Jimmy Durante - wikipedia Jimmy Durante `` Schnozzola '' redirects here. For the Mr. Meaty episode, see List of Mr. Meaty episodes § Schnozzola. Jimmy Durante Durante as host of The Hollywood Palace, 1964 James Francis Durante ( 1893 - 02 - 10 ) February 10, 1893 Manhattan, New York, U.S. January 29, 1980 ( 1980 - 01 - 29 ) ( aged 86 ) Santa Monica, California, U.S. Other names The Schnoz The Great Schnozzola Occupation Actor, comedian, singer, pianist Years active 1920 -- 1972 Political party Democratic Spouse ( s ) Jeanne Olsen ( m. 1921 ; her death 1943 ) Margie Little ( m. 1960 ) Children 1 ( adopted ) Signature James Francis Durante ( February 10, 1893 -- January 29, 1980 ) was an American singer, pianist, comedian, and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, Lower East Side Manhattan accent, comic language - butchery, jazz - influenced songs, and prominent nose helped make him one of America 's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s. He often referred to his nose as the Schnozzola ( from the Yiddish slang word `` Schnoz '' ( big nose ) ), and the word became his nickname. Contents 1 Early life 1.1 Childhood 1.2 Early career 2 Stardom 3 Radio 4 Television 5 Marriages 6 Charitable work 7 Politics 8 Later years 9 Animation 10 Filmography 11 Discography 12 References 13 External links Early life Childhood Durante was born on the Lower East Side of New York City. He was the youngest of four children born to Rosa ( Lentino ) and Bartolomeo Durante, both of whom were immigrants from Salerno, Italy. Bartolomeo was a barber. Young Jimmy served as an altar boy at Saint Malachy 's Roman Catholic Church, known as the Actor 's Chapel. Early career Durante dropped out of school in seventh grade to become a full - time ragtime pianist. He first played with his cousin, whose name was also Jimmy Durante. It was a family act, but he was too professional for his cousin. He continued working the city 's piano bar circuit and earned the nickname `` Ragtime Jimmy '', before he joined one of the first recognizable jazz bands in New York, the Original New Orleans Jazz Band. Durante was the only member not from New Orleans. His routine of breaking into a song to deliver a joke, with band or orchestra chord punctuation after each line, became a Durante trademark. In 1920 the group was renamed Jimmy Durante 's Jazz Band. Jimmy Durante was a white bandleader who featured black musicians in his live band, such as Achille Baquet, who played and recorded in Durante 's Original New Orleans Jazz Band ( 1918 -- 1920 ). Stardom By the mid-1920s, Durante had become a vaudeville star and radio personality in a trio called Clayton, Jackson and Durante. Lou Clayton and Eddie Jackson, Durante 's closest friends, often reunited with Durante in subsequent years. Jackson and Durante appeared in the Cole Porter musical The New Yorkers, which opened on Broadway on December 8, 1930. Earlier that same year, the team appeared in the movie Roadhouse Nights, ostensibly based on Dashiell Hammett 's novel Red Harvest. By 1934, Durante had a major record hit with his own novelty composition, `` Inka Dinka Doo '', with lyrics by Ben Ryan. It became his theme song for the rest of his life. A year later, Durante starred on Broadway in the Billy Rose stage musical Jumbo. A scene in which a police officer stopped Durante 's character -- who was leading a live elephant across the stage -- to ask, `` What are you doing with that elephant ? '', followed by Durante 's reply, `` What elephant ? '', was a regular show - stopper. This comedy bit, also reprised in his role in Billy Rose 's Jumbo, likely contributed to the popularity of the idiom the elephant in the room. Durante also appeared on Broadway in Show Girl ( 1929 ), Strike Me Pink ( 1934 ) and Red, Hot and Blue ( 1936 ). Buster Keaton, Thelma Todd and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily ( 1932 ) During the early 1930s, Durante alternated between Hollywood and Broadway. His early motion pictures included an original Rodgers & Hart musical The Phantom President ( 1932 ), which featured Durante singing the self - referential Schnozzola. He was initially paired with silent film legend Buster Keaton in a series of three popular comedies for Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer, Speak Easily ( 1932 ), The Passionate Plumber ( 1932 ), and What ! No Beer ? ( 1933 ), which were financial hits and a career springboard for the distinctive newcomer. However, Keaton 's vociferous dissatisfaction with constraints the studio had placed upon him, his perceived incompatibility with Durante 's broad chatty humor, exacerbated by his alcoholism, led the studio to end the series. Durante went on to appear in The Wet Parade ( 1932 ), Broadway to Hollywood ( 1933 ), The Man Who Came to Dinner ( 1942, playing Banjo, a character based on Harpo Marx ), Ziegfeld Follies ( 1946 ), Billy Rose 's Jumbo ( 1962, based on the 1935 musical ), and It 's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ( 1963 ). In 1934, he starred in Hollywood Party, where he dreams he is ' Schnarzan ', a parody of ' Tarzan ' who was popular at the time due to the Johnny Weissmuller films. Radio Durante on The Jumbo Fire Chief Program, 1935. On September 10, 1933, Durante appeared on Eddie Cantor 's NBC radio show, The Chase and Sanborn Hour, continuing until November 12 of that year. When Cantor left the show, Durante took over as its star from April 22 to September 30, 1934. He then moved on to The Jumbo Fire Chief Program ( 1935 -- 36 ). Durante teamed with Garry Moore for The Durante - Moore Show in 1943. Durante 's comic chemistry with the young, brushcut Moore brought Durante an even larger audience. `` Dat 's my boy dat said dat ! '' became an instant catchphrase, which would later inspire the cartoon Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. The duo was one of the nation 's favorites for the rest of the decade. Their Armed Forces Radio Network Command Performance with Frank Sinatra remains a favorite of radio - show collectors today. Moore left the duo in mid-1947, and the program returned October 1, 1947 as The Jimmy Durante Show. Durante continued the show for three more years, and featured a reunion of Clayton, Jackson and Durante on his April 21, 1948 broadcast. Television Although Durante made his television debut on November 1, 1950 ( on the Four Star Revue - see below ) he continued to keep a presence in radio, as a frequent guest on Tallulah Bankhead 's two - year NBC comedy - variety show The Big Show. Durante was one of the cast on the show 's premiere November 5, 1950, along with humorist Fred Allen, singers Mindy Carson and Frankie Laine, stage musical performer Ethel Merman, actors Jose Ferrer and Paul Lukas, and comic - singer Danny Thomas ( about to become a major television star in his own right ). A highlight of the premiere was Durante and Thomas, whose own nose rivaled Durante 's, in a routine in which Durante accused Thomas of stealing his nose. `` Stay outta dis, No - Nose ! '' Durante barked at Bankhead to a big laugh. from the Broadway to Hollywood trailer ( 1933 ) With the hostess on The Pearl Bailey Show ( 1971 ) From 1950 to 1951, Durante was the host once a month ( alternating with Ed Wynn, Danny Thomas and Jack Carson ) on Wednesday evenings at 8 p.m, on NBC 's comedy - variety series Four Star Revue. Jimmy continued with the show until 1954. Durante then had a half - hour variety show - The Jimmy Durante Show - on NBC from October 2, 1954, to June 23, 1956. Beginning in the early 1950s, Durante teamed with sidekick Sonny King, a collaboration that would continue until Durante 's death. He was often seen regularly in Las Vegas after Sunday Mass outside of the Guardian Angel Cathedral standing next to the priest and greeting the people as they left Mass. Several times in the 1960s, Durante served as host of ABC 's Hollywood Palace variety show, which were taped live ( and consequently include ad - libs by the seasoned vaudevillian ). His last regular television appearance was co-starring with the Lennon Sisters on `` Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters Hour '' which lasted for one season on ABC ( 1969 -- 1970 ). Marriages Durante 's first wife was Jean `` Jeanne '' Olson, whom he married on June 19, 1921. She was born in Ohio on August 31, 1896. She was 46 years old when she died on Valentine 's Day in 1943, after a lingering heart ailment of about two years, although different newspaper accounts of her death suggest she was 45 or perhaps 52. As her death was not immediately expected, Durante was touring in New York at the time and returned to Los Angeles right away to complete the funeral arrangements. Durante 's radio show was bracketed with two trademarks : `` Inka Dinka Doo '' as his opening theme, and the invariable signoff that became another familiar national catchphrase : `` Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are. '' For years no one knew who Mrs. Calabash referred to and Durante preferred to keep the mystery alive. One theory was that it referred to the owner of a restaurant in Calabash, North Carolina, where Durante and his troupe had stopped to eat. He was so taken by the food, the service, and the chitchat he told the owner that he would make her famous. Since he did not know her name, he referred to her as `` Mrs. Calabash ''. Another idea was that it was a personal salute to his deceased wife, Jeanne... `` Calabash '' might have been a mangle of Calabasas, the California city where they made their home during the last years of her life. His friend and co-star, Candy Candido, ( in an interview with Chuck Shaden 's `` Speaking of Radio '' in 1988 ), reported that he met the actual woman in Chicago when traveling with Durante, but was sworn to keep the secret. Alternatively, Jimmy 's friend and radio producer, Phil Cohan revealed to Chuck Shaden 's Speaking of Radio interview in 1988 that it was a fabrication. Needing a closing to his show, the writers tossed around several names settling on Cohan 's calabash pipe as the best - sounding moniker. At a National Press Club meeting in 1966 ( broadcast on NBC 's Monitor program ), Durante finally revealed that it was indeed a tribute to his wife. While driving across the country, they stopped in a small town called Calabash, whose name Jean had loved. `` Mrs. Calabash '' became his pet name for her, and he signed off his radio program with `` Good night, Mrs. Calabash. '' He added `` wherever you are '' after the first year. Durante married his second wife, Margaret `` Margie '' Little, at St. Malachy 's Catholic Church in New York City on December 14, 1960. As a teenager she had been crowned Queen of the New Jersey State Fair. She attended New York University before being hired by the legendary Copacabana in New York City. She and Durante met there 16 years before their marriage, when he performed there and she was a hatcheck girl. She was 41 and he 67 when they married. With help from their attorney, Mary G. Rogan, the couple were able to adopt a baby, Cecilia Alicia ( nicknamed CeCe and now known as CeCe Durante - Bloum ), on Christmas Day, 1961. CeCe became a champion horsewoman and then a horse trainer and horseback - riding instructor. Margie died on June 7, 2009, at the age of 89. Charitable work On August 15, 1958, for his charitable acts, Durante was awarded a huge three - foot - high brass loving cup by the Al Bahr Shriners Temple. The inscription reads : `` JIMMY DURANTE THE WORLD 'S MOST FAMOUS COMEDIAN. A loving cup to you Jimmy, it 's larger than your nose, but smaller than your heart. Happiness always, Al Bahr Temple, August 15, 1958. '' Durante 's love for children continued through the Fraternal Order of Eagles, who among many causes raise money for handicapped and abused children. At Durante 's first appearance at the Eagles International Convention in 1961, Judge Bob Hansen inquired about his fee for performing. Durante replied, `` Do not even mention money judge or I 'll have to mention a figure that 'll make ya sorry ya brought it up. '' `` What can we do then ? '' asked Hansen. `` Help da kids, '' was Durante 's reply. Durante performed for many years at Eagles conventions free of charge, even refusing travel money. The Fraternal Order of Eagles changed the name of their children 's fund to the Jimmy Durante Children 's Fund in his honor, and in his memory have raised over 20 million dollars to help children. A reporter once remarked of Durante after an interview : `` You could warm your hands on this one. '' One of the projects built using money from the Durante Fund was a heated therapy swimming pool at the Hughen School in Port Arthur, Texas. Completed in 1968, Durante named the pool the `` Inka Dinka Doo Pool ''. Politics Durante was an active member of the Democratic Party. In 1933, he appeared in an advertisement shown in theaters supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt 's New Deal programs and wrote a musical score entitled Give a Guy a Job to accompany it. He performed at both the inaugural gala for President John Kennedy in 1961 and a year later at the famous Madison Square Garden rally for the Democratic party that featured Marilyn Monroe singing `` Happy Birthday '' to JFK. Later years Durante in It 's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Durante continued his film appearances through It 's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and television appearances through the early 1970s. He narrated the Rankin - Bass animated Christmas special Frosty the Snowman ( 1969 ), re-run for many years since. The television work also included a series of commercial spots for Kellogg 's Corn Flakes cereals in the mid-1960s, which introduced Durante 's gravelly growl and narrow - eyed, large - nosed countenance to millions of children. `` Dis is Jimmy Durante, in puy - son ! '' was his introduction to some of the Kellogg 's spots. One of his last appearances was in a memorable television commercial for the 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, where he proclaimed that the new, roomier Beetle had `` plenty of breathin ' room... for de old schnozzola ! '' In 1963, Durante recorded the album of pop standards September Song. The album became a best - seller and provided Durante 's re-introduction to yet another generation, almost three decades later. From the Jimmy Durante 's Way of Life album came the gravelly interpretation of the song `` As Time Goes By '', which accompanied the opening credits of the romantic comedy hit Sleepless in Seattle, while his version of `` Make Someone Happy '' launched the film 's closing credits. Both are included on the film 's best - selling soundtrack. Durante also recorded a cover of the well known song I 'll Be Seeing You, which became a trademark song on his 60 's TV show. This song was also featured in the 2004 film The Notebook. He wrote a foreword for a humorous book compiled by Dick Hyman entitled Cockeyed Americana. In the first paragraph of the `` Foreword !, as Durante called it, he describes meeting Hyman and discussing the book and the contribution that Hyman wanted Durante to make to it. Durante wrote, `` Before I can say gaziggadeegasackeegazobbath, we 're at his luxurious office. '' After reading the material Hyman had compiled for the book, Durante commented on it, `` COLOSSAL, GIGANTIC, MAGNANIMOUS, and last but not first, AURORA BOREALIS. ( Capitalization Durante 's ) Four little words that make a sentence -- and a sentence that will eventually get me six months. '' Durante contributed numerous catch - phrases to popular vernacular : `` Dat 's my boy dat said dat ! '' ; `` Dat 's moral turpentine ! '' ; `` It 's a catastastroke ! '' ( for `` catastrophe '' ) ; `` Everybody wants ta get inta the act ! '' ; `` Umbriago ! '' ; `` Ha - cha - cha - chaaaaaaa ! '' ; `` I got a million of ' em '' ; `` Surrounded by assassins ! '' ; `` Am I mortified ! '' Jimmy and Margaret Durante 's grave at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California Durante retired from performing in 1972 after he became wheelchair - bound following a stroke. He died of pneumonia in Santa Monica, California on January 29, 1980, twelve days before he would have turned 87. He received Roman Catholic funeral rites four days later, with fellow entertainers including Desi Arnaz, Ernest Borgnine, Marty Allen, and Jack Carter in attendance, and was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City. Animation Jimmy Durante is known to most modern audiences as the character who narrated and sang the 1969 animated special Frosty the Snowman. He also performed the Ron Goodwin title song to the 1968 comedy - adventure Monte Carlo or Bust ( titled Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies in the U.S. ) sung over the film 's animated opening credits. There are numerous Durante depictions and allusions in animation. A character in M-G-M cartoons, a bulldog named Spike, whose puppy son was always getting caught by accident in the middle of Tom and Jerry 's activities, referenced Durante with a raspy voice and an affectionate `` Dat 's my boy ! '' In another Tom and Jerry short, a starfish lands on Tom 's head, giving him a big nose. He then proceeds with Durante 's famous `` Ha - cha - cha - cha '' call. The 1943 Tex Avery cartoon `` What 's Buzzin ' Buzzard '' featured a vulture with a voice that sounded like Jimmy Durante. A Durante - like voice ( originally by Doug Young ) was also given to the father beagle, Doggie Daddy, in Hanna - Barbera 's Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy cartoons, Doggie Daddy invariably addressing the junior beagle with a Durante - like `` Augie, my son, my son '', and with frequent citations of, `` That 's my boy who said that ! '' The 1945 MGM cartoon Jerky Turkey featured a turkey which was a caricature of Durante. Many Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies cartoons had characters based on Durante. One Harman - Ising short from 1933, Bosko 's Picture Show, featured a caricature of Adolf Hitler chasing Durante with a meat cleaver. Two examples from the 1940s include A Gruesome Twosome, which features a cat based on Durante, and Baby Bottleneck, which in unedited versions opens with a Durante - like stork. Book Revue shows the well - known ( at that time ) 1924 Edna Ferber novel So Big featuring a Durante caricature on the cover. The `` so big '' refers to his nose, and as a runaway criminal turns the corner by the book, Durante turns sideways using his nose to trip the criminal, allowing his capture. In Hollywood Daffy, Durante is directly depicted as himself, pronouncing his catchphrase `` Those are the conditions that prevail ! '' In The Mouse - Merized Cat, Catstello ( a Lou Costello mouse ) is briefly hypnotized to imitate Jimmy Durante singing Lullaby of Broadway. One of Durante 's common catch phrases, `` I got a million of ' em ! '', was used as Bugs ' final line in Stage Door Cartoon. A Durante - like voice was also used for Marvel Comics superhero The Thing in the Hanna - Barbera cartoon Fred and Barney Meet the Thing. The voice and appearance of Crispy, the mascot for Crispy Critters cereal, was also based on Durante. In Disney 's House of Mouse, a character named Mortimer Mouse ( voiced by Maurice LaMarche ) was based on Durante, complete with the `` ha - cha - cha ! ''. One of the main characters in Terrytoons ' Heckle and Jeckle cartoon series also takes to imitating Jimmy in 1948 's Taming The Cat ( `` Get a couple of song birds today... '' ). Filmography Jimmy Durante 's noseprint, handprint, and signature in front of the Grauman 's Chinese Theatre. Roadhouse Nights ( 1930 ) as Daffy New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford ( 1931 ) as Schnozzle The Christmas Party ( 1931 ) ( short subject ) as Santa Claus ( uncredited ) The Cuban Love Song ( 1931 ) as O.O. Jones Jackie Cooper 's Birthday Party ( 1931 ) ( short subject ) Hollywood on Parade : Down Memory Lane ( 1932 ) ( short subject ) Hollywood on Parade ( 1932 ) ( short subject ) The Passionate Plumber ( 1932 ) as Julius J. McCracken The Wet Parade ( 1932 ) as Abe Shilling Speak Easily ( 1932 ) as James Blondie of the Follies ( 1932 ) as Jimmy The Phantom President ( 1932 ) as Curly Cooney Le plombier amoureux ( 1932 ) as Tony Give a Man a Job ( 1933 ) ( short subject ) What ! No Beer ? ( 1933 ) as Jimmy Potts Hollywood on Parade No. 9 ( 1933 ) ( short subject ) Hell Below ( 1933 ) as ' Ptomaine ' - Ships Cook Broadway to Hollywood ( 1933 ) as Himself - Hollywood Character Meet the Baron ( 1933 ) as Joe McGoo - the Favorite ' Schnozzle ' of the Screen Palooka ( 1934 ) as Knobby Walsh George White 's Scandals ( 1934 ) as Happy McGillicuddy Strictly Dynamite ( 1934 ) as Moxie Hollywood Party ( 1934 ) as Durante / Schnarzan Student Tour ( 1934 ) as Hank Merman - Trainer of the Crew Carnival ( 1935 ) as Fingers Land Without Music ( 1936 ) as Jonah J. Whistler Start Cheering ( 1938 ) as Willie Gumbatz Sally, Irene and Mary ( 1938 ) as Jefferson Twitchel Little Miss Broadway ( 1938 ) as Jimmy Clayton Melody Ranch ( 1940 ) as Cornelius J. Courtney You 're in the Army Now ( 1941 ) as Jeeper Smith The Man Who Came to Dinner ( 1942 ) as Banjo Two Girls and a Sailor ( 1944 ) as Billy Kipp Music for Millions ( 1944 ) as Andrews Ziegfeld Follies ( 1945 ) ( scenes deleted ) Two Sisters from Boston ( 1946 ) as ' Spike ' It Happened in Brooklyn ( 1947 ) as Nick Lombardi This Time for Keeps ( 1947 ) as Ferdi Farro On an Island with You ( 1948 ) as Buckley The Great Rupert ( 1950 ) as Mr. Louie Amendola The Milkman ( 1950 ) as Breezy Albright Screen Snapshots : Hollywood Premiere ( 1955 ) ( short subject ) as Himself The Heart of Show Business ( 1957 ) ( short subject ) as Himself Beau James ( 1957 ) as Himself ( cameo, uncredited ) Pepe ( 1960 ) as Himself ( cameo ) The Last Judgment ( 1961 ) as The man with the large nose Billy Rose 's Jumbo ( 1962 ) as Anthony ' Pop ' Wonder It 's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ( 1963 ) as Smiler Grogan Frosty the Snowman ( 1969 ) as Narrator ( voice ) Discography 1959 : At the Piano -- In Person 1963 : September Song 1964 : Hello Young Lovers 1964 : Jimmy Durante 's Way of Life... 1966 : One of Those Songs 1967 : Songs for Sunday References Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ Fowler, Gene Jr. Schnozzola : The Story of Jimmy Durante Viking Press, 1951 Jump up ^ Bakish, David Jimmy Durante : His Show Business Career, with an Annotated Filmography and Discography McFarland & Co., 1994 ISBN 978 - 0 - 89950 - 968 - 6 Jump up ^ Vincenzo ( 2009 - 10 - 24 ). `` The Actors ' Chapel SANCTE PATER ''. Sanctepater.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 10. Jump up ^ Schuller, Gunther ( 1986 ). Early Jazz : Its Roots and Musical Development. Oxford University Press. p. 183. ISBN 978 - 0195040432. Jump up ^ `` Track Search : Inka Dinka Doo ''. AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2011 - 08 - 08. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 10. Jump up ^ Command Performance March 1, 1942 to October 18, 1949 ( OTR. NETwork Library ) Jump up ^ Command Performance 1947 - 02 - 30, Carole Landis, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante ( Real Audio ) Jump up ^ `` The Jimmy Durante Show ''. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved November 15, 2010. Jump up ^ See California Death Records - Jeanne Durante Jump up ^ Benoit, Tod ( May 6, 2003 ). Jimmy Durante. Where Are They Buried ? How Did They Die ? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of the Famous, Infamous, and Noteworthy. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. Jump up ^ NBC Monitor, January 25, 1975 ( sound clip at 48 : 08 ) From the Monitor Tribute Pages Jump up ^ `` Margaret `` Margie '' Durante Obituary : View Margaret Durante 's Obituary by La Jolla Light ``. Legacy.com. Retrieved May 10, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Give a Man a Job - 1933 ''. YouTube. January 30, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Durante Family and Friends attend Funeral Rite '', The New York Times, April 2, 1980, p. 13. Jump up ^ X-Entertainment : Crispy Critters Cereal Tribute External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jimmy Durante. Wikiquote has quotations related to : Jimmy Durante Jimmy Durante on IMDb Jimmy Durante at the TCM Movie Database 78599 Jimmy Durante at the Internet Broadway Database Jimmy Durante at AllMovie Jimmy Durante at Find a Grave Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs : The Jimmy Durante Show ( 1933 - 50 ) Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs : The Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore Show ( 1943 - 47 ) Jimmy Durante on `` Four Star Revue / All Star Revue '' ( 1950 - 53 ) at Classic TV Info. Jimmy Durante on `` The Colgate Comedy Hour '' ( 1953 - 54 ) at Classic TV Info. Jimmy Durante on `` Texaco Star Theater '' ( 1954 - 56 ) at Classic TV Info. Alternate theory that Mrs. Calabash was Lucille `` Lucy '' Coleman, a restaurant owner in Calabash, North Carolina Biography with list of credits Lyrics for `` Inka - Dinka - Doo '' Jimmy Durante and Eddie Cantor ( 1947 ) Command Performance ( March 15, 1945 ) Red Hot Jazz Archive : Jimmy Durante Literature on Jimmy Durante Archival Television Audio on Jimmy Durante hide Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Alan Young ( 1950 ) Sid Caesar ( 1951 ) Jimmy Durante ( 1952 ) Donald O'Connor ( 1953 ) Danny Thomas ( 1954 ) Phil Silvers ( 1955 ) Sid Caesar ( 1956 ) Jack Benny ( 1957 ) Jack Benny ( 1959 ) Dick Van Dyke ( 1964 ) Dick Van Dyke ( 1965 ) Dick Van Dyke ( 1966 ) Don Adams ( 1967 ) Don Adams ( 1968 ) Don Adams ( 1969 ) William Windom ( 1970 ) Jack Klugman ( 1971 ) Carroll O'Connor ( 1972 ) Jack Klugman ( 1973 ) Alan Alda ( 1974 ) Tony Randall ( 1975 ) Jack Albertson ( 1976 ) Carroll O'Connor ( 1977 ) Carroll O'Connor ( 1978 ) Carroll O'Connor ( 1979 ) Richard Mulligan ( 1980 ) Judd Hirsch ( 1981 ) Alan Alda ( 1982 ) Judd Hirsch ( 1983 ) John Ritter ( 1984 ) Robert Guillaume ( 1985 ) Michael J. Fox ( 1986 ) Michael J. Fox ( 1987 ) Michael J. Fox ( 1988 ) Richard Mulligan ( 1989 ) Ted Danson ( 1990 ) Burt Reynolds ( 1991 ) Craig T. Nelson ( 1992 ) Ted Danson ( 1993 ) Kelsey Grammer ( 1994 ) Kelsey Grammer ( 1995 ) John Lithgow ( 1996 ) John Lithgow ( 1997 ) Kelsey Grammer ( 1998 ) John Lithgow ( 1999 ) Michael J. Fox ( 2000 ) Eric McCormack ( 2001 ) Ray Romano ( 2002 ) Tony Shalhoub ( 2003 ) Kelsey Grammer ( 2004 ) Tony Shalhoub ( 2005 ) Tony Shalhoub ( 2006 ) Ricky Gervais ( 2007 ) Alec Baldwin ( 2008 ) Alec Baldwin ( 2009 ) Jim Parsons ( 2010 ) Jim Parsons ( 2011 ) Jon Cryer ( 2012 ) Jim Parsons ( 2013 ) Jim Parsons ( 2014 ) Jeffrey Tambor ( 2015 ) Jeffrey Tambor ( 2016 ) Donald Glover ( 2017 ) BNE : XX875136 BNF : cb139404780 ( data ) GND : 119088932 ISNI : 0000 0000 8060 4517 LCCN : n81022178 MusicBrainz : c4c8a72e - a518 - 48ba - bd59 - c27ea6f8d932 SNAC : w6z05t8x SUDOC : 171780035 VIAF : 69731589 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Durante&oldid=846174706 '' Categories : 1893 births 1980 deaths 20th - century American comedians 20th - century American male actors 20th - century American musicians American jazz musicians American male comedians American male film actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Italian descent American Roman Catholics Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City American Burlesque performers California Democrats Deaths from pneumonia Gennett Records artists Infectious disease deaths in California Male actors of Italian descent National Radio Hall of Fame inductees New York ( state ) Democrats Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Peabody Award winners People of Campanian descent Stroke survivors Vaudeville performers Hidden categories : Biography with signature Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2013 Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata Articles with IBDb links Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Aragonés تۆرکجه Български Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français Italiano Magyar 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog Türkçe 13 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 June 2018, at 21 : 34 ( UTC ). 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Question: who said goodnight mrs. calabash wherever you are
Answer: Durante