Harry Steppe

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Promotional image for Harry Steppe and His Big Show - note the oversized clown shoes

Promotional image of Harry, dressed as a sailor and snacking on bananas

Harry Steppe (Abraham Stepner, March 1888 – November 22, 1934, at Bellevue Hospital in New York, New York) was a Jewish-American actor, comedian and hobo clown who worked in Vaudeville and Burlesque. Harry coined such terms as "Razzle Dazzle," "Top Banana" (the headliner or top act on the bill), and "Second Banana." As one of Bud Abbott's first partners, Harry introduced Bud to Lou Costello in 1934.

A Russian immigrant born to Orthodox Jewish parents, Harry was often billed as a Hebrew or Jewish-dialect comedian. His gags and skits were also performed by such well-known comedians as Phil Silvers, The Three Stooges, and Abbott and Costello. Although Harry had penned the "Pokomoko" (aka Niagara Falls) Routine ("Slowly I Turned, step by step, inch by inch...")," other writers, including fellow Vaudevillians Joey Faye and Samuel Goldman each laid claim to it, as well. "Lifting" routines from another performer was standard operating procedure in the early-to-mid 20th century, and the famed routine was performed, without originator credit, by...

The Three Stooges in the movie "Gents Without Cents" (1944)
Abbott and Costello in the movie "Lost in a Harem" (1944)
Lucille Ball in the TV Show, "I Love Lucy" (1951), Season #1, Episode #19
Abbott and Costello on TV in "The Abbott and Costello Show" (1952-1953)

Later on, Phil Silvers further popularized the term "Top Banana" in his 1951 Broadway musical and 1954 film of the same name.

Harry performed at several well-known theatres on the Orpheum Circuit. According to a Loew's Weekly Theatre Program, in a June 18, 1928 performance at the Loew's Theatre in New York, he was billed with Lola Pierce. Lola was reportedly an actress he was linked to romantically.

[edit] Death

Pulmonary edema contributed to Abe's death, according to his death certificate. He was at Bellevue Hospital for two days and had been ill for a month, according to a story in Variety magazine, Nov. 27, 1934. Abe Stepner's obituary appears under "Feature News," Billboard magazine, Dec. 1, 1934, pg 5.

[edit] Further reading

"Really The Blues," by By Mezz Mezzrow and Bernard Wolfe, Citadel Press (Trade Paper), 1990, pg.27, mentions the burlesque comedian Harry Steppe. ISBN 0-8065-1205-9.
"Lou's on First: The Tragic Life of Hollywood's Greatest Clown Warmly Recounted by His Youngest Child," by Chris Costello, St. Martin's Griffin, 1982, pg.23, cites Harry as creator of the famous "Lemon Bit." ISBN 0-312-49914-0.

[edit] External links

Newspaper Articles Mentioning Harry Steppe
Google News Archive Search for "Harry Steppe"
Gaiety Theater Study Report, Boston Landmarks Commission, City of Boston, pg. 51, cites Harry as performing in the stage show "Harry Steppe's OK" (1926)
Bananas in Entertainment, cites Harry as originator of "Top Banana."