would have thought “The World of Sholom Aleichem” would be more moving on TV than it was on stage? The academic law is that realism is more vivid through the eye of the camera than it is on the stage, and that the stage is the ideal platform for fantasy.
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| Sam Levene, Zero Mostel, Gertrude Berg in The World of Sholom Aleichem debuted on New York's now-defunct WNTA-TV, December 14, 1959 |
Eight months after The World of Sholom Aleichem was broadcast, Sam Levene performed The Yom Kippur Scandal, a dramatic reading on The Ed Sullivan Show on August 21, 1960, and five months after that, Sam Levene performed How Tevya Became a Dairyman, a Sholom Aleichem Story, on The Ed Sullivan Show, January 22, 1961. In its day, The World of Sholom Aleichem was remarkably innovative; it was one of the first television productions to recreate the world of the Eastern European Jewish ghettos, offering a glimpse of both the love within the communities and the viciousness of anti-Semitism.
For NBC's Omnibus, Sam Levene co-starred as Helen Hayes' husband Eddie replacing original Broadway star Jules Munshin in Mrs. McThing on March 9, 1958 in a television adaptation by drama critic Walter Kerr of the Mary Chase play Helen Hayes originally performed on Broadway for over 300 performances.
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| Sam Levene and Helen Hayes in Mrs. McThing, 1958 television adaptation by Walter Kerr |
On March 27, 1954 Sam Levene and Ben Gazzara co-starred in The Alibi Kid for Chrysler's Medallion Theater on CBS-TV. On June 22, 1954 Sam Levene guest starred as Reporter McArdle opposite Ralph Bellamy and Meg Mundy in Fearful Decision on ABC written by Richard Maibaum, author of subsequent James Bond films. After guest starring in Fearful Decision, Sam Levene began one year of performances as Horace Vandergelder opposite Ruth Gordon as Dolly Levi in the premiere UK production of The Matchmaker which initially opened at the Edinburgh International Festival Royal Lyceum Theatre on August 23, 1954.
For Kraft Television Theatre, Sam Levene starred as Lou Winkler in The Old Ticker, a 60 minute original drama on NBC co-starring Larry Blyden and Eddie Bracken which aired September 11, 1957. Also in 1957 Sam Levene made the first of two guest starring appearances on CBS TV Studio One; the first as Ben Weber in The Playwright and the Stars on April 8, 1957 and the second as Ben Selig in The Mother Bit on June 10, 1957 co-starring June Havoc, a controversial TV production based on the life of Martha Raye. Sam Levene gave a bravura star performance as Jewish mobster Louis ‘Lepke’ Buchalte in The Witness, one of 17 episodes which aired November 17, 1960 on CBS in a TV series created by David Susskind in which a fictional committee of lawyers cross-examine actors portraying infamous criminals.
Other notable TV roles include Sam Levene's portrayal as Larry Fay, a mobster accused of price fixing milk in The Larry Fay Story on December 15, 1960 in Season 2 of The Untouchables starring Robert Stack. June Havoc co-starred as Sally Kansas, Larry Fay's lover, a lounge singer in one of Fay's nightclubs. TV critic Alan Gill reviewed the Larry Fay Story episode of The Untouchables guest starring Sam Levene observing: "Here was Levene playing Frank Fay, a racketeer muscling in on the milk business. His hands were jammed into the side pockets of his jacket, homburg tilted over his brow. In a voice that used to be Nathan Detroit’s he was snapping out gruff threats, Sally your liable to wind up like your brother! Dead. Sam Levene, like Paul Muni, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart before him, knows how to ride the back seat of a speakeasy era limousine. Levene is the only actor I know who can hunch both his shoulders and his eyebrows. Levene is also first rate at the mirror, leaps at every chance to adjust his bow tow tie."
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| June Havoc & Sam Levene Publicity Photos, 1957 |
On November 16, 1960, Sam Levene guest starred as Lieutenant Maharis on CBS TV's The Aquanauts in an episode titled Night Dive.
On February 9, 1966 Sam Levene guest starred as theatre owner Noel Greb opposite Simone Signoret in A Small Rebellion, a one hour drama for Bob Hope's Chrysler Theatre on NBC. Simone Signoret received an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress for her performance in A Small Rebellion which also starred George Maharis as playwright Michael Kolinos.
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| Simone Signoret, Geore Maharis & Sam Levene in A Small Rebellion, a TV Movie created for Bob Hope's Chrysler Theatre on NBC, February 9, 1966 |
Sam Levene Frequently Appeared on numerous TV Talk & Game Shows
Sam Levene was a frequent TV talk show guest; appearances include The Tonight Show, starring both Jack Paar, December 26, 1957, November 25, 1958 and Johnny Carson, February 27, 1963, The Dick Cavett Show, December 26, 1973, The Merv Griffin Show, November 1, 1965, Joe Franklin Show, October 25, 1962, Jerry Lester Show, April 14, 1963, Les Crane Show several times including January 5, 1965, January 11, 1965, January 18, 1965, February 8, 1965, Levene also guest starred as the weekly male point of view on NBC TV's Leave It To The Girls with Betty White on February 14, 1963. TV Game Shows appearances include five episodes of Password opposite Joan Fontaine in 1962, Play Your Hunch, December 11, 1962 and mystery guest appearances on What's My Line, October 30, 1969 and December 28, 1972, Masquerade Party and One In A Million on ABC, a game show produced by Merv Griffin, June 10, 1967. On January 14, 1962 Sam Levene guest hosted Directions in which he interviewed former MGM president, playwright and author Dore Schary. Sam Levene also guest starred on Who Pays hosted by Mike Wallace on July 30, 1959. While appearing in the 1961 original Broadway production of Let It Ride, Sam Levene was featured on the Let It Ride float during the 35th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade which aired on Thanksgiving on NBC. Shortly thereafter Sam Levene and George Gobel, co-starring together in the Broadway musical Let It Ride, joined Alfred Drake and Elaine Stritch for a TV show about Broadway Musicals on December 8, 1961.
Sam Levene Guest Star 2 Radio Productions Orson Welles' The Campbell Playhouse
During the 1930's and 1940's, Sam Levene was a frequent guest star on leading radio shows, often performing in adaptations of stage plays as well as adaptations of Levene's films. Levene co-starred with Orson Welles in two productions for The Campbell Playhouse, first as Lefty and Orson Welles as Skid in Arthur Hopkins and George Manker Watters’ adaptation of Burlesque, February 10, 1939 and six weeks later, March 24, 1939, Sam Levene was Owen O'Malley and Orson Welles was Oscar Jaffe in the adaptation of the Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur comedy Twentieth Century co-starring Elissa Landi.
Sam Levene was a frequent guest star on numerous radio productions for the Theatre Guild on the Air including two versions of Three Men On A Horse, reprising the role of Patsy Levene created in the original Broadway production in 1935 and on film in 1936, the first radio version adapted by Arthur Miller aired January 6, 1946; the second aired June 1, 1947 with David Wayne joining the cast as Erwin. A third Three Men On A Horse production sponsored by Lady Esther for the Screen Players Guild aired February 28, 1944 with Sam Levene performing the role of Patsy and Charlie Ruggles as Erwin. Sam Levene also reprised his legendary role as Sidney Black in Moss Hart's Light Up The Sky radio production for Screen Players Guild, April 16, 1951, co-starring Joan Bennett and Thelma Ritter. Sam Levene was Moody, the fight manager, in Golden Boy by Clifford Odets opposite long-time friend and co-star June Havoc and Dana Andrews whom Levene had worked with filming Boomerang.
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Golden Boy Theatre Guild On The Air Radio Production Playbill starring Sam Levene |
Sam Levene reprised his film role as Dave Woods, the newspaper reporter in one hour radio adaptation of Elia Kazan's Boomerang for NBC's Theatre Guild on the Air, December 17, 1950, co-starring Kirk Douglas, Vicki Cummings, Anita Louise and Karl Malden.
For CBS's Suspense Radio, Sam Levene reprised his film performance as Samuels, the murdered Jewish soldier, in Crossfire on April 10, 1948. Sam Levene along with twelve major Hollywood and Broadway stars, including Helen Hayes, Fredric March and Ralph Bellamy created 13 episodes for Lest We Forget, series of radio programs on WNEW that directly addressed prejudice and discrimination syndicated and produced by the Institute for Democratic Education. For Lest We Forget on December 6, 1946, Sam Levene starred in Hey Cabbie, a radio program that unabashedly addresses anti-semitism.
Produced by the American Heart Association in 1952, Sam Levene starred in Too Careful, one of eight radio plays presenting information and knowledge of the heart. Sam Levene along with Edward G Robinson and Frank Sinatra made a series of appearances in the Spring and Summer of 1943 in We Will Never Die, a memorial pageant dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust performed around the country at major venues, including Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl; the elaborate production, also broadcast on radio, was co-authored by Ben Hecht and Kurt Weill and directed by Moss Hart.
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| Fred Allen, Mary Wickes and Sam Levene on Fred Allen's Texaco Star Theatre |
Sam Levene and Dan Duryea co-starred in The Gentle People, a drama adapted for Theatre Guild on The Air sponsored by the US Steel Hour which aired on ABC Radio, September 29, 1949.
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| Dan Duryea and Sam Levene starred in The Gentle People for U.S. Steel Hour |
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