Red Buttons – Comedian, Actor, dies 87

Hollywood Walk of FameOscar WinnerGolden Globe Winner 

Red ButtonsRed Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American comedian and actor.

Death of Red Buttons
Red Buttons died of vascular disease on July 13, 2006 at his home in the Century City area of Los Angeles. Red Buttons was 87 years old. Buttons had been ill for some time and was with family members when he passed away

Early life
Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 in New York City to Jewish immigrants. At sixteen years old, Buttons 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; 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.

  • Red Buttons’ Biography & Filmography continues next page
  • Please share your memory, leave your comment

Career
In September 1942, Buttons at last got 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.

1943 saw Buttons in the Army Air Corps. He was chosen to appear in the Broadway show Winged Victory, as well as appearing in the Darryl F. Zanuck movie version. He later went on to entertain troops in the European Theater of operations 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. His catch phrase from the show, "strange things are happening," entered the national vocabulary briefly in the mid-1950s.

His role in Sayonara was a dramatic departure from his previous work. In that film, 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 Hatari!, The Longest Day, Harlow, The Poseidon Adventure, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Pete’s Dragon, and 18 Again! with George Burns. Buttons also made many memorable TV appearances on programs including Little House on the Prairie, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, ER and Roseanne.

He became a nationally recognizable comedian, and his "Never Got A Dinner" sketch was a standard at the Dean Martin roasts for many years.

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.

Personal life
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 2001. 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.

Year Film Role Other notes
1947 Winged Victory Whitey/Andrews Sister as Cpl. Red Buttons
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  
Five Weeks in a Balloon Donald O’Shay  
The Longest Day Pvt. John Steele  
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  
Harlow Arthur Landau Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1966 Stagecoach Peacock  
1969 The Moviemakers Himself short subject
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  
Pete’s Dragon Hoagy  
1978 Movie Movie Peanuts/Jinks Murphy  
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
CategoriesUncategorized