Dick Shawn (December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor. Way ahead of his time most say, it was extremely difficult indeed to know how to properly tap into this man's eclectic talents. Shawn began inching toward the forefront during the be-bop 50s and early 60s with his odd penchant for playing cool cats. During his mild bid for film stardom, he was top-billed as a hip, laid back genie in the thoroughly dismal satire The Wizard of Baghdad (1960), but seemed to have better luck when taken in smaller doses. He fared quite well opposite another "way-out-there" comedian, Ernie Kovacs, in Wake Me When It's Over (1960) as a hustling soldier out to make a buck in the Far East. Also on the plus side, he replaced Zero Mostel in the bawdy musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" on Broadway and stole a small scene in the all-star epic comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). By far, the one role that completely overshadows all of his other hard work is his mock portrayal of a singing Adolf Hitler in the show-within-a-movie The Producers (1968). In the film, which starred Mostel and Gene Wilder as two con artists deliberately producing a stage "bomb" called "Springtime for Hitler," Shawn sang the hammy, absurdly narcissistic song "Love Power." The movie finally captured Shawn in his element, but this stroke of genius of matching actor to role would never happen again for him. For the most part his roles came off slick and smarmy, and were stuck in mediocre material. Shawn won a huge fan base, however, touring in one-man stage shows which contained a weird mix of songs, sketches, satire, philosophy and even pantomime. A bright, innovative wit, one of his best touring shows was called "The Second Greatest Entertainer in the World." During the show's intermission, Shawn would lie visibly on the stage floor absolutely still during the entire time. By freakish coincidence, Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego in 1987 when he suddenly fell forward on the stage during one of his spiels about the Holocaust. The audience, of course, laughed, thinking it was just a part of his odd shtick. In actuality, the 63-year-old married actor with four children had suffered a fatal heart attack. A not-surprising end for this thoroughly offbeat and intriguing personality.
Dick Shawn (December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor. Way ahead of his time most say, it was extremely difficult indeed to know how to properly tap into this man's eclectic talents. Shawn began inching toward the forefront during the be-bop 50s and early 60s with his odd penchant for playing cool cats. During his mild bid for film stardom, he was top-billed as a hip, laid back genie in the thoroughly dismal satire The Wizard of Baghdad (1960), but seemed to have better luck when taken in smaller doses. He fared quite well opposite another "way-out-there" comedian, Ernie Kovacs, in Wake Me When It's Over (1960) as a hustling soldier out to make a buck in the Far East. Also on the plus side, he replaced Zero Mostel in the bawdy musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" on Broadway and stole a small scene in the all-star epic comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). By far, the one role that completely overshadows all of his other hard work is his mock portrayal of a singing Adolf Hitler in the show-within-a-movie The Producers (1968). In the film, which starred Mostel and Gene Wilder as two con artists deliberately producing a stage "bomb" called "Springtime for Hitler," Shawn sang the hammy, absurdly narcissistic song "Love Power." The movie finally captured Shawn in his element, but this stroke of genius of matching actor to role would never happen again for him. For the most part his roles came off slick and smarmy, and were stuck in mediocre material. Shawn won a huge fan base, however, touring in one-man stage shows which contained a weird mix of songs, sketches, satire, philosophy and even pantomime. A bright, innovative wit, one of his best touring shows was called "The Second Greatest Entertainer in the World." During the show's intermission, Shawn would lie visibly on the stage floor absolutely still during the entire time. By freakish coincidence, Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego in 1987 when he suddenly fell forward on the stage during one of his spiels about the Holocaust. The audience, of course, laughed, thinking it was just a part of his odd shtick. In actuality, the 63-year-old married actor with four children had suffered a fatal heart attack. A not-surprising end for this thoroughly offbeat and intriguing personality.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0790071
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3026633
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Filmography (Movies)
Leave 'em Laughing
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:25/07/2020
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:17/02/2018
Batman & Robin
Character:Snow Miser (archive sound) (uncredited)
Release Date:20/06/1997
Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/1991
Rented Lips
Character:Charlie Slater
Release Date:01/07/1988
Maid to Order
Character:Stan Starkey
Release Date:10/07/1987
The Making of Captain EO
Character:Self
Release Date:12/09/1986
Captain EO
Character:Commander Bog
Release Date:12/09/1986
The Perils of P.K
Character:The Psychiatrist
Release Date:06/06/1986
The Check is in the Mail...
Character:Donald
Release Date:02/05/1986
The Tommy Chong Roast
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1986
The Emperor's New Clothes
Character:Emperor
Release Date:05/10/1985
Water
Character:Deke Halliday
Release Date:11/01/1985
Angel
Character:Mae
Release Date:19/04/1984
Best Chest in the West
Character:Self - Host
Release Date:01/01/1984
The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud
Character:The Ultimate Patient
Release Date:01/01/1984
Young Warriors
Character:Professor Hoover
Release Date:28/08/1983
Good-bye Cruel World
Character:Rodney Pointsetter / Ainsley Pointsetter
Release Date:17/09/1982
Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration
Character:Self
Release Date:07/05/1979
Love at First Bite
Character:Lieutenant Ferguson NYPD
Release Date:26/04/1979
Fast Friends
Character:Deke Edwards
Release Date:19/03/1979
Looking Up
Character:Manny Lander
Release Date:15/05/1977
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Character:Snow Miser (voice)
Release Date:10/12/1974
Evil Roy Slade
Character:Marshal Bing Bell
Release Date:18/02/1972
Dames at Sea
Character:Lucky
Release Date:15/11/1971
Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man
Character:Himself
Release Date:18/02/1970
The Happy Ending
Character:Harry Bricker
Release Date:21/12/1969
The Producers
Character:Lorenzo St. DuBois (L.S.D.)
Release Date:18/03/1968
Penelope
Character:Dr. Gregory Mannix
Release Date:10/11/1966
Way... Way Out
Character:Igor Valkleinokov
Release Date:26/10/1966
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
Character:Captain Lionel Cash
Release Date:31/08/1966
A Very Special Favor
Character:Arnold Plum
Release Date:02/08/1965
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Character:Sylvester Marcus
Release Date:07/11/1963
The Wizard of Baghdad
Character:Genii-Ali Mahmud
Release Date:03/03/1961
Wake Me When It's Over
Character:Gus Brubaker
Release Date:10/06/1960
The All-Star Christmas Show
Character:Self
Release Date:01/12/1958
The Opposite Sex
Character:Singer
Release Date:15/11/1956
Television Appearances
Amazing Stories
Character:Joe Willoughby
The Twilight Zone
Character:(segment "Cold Reading")
Hail to the Chief
Character:Ivan Zolotov
Tales from the Darkside
Character:Bo Gumbs
St. Elsewhere
Character:Edgar Eisenberg
Madame's Place
Character:Self
Faerie Tale Theatre
Character:Guest Interviewee
Faerie Tale Theatre
Character:Emperor
Magnum, P.I.
Character:Buzz Benoit
The Love Boat
Character:David Jackson
The Love Boat
Character:Harvey Blanchard
Laverne & Shirley
Character:
Medical Center
Character:
The Dick Cavett Show
Character:Self - Guest
ABC Stage 67
Character:Paul Benderhof
That Girl
Character:
The Judy Garland Show
Character:Self
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Character:
The Lucy Show
Character:Ace Winthrop
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character:Self
The Merv Griffin Show
Character:Self
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self - Co-Host
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Character:Charlie Wilson
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Character:Self
General Electric Theater
Character:Felix Franklin
The Ed Sullivan Show
Character:Self
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