Double-talk comedian and stooge
Abraham Kalish (December 18, 1896, – September 7, 1966), known by the stage name Al Kelly, was an American vaudeville comedian. Kelly was known as a double-talk artist, and went on to stooge for other comedians such as Willie Howard and Ernie Kovacs. Near the end of his life, he made occasional appearances on "The Soupy Sales Show" when it was based in New York.
Biography.
Kelly was born in Kreva, Russian Empire (now Belarus), the eldest of six children of Max and Gelle (Mary) Kalish. The family immigrated to the United States in 1906. His younger siblings were Benjamin, Isidore, Israel, Fannie, and Annie. His parents both worked in the garment industry.
Kelly started in an act called "Nine Crazy Kids", then started performing comic monologues. Early in his career, he performed largely in the Borscht Belt. When he was performing this stand-up comedy in the 1930s, he fluffed a joke so that it came out as nonsense: this got a good laugh so he made such double-talk the focus of his act and became especially known for this.
On television , Kelly was featured on Milton Berle's "Texaco Star Theater", "The Ed Sullivan Show", "The Steve Allen Show", "The Ernie Kovacs Show", "The Jackie Gleason Show", "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show", "The Eddie Fisher Show", "The Jack Paar Program", "Candid Camera", "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" and the game show "Back That Fact" (1953). He was also an actor with supporting roles, such as in the film "Singing in the Dark" (1956) and in the TV series "Mack &amp; Myer for Hire" (1963).
Kelly died at age 69 in the early hours of September 7, 1966 of a heart attack while sitting in the audience in the dining room at one of his favorite venues, The Friars' Club, in New York City, during a roast. On 8 September 1966, a crowded memorial service was conducted at Riverside Memorial Chapel (Amsterdam Avenue and 76th Street), New York City.
Further reading.
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