Ted Lewis (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ted Lewis
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Theodore Leopold Friedman |
| Born | June 6, 1890 Circleville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | August 25, 1971 (aged 81) New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader, singer, entertainer |
| Instruments | Clarinet |
| Years active | 1913–1971 |
Theodore Leopold Friedman (born June 6, 1890 – died August 25, 1971), known as Ted Lewis, was a famous American entertainer. He was a bandleader, singer, and musician. Ted Lewis led a popular band and stage show that mixed jazz music, comedy, and old-time fun. His shows were a big hit with people in America before and after World War II. Many called him "Mr. Entertainment" or Ted "Is Everybody Happy?" Lewis. He passed away in August 1971 due to lung failure.
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Early Life of Ted Lewis
Ted Lewis was born in Circleville, Ohio. His parents were Pauline and Benjamin Friedman. His father owned a store called Friedman’s Bazaar. Young Ted would ride a streetcar every night. He went to play in the high school band in Chillicothe, Ohio. Ted was once fired from a music store. This happened because when he showed how to play a clarinet, people thought he was acting strangely.
Ted Lewis's Music Career
Ted Lewis was one of the first musicians from the Northern U.S. to copy the style of New Orleans jazz. These jazz musicians came to New York in the 1910s. He first made recordings in 1917 with Earl Fuller's Jazz Band. This band tried to sound like the Original Dixieland Jass Band. That group was the newest sensation in New York City.
Ted first learned to play the piccolo. He also played the C-melody saxophone. But he was best known as a clarinet player throughout his long career. His main instrument was a special type of clarinet.
At first, Ted's clarinet playing on recordings sounded a bit wild. One record catalog even joked about it. But as he became more famous, he improved his style. He learned from the first New Orleans clarinet players who moved to New York.
By 1919, Ted Lewis had his own band. He also signed a deal to record music with Columbia Records. Columbia promoted him as their answer to the Original Dixieland Jass Band. For a while, Columbia even put his picture on his record labels.
Rise to Fame in the 1920s
In the early 1920s, Ted Lewis was seen as a top star in jazz music. Even though his clarinet style became a bit old-fashioned, he knew good playing. He hired amazing clarinet players for his band. These included Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, and Frank Teschemacher. His band also featured other jazz legends. These were Muggsy Spanier on trumpet and George Brunies on trombone.
Ted Lewis's band was very popular. It was second only to the Paul Whiteman band in the early 1920s. Many people thought Lewis's band played a more real form of jazz.
Hit Songs and Performances
Ted Lewis recorded for Columbia from 1919 to 1933. Later, he recorded for Decca through the 1940s. In 1932, he recorded "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town". He had performed this song in a movie called The Crooner. This recording became number one in radio polls. It stayed there for ten weeks!
One of his most famous songs was "Me and My Shadow". He often ended his shows with this song. Around 1928, Ted saw an usher named Eddie Chester. Eddie was copying Ted's moves during his act. Ted hired Eddie to follow him on stage as his "shadow" for the song. Later, four African-American performers became his shadows. The most famous was Charles "Snowball" Whittier. This made Ted Lewis one of the first white entertainers to feature African-American performers on stage and in movies.
Ted Lewis and His Orchestra performed at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. This big event was held on Treasure Island. His band played several times a day for crowds and for free dances.
Enduring Popularity and Style
Lewis's band kept playing in the same style through the Great Depression. His music became the background for his amazing showmanship. He stayed successful when many other bands broke up. Through it all, he kept his famous catchphrase: Is everybody happy? and Yessir!.
Ted Lewis often wore a worn-out top hat for sad songs. He called himself "The High-Hatted Tragedian of Song." He would often change the song lyrics. He would add his own talking parts. This made it sound like he was speaking the song right then and there.
Ted Lewis kept his band together into the 1950s. He continued to perform in Las Vegas and on television. He appeared on shows like What's My Line? and This Is Your Life. He also appeared on Hollywood Palace in the 1960s and 1970s.
True to his early days in vaudeville (a type of stage entertainment), he created a visual show. His look, with his top hat, white-tipped cane, and clarinet, along with his jokes and dancing, were key to his popularity.
Ted Lewis in Films
Ted Lewis and his band appeared in some early movie musicals in 1929. One was the Warner Brothers show The Show of Shows. The first of several films named after his catchphrase, Is Everybody Happy?, also came out in 1929. In 1935, Lewis and his band performed in the movie Here Comes the Band.
In 1941, his band joined the Andrews Sisters to provide music for the Abbott and Costello comedy Hold That Ghost. This movie was released by Universal Studios. Some musical parts cut from the movie were released separately. This was in a short film called Is Everybody Happy?.
In 1943, Columbia Pictures made a full movie about Ted Lewis's life. It was also called Is Everybody Happy?. In this film, actor Michael Duane played Ted Lewis. He moved his lips to Ted's original recordings.
Ted Lewis was also shown as a cartoon character. He appeared in the Warner Brothers short film Speaking of the Weather (1937). He also appeared briefly as Daffy Duck in Person to Bunny (1960).
Ted Lewis's Personal Life
Ted Lewis married Adah Becker in 1915. She was a ballerina when they met in Rochester, New York. Just six weeks later, they got married. They had three ceremonies on the same day! First, by a judge, then by a rabbi, and finally on stage that night. They stayed married for 56 years until Ted passed away.
Adah stopped her dancing career to become his secretary and business manager. She was also his loving wife throughout his long career. After they married, Ted and Adah lived in a large apartment. It overlooked New York City's Central Park. They lived there for the rest of their lives.
Ted Lewis died peacefully in his sleep in New York on August 25, 1971. He was 81 years old. After a Jewish funeral in New York City, his body was brought to Circleville, Ohio. Thousands of people walked past his coffin there. His burial was held at the local Forest Cemetery. Ted Lewis's gravestone has his hat and cane carved on it. His wife Adah, who died in 1981, rests next to him.
After his death, many famous places wanted his belongings. These included the City of New York and the Smithsonian Institution. But Adah politely said no. Ted wanted everything to go back to Circleville, Ohio. The Ted Lewis Museum opened on June 5, 1977. It is across the street from where he was born. Adah was there for the opening. Many celebrities, friends, and fans attended. The museum has a theater where visitors can watch Ted Lewis perform in old TV and movie clips.
There is also an Ohio Historical Marker for "Ted Lewis." It is located in Ted Lewis Park in Circleville, Ohio.
Images for kids
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The Ted Lewis Museum at 133 West Main Street in Circleville, Ohio.
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Ted Lewis's headstone at Forest Cemetery in Circleville, Ohio.
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A closer look at Ted Lewis's gravemarker.
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Adah Becker Lewis's gravemarker, next to Ted's.
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Ted Lewis Park in Circleville, Ohio, named after the famous entertainer.
