Bernard Shalom Kotzin (November 11, 1918 – December 14, 1997), known professionally as Stubby Kaye, was an American actor, comedian, vaudevillian and singer, known for his appearances on Broadway and in film musicals.
Kaye originated the roles of Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls and Marryin' Sam in Li'l Abner, introducing two show-stopping numbers of the era: "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" and "Jubilation T. Cornpone". He reprised these roles in the movie versions of the shows. Other well-known roles include Herman in Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity, Sam the Shade in Cat Ballou, and Marvin Acme in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Biography
Kaye was first generation born Bernard Sholom Kotzin in 1918, at West 114th Street in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan. He kept his original name secret throughout his career.<!--The New York Times obit says he was born in the Bronx--> His parents were Jewish-Americans originally from Russia and Austria-Hungary. His father, David Kotzin, was a dress salesman, and the former Harriet "Hattie" Freundlish was his mother. He was raised in the Far Rockaway section of Queens and later in The Bronx, where he acted in student productions at DeWitt Clinton High School, and where he graduated in 1937.
In 1939, he won the Major Bowes Amateur Hour contest on radio where the prize included touring in vaudeville,
As Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, first on Broadway (1950) and then in the film version (1955), Kaye introduced "Fugue for Tinhorns" ("I got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere...") and "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat". He created the role of Marryin' Sam in Li'l Abner on Broadway (1956), introducing the song "Jubilation T. Cornpone". In his New York Times review, Brooks Atkinson said Kaye sang "it with that vaudeville rhythm and those vaudeville blandishments that turn song numbers into triumphant occasions." He also played the role in the film (1959).
In 1956, he co-starred with June Allyson and Jack Lemmon in the filmYou Can't Run Away from It, a musical remake of It Happened One Night.
Kaye and Nat King Cole portrayed banjo-playing minstrels who sang the title song in the western/comedy Cat Ballou (1965), starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin. His final Broadway show was Grind, co-starring Ben Vereen, in 1985. He was survived by his wife, Angela Bracewell, whom he married in England in 1966.