Stubby Kaye (November 11, 1918 - December 14, 1997) was an American comic actor. He was born Bernard Sholm Kotzin in New York on West 114th Street in the Morningside Heights Section of Manhattan to first generation Jewish Americans originally from Russia and Austria. He was raised in the Far Rockaway section of Queens and in the Bronx.
Kaye is best known for defining the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, first on Broadway and then in the film version. He also played Marryin' Sam in Li'l Abner (which featured his signature song, "Jubilation T. Cornpone"), again on both stage and screen. In 1962 he played the Mikado in Michael Winner's The Cool Mikado. His last featured role was as Marvin Acme in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Around this time he also made a guest appearance in Delta And The Bannermen, a story in the British science fiction series, Doctor Who.
His first wife was Jeanne Watson from Chicago, who was a clerical worker at the movie studios in the late 50's. They were married in 1960 but due to personal differences, divorced within a year of their marriage. His second wife, Angela Bracewell, was a former Broadway chorus girl whom he met while living in England. She was the hostess of the British version of the "Beat the Clock" (1950) game show, a segment of "Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium" (1955). They remained wed until his passing on Dec. 14, 1997.
During the 1960s, Kaye became well known in the UK as host of a weekly children's talent show, Stubby's Silver Star Show. During the 1962-63 TV season he was a regular on Stump the Stars. From 1964 - 1965 he hosted the Saturday-morning children's game show Shenanigans on ABC. He loved living in the UK and often referred to himself as the Kosher Squire. He also appeared in the 1974 Broadway revival of Good News.
His home was in Rancho Mirage. He died at age 79 on December 14 1997 from lung cancer in Los Angeles, California.
Sunny, loveable tenor Stubby Kaye with his butterball frame kept his real name a secret for his entire career. He was born Bernard Katzin in New York and started off in the world of entertainment in 1939 after winning a radio contest. Touring as a comedian in vaudeville for over a decade, he also appeared regularly with the USO during the war years. He finally hit it big on Broadway in 1950 when he created the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the smash musical hit "Guys and Dolls" singing his rousing show-stopper "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" and solidified his status a few years later as Marryin' Sam in "Li'l Abner" in 1956. He preserved both of these signature roles on film. Other stage musicals sparked by his presence included "Fiddler on the Roof", "Good News" and "Grind". In the 60s Stubby had his own kiddie show and appeared to comical effect in other films as well, including Cool Mikado, The (1963), Sex and the Single Girl (1964), Cat Ballou (1965), Way West, The (1967) and Sweet Charity (1969). Nightclubs and TV were also an integral part of his career. He lived for a time in England, marrying Angela Bracewell, then a hostess on "Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium" (1955), and established a growing list of fans there as well. His last featured role was in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). His final years were spent in ill health, dying in 1997 of lung cancer.
