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	~~{{Short description\|British comedian, singer, actor, and theatrical agent}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=January 2020}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=August 2012}}~~
	{{Infobox musical artist		{{Infobox musical artist
	\| name = Issy Bonn		\| name = Issy Bonn

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External links

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	==External links==		==External links==
	*{{imdb name\|0094771}}		*{{imdb name\|0094771}}

	~~{{Authority control}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonn, Issy}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonn, Issy}}

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{{Short description|British comedian, singer, actor, and theatrical agent}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Issy Bonn
| image = Issy_Bonn_comedian.jpg
| image_size =
| landscape =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Benjamin Levin
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1903|4|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Whitechapel]], London, England
| origin =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1977|4|21|1903|4|21|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Wembley Park]], London
| genre =
| occupation = Singer, comedian, theatrical agent
| instrument =
| years_active =
| label =
| associated_acts =
}}
'''Issy Bonn''' (born '''Benjamin Levin'''; 21 April 1903 – 21 April 1977) was a British comedian, singer, actor, and theatrical agent. His [[signature song]] was "[[My Yiddishe Momme]]".<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=163}}</ref>

==Biography==
Benjamin Levin was born into a Jewish family in [[Whitechapel]], London, the son of a butcher. As a boy, he started singing and entertaining, but his family disapproved of his interest in the [[music hall]] and he was sent to Canada to live with relatives. When he returned, he joined an existing comedy and singing group, the Three Rascals,<ref name=allmusic/> and used the stage name Benny Levine. He went solo in the early 1920s. He took the stage name Issy Bonn at the suggestion of [[BBC Radio]] producer John Sharman, who produced a popular programme, ''John Sharman's Music Hall'',<ref name=hudd>Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin, ''Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts'', Robson Books, 1998, {{ISBN|1-86105-206-5}}, p.17</ref> and made his first radio appearance on the show in 1935, billed as "The Hebrew Vocal Raconteur".<ref name=archive/> He combined sentimental songs such as "My Yiddish Momme" and "Let Bygones Be Bygones", with [[Jewish humour]] and sketches, many featuring the fictitious Finkelfeffer family.<ref name=hudd/><ref name=jewish>[https://www.jewishlivesproject.com/profiles/issy-bonn "Issy Bonn 1893-1977", ''Jewish Lives Project'']. Retrieved 1 December 2020</ref>

Issy Bonn made over a thousand radio broadcasts on programmes such as ''[[Variety Bandbox]]'',<ref name=archive>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=Issy+Bonn#search Issy Bonn, ''Radio Times'' archive]. Retrieved 1 December 2020</ref> and reputedly had a repertoire of over 500 songs.<ref name=hudd/> He also regularly toured South Africa.<ref name=baker>Richard Anthony Baker, ''Old Time Variety: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2011, {{ISBN|978-1-78340-066-9}}, pp.67-68</ref> He appeared in the films ''[[I Thank You (film)|I Thank You]]'' in 1941, and ''[[Discoveries (film)|Discoveries]]'' in 1939, where he played Mr. Schwitzer. He made his first recordings in 1942, for the [[Rex Records (1933)|Rex]] label, and later recorded for [[Decca Records|Decca]] and [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]]. He toured Europe with the [[Entertainments National Service Association]] (ENSA), and after the [[Second World War]] wrote and starred in his own road shows including ''The Big Broadcasts'' and ''The Melody Lingers On''.<ref name=allmusic>[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/issy-bonn-mn0000111806 Biography, ''Allmusic.com'']. Retrieved 1 December 2020</ref><ref name=jewish/>

In the 1950s, his style of humour, trading on traditional [[Jewish stereotype]]s,<ref name=double>Oliver Double, ''Stand Up: On Being a Comedian'', A&C Black, 1997, {{ISBN|0-413-70320-7}}, p.63</ref> went out of fashion, but he continued to appear on radio, television, and in [[pantomime]]s, and toured, often with the popular trumpeter [[Eddie Calvert]]. He later retired from performing and became a [[theatrical agent]], and a producer of [[variety show]]s around the country.<ref name=allmusic/> He made his last appearance as a performer in 1963.<ref name=hudd/> His image appears on the cover of [[The Beatles]] album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0094771/bio|title=Issy Bonn|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 October 2019}}</ref>

He died on his 74th birthday, in London.<ref name="Larkin"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{imdb name|0094771}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonn, Issy}}
[[Category:1903 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:Jewish English male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:Singers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]
[[Category:Jewish English comedians]]
[[Category:Comedians from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]
[[Category:People from Whitechapel]]

Issy Bonn - Revision history

Kurt at 16:55, 4 August 2024

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Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Ernsanchez00: Changed the category