Dick Shawn, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Dick Shawn
Acting

Dick Shawn
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1923-12-01,Buffalo, New York, USA
Gender
Male
Biography
One-of-a-kind nightclub comedian and singer Dick Shawn (ne Richard Schulefand) was as off-the-wall as they came and, as such, proved to be rather an acquired taste. Way ahead of his time most say, it was extremely difficult indeed to know how to properly tap into this man's eclectic talents. Shawn began inching toward the forefront during the be-bop 50s and early 60s with his odd penchant for playing cool cats. During his mild bid for film stardom, he was top-billed as a hip, laid back genie in the thoroughly dismal satire The Wizard of Baghdad (1960), but seemed to have better luck when taken in smaller doses. He fared quite well opposite another "way-out-there" comedian, Ernie Kovacs, in Wake Me When It's Over (1960) as a hustling soldier out to make a buck in the Far East. Also on the plus side, he replaced Zero Mostel in the bawdy musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" on Broadway and stole a small scene in the all-star epic comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). By far, the one role that completely overshadows all of his other hard work is his mock portrayal of a singing Adolf Hitler in the show-within-a-movie The Producers (1968). In the film, which starred Mostel and Gene Wilder as two con artists deliberately producing a stage "bomb" called "Springtime for Hitler," Shawn sang the hammy, absurdly narcissistic song "Love Power." The movie finally captured Shawn in his element, but this stroke of genius of matching actor to role would never happen again for him. For the most part his roles came off slick and smarmy, and were stuck in mediocre material. Shawn won a huge fan base, however, touring in one-man stage shows which contained a weird mix of songs, sketches, satire, philosophy and even pantomime. A bright, innovative wit, one of his best touring shows was called "The Second Greatest Entertainer in the World." During the show's intermission, Shawn would lie visibly on the stage floor absolutely still during the entire time. By freakish coincidence, Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego in 1987 when he suddenly fell forward on the stage during one of his spiels about the Holocaust. The audience, of course, laughed, thinking it was just a part of his odd shtick. In actuality, the 63-year-old married actor with four children had suffered a fatal heart attack. A not-surprising end for this thoroughly offbeat and intriguing personality.

Filmography

5.9

Angel
1984-04-19

5.6

Maid to Order
1987-07-10

7.1

The Producers
1968-03-18

3.9

Young Warriors
1983-08-28

Best Chest in the West

5.5

Best Chest in the West
1984-01-01

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

6.961

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963-11-07

The Year Without a Santa Claus

7.222

The Year Without a Santa Claus
1974-12-10

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?

6

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
1966-08-31

Love at First Bite

6

Love at First Bite
1979-04-26

6.7

Captain EO
1986-09-12

The Happy Ending

6

The Happy Ending
1969-12-21

5.7

Way... Way Out
1966-10-26

Wake Me When It's Over

6

Wake Me When It's Over
1960-06-10

0

Looking Up
1977-05-15

5.6

Penelope
1966-11-10

Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration

1

Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration
1979-05-07

Good-bye Cruel World

3.3

Good-bye Cruel World
1983-01-02

A Very Special Favor

5.7

A Very Special Favor
1965-08-02

If the Shoes Fit...

0

If the Shoes Fit...
1985-05-12

6.2

Evil Roy Slade
1972-02-18

The Making of Captain EO

6.7

The Making of Captain EO
1986-09-12

The Tommy Chong Roast

5.5

The Tommy Chong Roast
1986-01-01

Mel Brooks: Unwrapped

6.7

Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
2018-02-17

The Opposite Sex

5.2

The Opposite Sex
1956-11-15

The Wizard of Baghdad

6

The Wizard of Baghdad
1961-03-03

5.8

Water
1985-01-11

The Emperor's New Clothes

4

The Emperor's New Clothes
1985-10-05

6

Dames at Sea
1971-11-15

Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'

0

Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'
1991-01-01

Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man

0

Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man
1970-02-18

The Perils of P.K

10

The Perils of P.K
1986-06-06

4.2

Rented Lips
1987-10-28

4.36

Batman & Robin
1997-06-20

0

Fast Friends
1979-03-19

Leave 'em Laughing

0

Leave 'em Laughing
2020-07-25

The Check is in the Mail...

6.5

The Check is in the Mail...
1986-05-02

5.4

St. Elsewhere
1982-10-26

7.3

Magnum, P.I.
1980-12-11

Tales from the Darkside

7.2

Tales from the Darkside
1984-09-30

The Twilight Zone

7.7

The Twilight Zone
1985-09-27

7.088

The Lucy Show
1962-10-01

6.1

That Girl
1966-09-08

Laverne & Shirley

7.2

Laverne & Shirley
1976-01-27

6.1

Medical Center
1969-09-24

The Ed Sullivan Show

6.5

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948-06-20

General Electric Theater

5.5

General Electric Theater
1953-02-01

Hail to the Chief

5

Hail to the Chief
1985-04-09

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre

5.2

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963-10-04

5.667

ABC Stage 67
1966-09-14

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

4

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956-10-05

The DuPont Show with June Allyson

6.3

The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959-09-21

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

7.4

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962-10-01

Amazing Stories

7.5

Amazing Stories
1985-09-29

The Mike Douglas Show

4.8

The Mike Douglas Show
1961-12-11

The Judy Garland Show

8

The Judy Garland Show
1963-12-08

Faerie Tale Theatre

8.421

Faerie Tale Theatre
1982-09-11

Faerie Tale Theatre

8.421

Faerie Tale Theatre
1982-09-11

The Mike Douglas Show

4.8

The Mike Douglas Show
1961-12-11

6.291

The Love Boat
1977-09-24

6.291

The Love Boat
1977-09-24

The Dick Cavett Show

6.6

The Dick Cavett Show
1968-06-06

7.3

Madame's Place
1982-09-20