# Harry Steppe

Harry Steppe (born Abraham Stepner), March 16, 1888 – November 22, 1934 was a Russian Jewish-American actor, musical comedy performer, headliner comedian, writer, librettist, director and producer, who toured North America working in Vaudeville and Burlesque. Steppe performed at several well-known theaters on the Columbia, Mutual and Orpheum circuits. Steppe was one of Bud Abbott's first partners.

## Early life

Born in Russia to Orthodox Jewish parents, Steppe and his family emigrated from Moscow to the U.S. through Ellis Island in 1892. In 1899, Steppe became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
Steppe's father was a tailor; his brother Michael was a vocalist. Another of Steppe's brothers was named Harry, but it is not known if this inspired part of Steppe's stage name.
Steppe lived in Newark, New Jersey and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At age 29, Steppe claimed an exemption from the World War I draft on the grounds that he supported his widowed mother.

## Relationships

Steppe married twice. His first wife Beatrice, an actress in "Razzle Dazzle of 1918," died at the age of 25 from the Spanish flu, the same year they were married. This sudden loss may have contributed to speculation about Harry's personal struggles with depression.
Other paramours of Harry Steppe included Vaudeville performers Victoria "Vic" Dayton, whom he married in 1920, Edna Raymond and Leona St. Clair. Steppe was often billed with actress Lola Pierce, to whom he was also reportedly linked romantically.

## Career

Known to theater patrons as "The Hebrew Gent," Steppe was billed as a Hebrew, Jewish-dialect or Yiddish-dialect character comedian. "Ignatz Cohen," one of Steppe's alter egos, became a recurring and popular character based on an ethnic Jewish stereotype. Many of Steppe's variety shows featured musical revues and olios with dancing girls, comedy sketches and specialty acts. One performance of Steppe's "Girls from the Follies" featured "eight cycling models with thrilling stunts on wheels," operatic songs, ballroom dancing and chorus girls.
Phil Silvers and others credited Steppe with "introducing the phrase 'top banana' into show business jargon in 1927 as a synonym for the top comic on the bill. It rose out of a routine, full of doubletalk, in which three comics tried to share two bananas." Silvers further popularized the term "Top Banana" in his 1951 Broadway musical and 1954 film of the same name. Steppe also claimed to have coined the phrase "Second Banana."
Steppe had a version of a shell game routine called "The Lemon Bit," that used lemons instead of peas. He performed it with Bud Abbott in burlesque, and Abbott later performed it with Costello in burlesque; in the Broadway musical "Streets of Paris"; in their movie "In the Navy"; live on the "Colgate Comedy Hour"; and in their television program "The Abbott & Costello Show."

### Agents and management

Harry Steppe was represented by several theatrical agencies during his career, including Cain & Davenport and Chamberlain and Lyman Brown. Some of his shows were produced by Sam N. Reichblum and well-known burlesque producer I.H. Herk. Steppe also secured theater bookings through the support of entertainment circuits, or "wheels" such as the B.F. Keith Vaudeville Exchange, the Columbia Amusement Company (so-called "clean" burlesque) and the Mutual Burlesque Association.

## Death

When Steppe became gravely ill and unable to work, his friends in show business staged a fundraiser on his behalf. However, Steppe died in poverty. Pulmonary edema contributed to Steppe's death, according to his death certificate. He was at Bellevue Hospital in New York, New York for two days and had been ill for a month, according to a story in Variety magazine, Nov. 27, 1934. He is buried in New Jersey.

## Stage productions

Here is an ever-expanding table of documented theatrical productions.
Performances :
| Year | Month | City & State | Theater | Show Title | Players & Notables | Media Coverage |
| 1911 | Apr | | Majestic Theater | The Two Strollers Musical Comedy | Harry Steppe Toney Murphy Smuckler Sisters | Portsmouth Daily Times |
| 1911 | May | | Kenyon Theater | Loveland | Harry Steppe (as Ignatz Cohen) Ben Masten Jack Daily Leona Thompson, singer Berti Wyatt, dancer Gertie Fay, dancer | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1912 | Apr | Marion, OH | Sun Theater | Girl from Daffydill | Harry Steppe (as Ignatz Cohen) | Marion Daily Star |
| 1912 | | | Olympic | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1913 | Sep | | | Girls from the Follies | | Indianapolis Star |
| 1913 | Sep | Kansas City, MO | | Girls from the Follies | | Kansas City Star, The |
| 1913 | Oct | Chicago, IL | | Girls from the Follies | | Suburbanite Economist |
| 1913 | Nov | Boston, MA | Howard Athenaeum | Girls from the Follies | | Boston Globe |
| 1913 | | Cleveland, OH | Empire | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1914 | Jan | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Girls from the Follies | | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1914 | Mar | Toronto, ON Canada | Star Theater | Girls from the Follies | | Toronto Sunday World |
| 1914 | Apr | Boston, MA | Howard Athenaeum | | | Boston Daily Globe |
| 1914 | May | Hartford, CT | Poli Palace Theater Main and Gold Streets | Those Kissing Girls Musical Comedy | | Hartford Courant |
| 1914 | Jun | | St. James | Kissing Girls | Harry Steppe Oscar Lorraine, violinist Ed and Jack Smith, dancers | Boston Evening Transcript |
| 1914 | Aug | | Murray Hill Theatre | Girls from the Follies | Harry Steppe Charles Quinn Vesta Lockard Gertrude Balston Forrest G. Wyre Jessie Quinn Annie Goldie Marie Revere Harry Fisher William Harris | New York Times |
| 1914 | Sep | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Girls from the Follies | Harry Steppe Charles Quinn Vesta Lockard Gertrude Balston Forrest G. Wyre Jessie Quinn Annie Goldie Marie Revere Harry Fisher William Harris | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1914 | Nov | Boston, MA | Howard Athenaeum | Girls from the Follies | | Boston Daily Globe |
| 1914 | | Baltimore, MD | Gayety | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1915 | Jan | Toronto | Star Theater | Girls from the Follies Two-act Musical Farce | Harry Steppe Vesta Lockard Gertude Walston Mabel Reflow George L. Wagner William M. Harris Billy Moore Harry Fisher Solly Hito Dan Pierce, Star Theater Manager | Toronto World |
| 1915 | March | Indianapolis, IN | | Girls from the Follies | Harry Steppe | Indianapolis Star |
| 1915 | May | | Victoria | Girls from the Follies | Harry Steppe Vesta Lockhard Gertude Ralston Mabel Reflow, dancer George L. Wagner William M. Harris Harry Van Harry Fisher Solly Hito, dancer | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1915 | Sep | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Lady Pirates | | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1915 | Oct | Trenton, NJ | | | | Trenton Evening Times |
| 1915 | | Cleveland, OH | Bijou | | | |
| 1915 | | Louisville, KY | Buckingham | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1915 | | Detroit, MI | Cadillac | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1915 | | Detroit, MI | Cadillac | Lady Pirates | | |
| 1915 | | Philadelphia, PA | Casino | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1915 | | Rochester, NY | Corinthian | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1915 | | Ft. Wayne, IN | Majestic | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1915 | | | Razzier | | | |
| 1915 | | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1915 | | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Keeny's Harry Steppe & George Martin | | |
| 1916 | Jan | Ft. Wayne, IN | | Girls from the Follies | | Ft Wayne Daily News |
| 1916 | Jan | Ft. Wayne, IN | | Cohen in Chinatown Two-act musical comedy | | Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette |
| 1916 | | Philadelphia, PA | Cabaret | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1916 | | St. Louis, MO | Standard | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1916 | | Louisville, KY | Buckingham | Girls from the Follies Cohen on the East Side Two-act musical burlesque | | Reedy's Mirror |
| 1916 | | | Olympic | | | |
| 1916 | | Newark, NJ | Loews | Harry Steppe at the Loews | | |
| 1916 | | | Loews | Step Lively Girls | | |
| 1916 | | Louisville, KY | Buckingham | Girls from the Follies | | |
| 1916 | | Cleveland, OH | Empire | Cohen's Review | | |
| 1916 | | Philadelphia, PA | Trocadero | Follies | | |
| 1916 | | Milwaukee, WI | Gayety | | | |
| 1917 | Jan | Trenton, NJ | | Hello Girls | | Trenton Evening Times |
| 1917 | Feb | Brooklyn, NY | Howard Athenaeum | | | Boston Daily Globe |
| 1917 | | Brooklyn, NY | Star | | | |
| 1918 | Aug | Philadelphia, PA | Gayety 5th below Vine | Razzle Dazzle Girls | Harry Steppe Grace Fletcher | Evening Public Ledger |
| 1918 | Oct | | Star Theater | Razzle Dazzle of 1918 | Harry Steppe Bunnie Mack, comedian Grace Fletcher, soubrette Percie Judah Mike Fertig, singer Sydia Dunn, singer Palmer Hines, straight man | Toronto World |
| 1919 | Jan | Pittsburgh, PA | Victoria | Razzle Dazzle of 1919 | Harry Steppe Lew Denny Mike Fertig, singer Billy Halperin Percie Judah Sydia Dunn, singer Grace Fletcher | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1919 | Feb | Washington, DC | | Razzle Dazzle | Harry Steppe Grace Fletcher | Washington Post |
| 1919 | Mar | Trenton, NJ | | Razzle Dazzle | | |
| 1919 | | Columbus, OH | Lyceum | Razzle Dazzle | | |
| 1919 | | | Peoples Theatre | American Supreme | | |
| 1920 | | Columbus, OH | | Razzle Dazzle of 1919 | | |
| 1920 | | | | Tid Bits of 1920 | | |
| 1920 | | | Buckingham | Misfit Cohen | | |
| 1920 | | | Gayety | Harry Steppe and His Rumba Girls | | |
| 1921 | Jun | New York, NY | Loew's Metropolitan | | Harry Steppe, headliner Dick Lancaster | New York Tribune |
| 1921 | Jun | New York, NY | Loew's American | | Harry Steppe, headliner Chappelle and Stinnett | New York Tribune |
| 1921 | Sep | New York, NY | Columbia Broadway & 47th St. | Jingle Jingle | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal | New York Times |
| 1921 | | Washington, DC | | | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Frank Anderson | Washington Post |
| 1923 | Apr | Los Angeles, CA | Hillstreet | Just a Debate | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal | Los Angeles Times |
| 1923 | | New York, NY | Columbia Playhouse | | | |
| 1924 | Sep | | Gayety Theater Columbia Burlesque | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Vic Casmore Solly Hito, dancer Mabel Reflow, dancer | Canadian Jewish Chronicle The Axe (Montreal) |
| 1924 | Nov | Bridgeport, CT | | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | | Bridgeport Telegram |
| 1924 | Dec | | Gayety | | Harry Steppe Dorothy Golden, dancer | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1925 | Jan | | Gayety Theater Columbia Burlesque | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Mabel Reflow Lola Pierce | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1925 | March | | | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal | Chicago Tribune |
| 1925 | Apr | | Empire Theater Temperance Street Columbia Burlesque (Columbia Circuit) | Cain and Davenport present Harry Steppe and His Big Show Week of April 13 | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Vic Casmore Hite and (Mabel) Reflow, singer George McClennon, comedian | Canadian Jewish Review |
| 1925 | May | New York, NY | Columbia Theater Times Square (Columbia Circuit) | O.K. | Harry Steppe Harry O'Neal Mabel Reflow, singer Lola Pierce, singer George McClennon, dancer Miller and Ryan, dancers Three Golfers, acrobats Solly Hito, juvenile and a whistler | New York Times |
| 1925 | Aug | | (New) Lyric Theater | O.K. | Harry Steppe George McClennon Owen Martin, straight man Vic Casmore Mite Mabel Reflow, singer | Bridgeport Telegraph |
| 1925 | Sep | | Gayety | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Vic Casmore | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1925 | Oct | Cleveland, OH | Columbia | Steppe's Own Show | Harry Steppe George McClennon | Afro-American |
| 1925 | Oct | Zanesville, OH | Weller Columbia Circuit | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Owen Martin, straight man George McClennon, jazz clarinetist Jacque Wilson, blues singer Carmen Sisters, dancers Rube Walman, whistler | Zanesville Times Signal Zanesville Signal Zanesville Times Signal |
| 1926 | Apr | Boston, MA | Casino Theater (Columbia Circuit) | Steppe's Own Show | | Afro-American |
| 1926 | June | New York, NY | | The Lemon Bit | | New York Times |
| 1926 | | Boston, MA | Gaiety Theater | Harry Steppe's OK | | Gaiety Theater Study Report |
| 1927 | Jul | Milwaukee, WI | Majestic Theatre | The Debate | Harry Steppe Lola Pierce | Milwaukee Sentinel |
| 1927 | Oct | Atlanta, GA | | The Supper Club The Debate | Harry Steppe Lola Pierce | Atlanta Constitution |
| 1928 | Feb | Decatur, Illinois | | Matrimony à la Carte with Lola Pierce | | |
| 1928 | June | New York, NY | Loew's Theater | | | Loew's Weekly |
| 1929 | Sep | | Gayety | Harry Steppe and His Own Big Show | | Canadian Jewish Review |
| 1929 | Dec | Washington, DC | 9th Street | Harry Steppe and His Show | | Washington Post |
| 1929 | Dec | Pittsburgh, PA | Academy Theater | Harry Steppe and His Show Monte Carlo Fortune Hunters | Harry Steppe Betty and Bud Abbott Billie Holmes, blues singer Frances Knight, ingenue Rube Walman Lee Baird, second comedian Gertie Foreman Jerry DeVere | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1930 | Sep | | Orpheum Theatre | Harry Steppe and His Show | | Reading Eagle |
| 1930 | Oct | Pittsburgh, PA | Academy Theater | Harry Steppe and His Big Show | Harry Steppe Jeanne Steele, jazz singer Ann Clair, ingenue Lloyd and Ardell Wilbur Dobbs, comedian George Raymond, baritone Dixon and Morrell, sister act | Pittsburgh Press |
| 1931 | Mar | | Orpheum Theater (Mutual Circuit) | Fashion Parade | Harry Steppe Sonny Kest, ingenue Lee Hickman Dorothy Alexander | Reading Eagle |
| 1931 | Oct | Pittsburgh, PA | Academy Theater (Columbia Circuit) | Rumba Girls | Harry Steppe Jerri McCauley | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
| 1933 | Apr | | Ritz | | Harry Steppe Max Furman Lew Patel Eddie Dale Harry Burns Olsen and Johnson | Syracuse Herald |
| 1933 | Nov | Hartford, CT | Parsons Theater | | Harry Steppe Eddie Lloyd, comedian Lew Denny, straight man | Hartford Courant |
| 1934 | Sep | | Variety | Red Hot | Harry Steppe Joe DeRita Happy Hyatt Abe Sher Al Golden, director | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pittsburgh Press |