Cliff Nazarro

Cliff Nazarro (1904-1961) was a vaudeville and nightclub comedian and performer. He was best known for his doubletalk routine, starting out normally before speeding up his delivery and including nonsensical and unintelligible phrases. 
Aside from vaudeville, Nazarro began his radio career in the 1930s as a crooner. Around 1935, Jack Benny caught Nazarro's act and used him on his radio series, first in bit parts as rustics (including once as Andy Devine's father) before a recurring stint, off and on between 1938 and 1941 with his doubletalk specialty (twice filling in for announcer Don Wilson, to less coherent effect). He used the same schtick as a frequent guest with Abbott and Costello and on other series, and used it in the Merrie Melodies short The Penguin Parade. He was heard in other Warner Bros. cartoons, often doing celebrity imitations (sometimes singing, such as Bing Crosby) and made occasional movie appearances into the 1940s, again usually with his doubletalk specialty while his largest role was as comic strip character Barney Google in the low-budget World War II-era Hillbilly Blitzkrieg. His vocals and gibberish spiel were preserved on three record singles.
==References==
*Three of Nazarro's recordings were transcribed by Jim Henson for use on Sam and Friends or related appearances in 1955: "I'll Remember" (1939, beginning as a straight song before the doubletalk), "News of the World" (1942, a doubletalk news broadcast),Transcribed May 5, 1955. Shemin, Craig. Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show. BearManor Media, 2022. p. 235-236. and "You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Crazy)" (B side of same record, again song descending into gibberish).Transcribed June 23, 1955. ibid. p. 240
==Sources==
==External links==
*Discogs.com listing
*Tralfaz Blog - Cliff Nazarro profile and clippings
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Category:Audio References
Category:Musical References