| Red Buttons | |
|---|---|
Buttons in 1978 |
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| Born | Aaron Chwatt February 5, 1919 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 13, 2006 (aged 87) Century City, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1944–2006 |
| Spouse | Roxanne Arlen (m. 1947–1949) Helayne McNorton (m. 1949–1963) Alicia Prats (m. 1964–2001) |
Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt, February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an Academy Award-winning American comedian and actor.
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Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt[1] on February 5, 1919 in New York City to Jewish immigrants Sophie (née Baker) and Michael Chwatt.[2][3] At sixteen years old, Chwatt got a job as an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, Bronx. The combination of his red hair and the shiny buttoned bellhop uniform inspired orchestra leader Charles "Dinty" Moore to call him Red Buttons, the name under which he would later perform.
Later that same summer, Buttons worked on the Borscht Belt;[1] his straight man was Robert Alda. In 1939, Buttons started working for Minsky's Burlesque; in 1941, José Ferrer chose Buttons to appear in a Broadway show The Admiral Had a Wife. The show was a farce set in Pearl Harbor, and it was due to open on December 8, 1941. It never did, as it was deemed inappropriate after the Japanese attack. In later years, Buttons would joke that the Japanese only attacked Pearl Harbor to keep him off Broadway.
In September 1942, Buttons made his Broadway debut in Vickie with Ferrer and Uta Hagen. Later that year, he appeared in the Minsky's show Wine, Women and Song; this was the last Burlesque show in New York City history, as the Mayor La Guardia administration closed it down. Buttons was on stage when the show was raided.
Drafted into the United States Army Air Forces, Buttons in 1943 appeared in the Army Air Forces Broadway show Winged Victory, along with several future stars, including Mario Lanza, John Forsythe, Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobb. A year later he appeared in Darryl F. Zanuck's movie version of Winged Victory, directed by George Cukor. Buttons also entertained troops in the European Theater in the same unit as Mickey Rooney.
After the war, Buttons continued to do Broadway shows. He also performed at Broadway movie houses with the Big Bands. In 1952, Buttons received his own variety series on television - The Red Buttons Show ran for three years, and achieved high levels of success. In 1953, he recorded and had a two-sided hit with Strange Things Are Happening/The Ho Ho Song, with both sides/songs essentially being the same.
His role in Sayonara was a dramatic departure from his previous work. In that film, co-starring with Marlon Brando, he played Joe Kelly, an American airman stationed in Kobe, Japan during the Korean War, who falls in love with Katsumi, a Japanese woman (played by Miyoshi Umeki), but is barred from marrying her by military rules intended to reassure the local populace that the U.S. presence is temporary. His portrayal of Kelly's calm resolve not to abandon the relationship and touching reassurance of Katsumi impressed audiences and critics alike; both he and Umeki won Academy Awards for the film.
After his Oscar-winning role, Buttons performed in numerous feature films, including the Africa adventure Hatari! with John Wayne, the war epic The Longest Day, the biopic Harlow, the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure, the dance-marathon drama They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, the family comedy Pete's Dragon, the disaster film When Time Ran Out with Paul Newman and the age-reversal comedy 18 Again! with George Burns.
In 1966, Buttons again starred in his own TV series, a spy spoof called The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, which ran for one season. Buttons also made many memorable guest television appearances on programs including The Eleventh Hour, Little House on the Prairie, It's Garry Shandling's Show, ER and Roseanne. His last regular role was as a homeless man on CBS' Knots Landing.
He became a nationally recognizable comedian, and his "Never Got A Dinner" routine was a standard of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts for many years. He was number 71 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.
Buttons received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television, located at 1651 Vine Street.
Buttons was married to actress Roxanne Arlen in 1947, but it soon ended in divorce. His next marriage was to Helayne McNorton, from December 8, 1949 until 1963. His last marriage was to Alicia Pratt, which lasted from January 27, 1964 until her death in March 2006. Buttons had two children, daughter Amy Buttons and son Adam Buttons. He was the advertising spokesman for the Century Village, Florida retirement community.
Buttons was an early member of the Synagogue for the Performing Arts, and at the time, Rabbi Jerome Cutler was the Rabbi.[4]
Buttons died of complications from high blood pressure on July 13, 2006 at his home in the Century City area of Los Angeles. He had been ill for some time and was with family members when he died.[1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Winged Victory | Whitey/Andrews Sister | as Cpl. Red Buttons |
| 1947 | 13 Rue Madeleine | Second Jump Master | uncredited |
| 1951 | Footlight Varieties | Himself | |
| 1957 | Sayonara | Airman Joe Kelly | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Nominated - BAFTA Award for most promising newcomer |
| 1958 | Imitation General | Cpl. Chan Derby | |
| 1959 | The Big Circus | Randy Sherman | |
| 1961 | One, Two, Three | MP sergeant | uncredited |
| 1962 | Hatari! | Pockets | |
| 1962 | Five Weeks in a Balloon | Donald O'Shay | |
| 1962 | The Longest Day | Pvt. John Steele | |
| 1962 | Gay Purr-ee | Robespierre | voice |
| 1963 | A Ticklish Affair | Uncle Cy | |
| 1964 | Your Cheatin' Heart | Shorty Younger | |
| 1965 | Up from the Beach | Pfc. Harry Devine | |
| 1965 | Harlow | Arthur Landau | Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture |
| 1966 | Stagecoach | Peacock | |
| 1969 | The Moviemakers | Himself | short subject |
| 1969 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Sailor | Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture |
| 1971 | Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? | Mickey | |
| 1972 | The Poseidon Adventure | James Martin | |
| 1976 | Gable and Lombard | Ivan Cooper | |
| 1977 | Viva Knievel! | Ben Andrews | |
| 1977 | Pete's Dragon | Hoagy | |
| 1978 | Movie Movie | Peanuts/Jinks Murphy | |
| 1978 | The Users | Warren Ambrose | TV movie |
| 1979 | C.H.O.M.P.S | Bracken | |
| 1980 | When Time Ran Out | Francis Fendly | |
| 1985 | Alice in Wonderland | The White Rabbit | |
| 1988 | 18 Again! | Charlie | |
| 1990 | The Ambulance | Elias Zacharai | |
| 1994 | It Could Happen to You | Walter Zakuto | |
| 1999 | The Story of Us | Arnie Jordan | |
| 2001 | Odessa or Bust | The Old Man | short subject |
| 2004 | Goodnight, We Love You | documentary | |
| 2005 | Sid Bernstein Presents... | Himself | documentary |
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