Henry Youngman

Henny Youngman
Youngman, photographed in 1957
Born	(1906-03-16)16 March 1906 London, England, UK
Died	24 February 1998(1998-02-24) (aged 91) Manhattan, New York, US
Medium	Stand-up comedy
Nationality	American
Genres	One-liners
Spouse	Sadie Cohen (1928–87; her death; 2 children)

Henry "Henny" Youngman (original Yiddish surname Yungman; 16 March 1906 – 24 February 1998) was an American comedian and violinist famous for his mastery of the "one-liner". His best known one-liner was "Take my wife ... please".

In a time when many comedians told elaborate anecdotes, Youngman's routine consisted of telling simple one-liner jokes, occasionally with interludes of violin playing. These depicted simple, cartoon-like situations, eliminating lengthy build-ups and going straight to the punch line. He was known as "The King of the One Liners", a title conferred to him by columnist Walter Winchell. A stage performance by Youngman lasted only fifteen to twenty minutes but contained dozens of jokes in rapid-fire succession.

Youngman was born to a Jewish family in London, England. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York, when he was a child. He grew up in New York City, and began as a comedian after he had worked for years at a print shop, where he wrote "comedy cards" containing one-line gags. The comedy cards were discovered by up-and-coming comedian Milton Berle, who encouraged Youngman and formed a close friendship with him. Berle said about him, "The only thing funnier than Henny's jokes is his violin playing."

Encouraged by his family to study the violin, Youngman began in show business as a musician. He led a small jazz band called the "Swanee Syncopaters", and during their performances he often told jokes. One night, the club's regular comedian didn't show up and the owner asked Youngman to fill in. He enjoyed it and began his long career as a stand-up comic. His inoffensive, friendly style of comedy kept his audiences laughing for decades. He first played in clubs and speakeasies, but his break came on the Kate Smith radio show in 1937. Youngman's manager, Ted Collins, booked him on the show, and he made many appearances on the radio.

During the 1940s, Youngman tried to work into films as an actor, but he found little work in Hollywood. He returned to nightclubs and worked steadily, performing as many as 200 shows a year. Working with writer/producer Danny Shapiro, Youngman recorded The Primitive Sounds of Henny Youngman a "live" album for National Recording Corporation in 1959 at the Celebrity Club in St. Louis. The album is still popular today in CD, and is a frequent iTunes download.