Alan King

This comic's lengthy career in show business included just about every type of creative expression possible for a stage performer, including films, television, live performances, and books. On recordings, Alan King was of course well represented during a wave of so-called "party discs" featuring in his case Jewish humor; material of this ilk has been collected on reissues such as The Very Funny World of Alan King on the GMG imprint.King was a protégé of the brilliant Milton Berle, paying his dues at Catskills comic clubs and developing a unique on-stage identity combining arrogance, impatience, goofiness, frustration, class, and what sometimes seemed like a stomach ache of some sort, all accompanied with the puffing of a lengthy cigar. He acted in 29 films, specializing in the roles of rabbis, agents, and gangsters. His five books include -The Alan King Great Jewish Joke Book. In 2002 he won great praise in the title role in a stage portrait of movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn. He was born Irwin Alan Kniberg in New York City on the day after Christmas. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide