Norman Lawrence Crosby (September 15, 1927 – November 7, 2020) was an American comedian born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was often referred to as "The Master of Malaprop".
Norm Crosby | |
|---|---|
 Crosby in 1965 | |
| Born | Norman Lawrence Crosby[1] September 15, 1927 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | November 7, 2020 (aged 93) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Comedian |
| Spouse |
Joan Crane Foley (m. 1966) |
| Children | 2 |
Career
editCrosby went solo as a stand-up comedian, adopting a friendly, blue collar, guy-next-door persona in the 1950s. Crosby refined his standup monologues by interpolating malapropisms. He first appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in December 1964. In late-1968, he co-starred on The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show, an NBC twelve-week series.[2]
In 1974, he co-hosted a Canadian variety television series, Everything Goes.[3] From 1974 through 1984 he was on over half a dozen Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts including one of George Burns and two separate ones of Redd Foxx. From 1978 through 1981, he hosted a nationally syndicated series, The Comedy Shop, in which a mix of up-and-coming stand-up comics and vaudeville legends presented their material.[4]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Crosby became a commercial pitchman for Anheuser-Busch Natural Light beer. During this time, he also appeared as a celebrity guest on a number of game shows, including Celebrity Bowling, Liar's Club, Tattletales, and Hollywood Squares.
From 1983 until the program's dissociation from Jerry Lewis in 2010, Crosby co-hosted and contributed to the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6560 Hollywood Boulevard.[5]
He appeared in two films with Adam Sandler – Eight Crazy Nights (2002).[1], and Grown Ups 2 (2013)
Personal life and death
editCrosby was born to a Jewish family[6] and was raised in Dorchester, Boston,[7] the son of Ann (née Lansky) and John Crosby.[1]
During World War II, he served aboard a Coast Guard submarine chaser in the North Atlantic. He suffered permanent damage of his hearing from a concussion he received from the depth charges that exploded while he was on anti-submarine patrol. He did not notice hearing problems until long after he had returned home and wore a hearing aid onstage.[8]
In 1966, Crosby married Joan Crane Foley. They had two children. He became a Freemason in 1956, and served as Master of at least one lodge and participated in many charitable activities. He was a member of Ionic Composite Lodge #520 in Los Angeles, California.[9][10]
On November 7, 2020, Crosby died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 93.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b Profile, filmreference.com; accessed April 3, 2017.
- ^ "Barbara Feldon Guest on Phyllis Diller Show". Schenectady Gazette. October 5, 1968. p. TV 8. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "From the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard. March 9, 1974. p. 54. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ The Comedy Shop Archived January 4, 2018, at the Wayback Machine videos at MeTV
- ^ "Norm Crosby". Hollywood Walk of Fame. October 25, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ Epstein, Lawrence J. (December 6, 2001). "The story of Jewish comedians". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ Vennochi, Joan (April 20, 1983). "Langone Announces Entry Into Boston's Mayoral Race". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (November 8, 2020). "Norm Crosby, Comedian Who Had a (Wrong) Way With Words, Dies at 93". The New York Times.
- ^ Profile, MSANA.com (October 2007); accessed April 3, 2017.
- ^ Ionic Composite Lodge #520 Trestle Board Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, calodges.org; accessed April 3, 2017.
- ^ Saperstein, Pat (November 8, 2020). "Norm Crosby, Comedian Who Was Master of Malaprops, Dies at 93". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
External links
edit- Norm Crosby at IMDb
- Norm Crosby discography at Discogs
- Interview (November 2010), classicshowbiz.blogspot.com; accessed April 3, 2017.
- Interview, accessed April 27, 2017.