Harry Richman

Harry Richman (10 August 1895–3 November 1972) was a singer, actor, dancer, comedian, pianist, songwriter, bandleader, and night club performer, at his most popular in the 1920s and 1930s.

Richman was born as Harold Reichman in Cincinnati, Ohio. He changed his name to “Harry Richman” at age 18, by which time he was already a professional entertainer in vaudeville. He worked as a piano accompanist to such stars as Mae West and Nora Bayes. With Bayes' act he made his Broadway debut in 1922, appearing in several editions of the George White’s Scandals in the 1920s to acclaim.

His feature movie debut in Hollywood in 1930 with the film Puttin' on the Ritz, featuring the Irving Berlin song of the same title, gave Richman a phonograph record hit that year. His film career, though, was short lived due to his somewhat overpowering personality, and his limited acting skills. (Leonard Maltin wrote of Puttin' on the Ritz: “A songwriter drinks and goes blind – after seeing this you’ll want to do the same”.) This made little difference to his career as he remained a popular nightclub host and stage performer.