Notes for Mickey Katz talk at Greenfield, 7-9-18

Memories of Mickey Katz
Cleveland context: 2nd generation American, Orthodox background, outside of NYC

A major explanation for his use of Yiddish in an era when Yiddish was presumed dead

Fame at point when immigration was at a long-time low, Jewish entertainers kept their backgrounds quiet, pressure to be “respectable” and “American”

Katz used Yiddish to parody US history and culture, making it a living language constantly adapting to changing conditions.

Slide 1: Cleveland context. Katz born on Outhwaite, near 55th Street, grew up in Glenville, around 105th. Part of important live-music scene in CLE—earned AFM card in 1923 (age 14) and made money playing nightclubs. Early mentor: Phil Spitalny, fellow Clevelander and immigrant from Odessa

Slide 2: Leaving the Spitalny group in his late teens, Katz lined up his own residency at the Golden Pheasant, and had comedy shows on a couple CLE radio stations

Slide 3: After a brief attempt to break into the music business in NYC, Katz returned to CLE and steady work in Northeast Ohio-area nightclubs, and started a family. In addition to playing shows and benefits for Jewish organizations in Cleveland and nearby cities, Katz played the Ohio Villa, a mobbed-up nightclub in Richmond Heights

Slide 4: After the Ohio Villa was shut down, Katz led the house orchestra at Herman Pirchner’s Alpine Village, a German restaurant

Slide 5: Katz led a USO band in France in the summer of 1945; on returning, landed gig through Jack Cohen, president of the Ohio jukebox distributors’ convention, opening for Spike Jones and His City Slickers. Jones hired Katz to play clarinet & for vocal effects. Katz’s first known recording: “Jones Polka” of 1946: (clip)

Katz talks to Mannie Klein about “Haim afn Range,” Eli Oberstein & Walt Hebner, of RCA, overhear & crack up, →Mickey Katz and his Kosher Jammers

Katz performs Yiddish parodies based in LA, traveling around country playing clubs & Jewish-organization fundraisers, honed in Miami Beach as “Borscht Capades” by 1951, then to Broadway

Problem! Dispute with Miami Beach theater owners, who mounted their own Yiddish comedy variety show, Bagels and Yox. Both shows to Broadway, fall 1951 

Slide 6: Opening number of Borscht Capades—Katz’s second Yiddish parody, “Yiddish Square Dance” (analyze)

Began 14-year recording career; Katz released 15 EPs and LPs on Capitol. Big sellers, not surprisingly in Jewish markets, although mambo parodies sold to Chicano fans in LA & Texas

Controversy, though: Katz’s music too Jewish, corny for some Jews in the music business. 
--Norman Wain quote, from CLE
--Abel Green, in Variety

Slide 7: Case in point: Duvid Crockett
Context of Louis Jordan, Jewishness on screen and in literature

Slide 8: Late 1950s: Katz’s career had peaked, but settled into living in LA, playing benefits for Jewish organizations and frequent gigs at Billy Gray’s Band Box

What Katz shows us