Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February , â€" July , ) was an
American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for
his supporting role in the film Sayonara.Red Buttons was born Aaron
Chwatt on February , , in Manhattan, to Jewish immigrants Sophie (née
Baker) and Michael Chwatt. At sixteen years old, Chwatt got a job as
an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, Bronx. The
combination of his red hair and the large, shiny buttons on the
bellhop uniforms inspired orchestra leader Charles "Dinty" Moore to
call him "Red Buttons," the name under which he would later
perform.Later that same summer Buttons worked on the Borscht Belt; his
straight man was Robert Alda. Buttons was working at the Irvington
Hotel in South Fallsburg, New York, when the Master of Ceremonies
became incapacitated, and he asked for the chance to replace him. In
Buttons started working for Minsky's Burlesque; in , José Ferrer
chose Buttons to appear in a Broadway show The Admiral Had a Wife. The
show was a farce set in Pearl Harbor, and it was due to open on
December , . It never did, as it was deemed inappropriate after the
Japanese attack. In later years Buttons would joke that the Japanese
only attacked Pearl Harbor to keep him off Broadway.In September ,
Buttons made his Broadway debut in Vickie with Ferrer and Uta Hagen.
Later that year he appeared in the Minsky's show Wine, Women and Song.
This was the last classic Burlesque show in New York City history, as
the Mayor La Guardia administration closed it down. Buttons was on
stage when the show was raided.
American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for
his supporting role in the film Sayonara.Red Buttons was born Aaron
Chwatt on February , , in Manhattan, to Jewish immigrants Sophie (née
Baker) and Michael Chwatt. At sixteen years old, Chwatt got a job as
an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, Bronx. The
combination of his red hair and the large, shiny buttons on the
bellhop uniforms inspired orchestra leader Charles "Dinty" Moore to
call him "Red Buttons," the name under which he would later
perform.Later that same summer Buttons worked on the Borscht Belt; his
straight man was Robert Alda. Buttons was working at the Irvington
Hotel in South Fallsburg, New York, when the Master of Ceremonies
became incapacitated, and he asked for the chance to replace him. In
Buttons started working for Minsky's Burlesque; in , José Ferrer
chose Buttons to appear in a Broadway show The Admiral Had a Wife. The
show was a farce set in Pearl Harbor, and it was due to open on
December , . It never did, as it was deemed inappropriate after the
Japanese attack. In later years Buttons would joke that the Japanese
only attacked Pearl Harbor to keep him off Broadway.In September ,
Buttons made his Broadway debut in Vickie with Ferrer and Uta Hagen.
Later that year he appeared in the Minsky's show Wine, Women and Song.
This was the last classic Burlesque show in New York City history, as
the Mayor La Guardia administration closed it down. Buttons was on
stage when the show was raided.
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