Harry Einstein


Harry Einstein, known professionally as Harry Parke and other pseudonyms, most commonly Parkyakarkus, was an American comedian, writer, and character actor. A specialist in Greek dialect comedy, he became famous as the Greek chef Nick Parkyakarkus on the Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson radio programs, and later on a program of his own. He appeared in eleven films from 1936 to 1945.

Personal life and early career

Einstein was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Sarah, who came from a Jewish family in Russia; and Charles Einstein, a Jewish pawnbroker from Austria, who had an importing business. Einstein attended The English High School in Boston.
Einstein first worked as a newspaper reporter, but then moved into advertising for Boston's Hearst Newspapers. In his spare time, he enjoyed performing comedy routines. During 1924-1925, he became popular on radio as "The Bad Boy from a Good Home", doing comedy skits on Boston station WEEI. He also worked in advertising for the Taylor Furniture Company, where he managed their radio department. He subsequently continued in the advertising business at another Boston furniture store, Summerfield's, while performing dialect comedy for friends at parties.
One of his friends, Boston bandleader Joe Rines, tried to persuade him to become a full-time comedian, but by this time, he was making a good living as advertising manager for Kane's Furniture. Einstein finally agreed to make an appearance on Rines' radio program; he created the Greek character of Nick Parkyakarkus for a skit on that show. The character was very well-received by the listeners, and it ultimately led to the national networks taking notice. Einstein got his big break nationally when he was first heard as a performer on Eddie Cantor's radio show in 1934.
In addition to performing on Eddie Cantor's program throughout the mid-to-late 1930s, Einstein also was a guest performer on the Al Jolson Show. When he was not performing on radio, he also got some roles in some comedy films during this time, including Strike Me Pink, The Life of the Party, and New Faces of 1937. He met his second wife, actress Thelma Leeds, while making New Faces of 1937. He and Thelma has three sons; he had one other son with his first wife, Lillian. During the 1930s, Einstein became so inextricably linked with his character that he attempted—unsuccessfully—to change his name legally to Parkyakarkus; a judge denied his request. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame bears his character's name instead of his own.

''Meet Me at Parky's''

As a result of his popularity on the Cantor program, Einstein began a radio show of his own in 1945 called Meet Me at Parky's, featuring the same character, Greek restaurant owner Nick Parkyakarkus. It ran for two seasons on NBC before moving to the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1947 for a third and final season. Einstein wrote most of the program's scripts himself. Sheldon Leonard, Elliott Lewis, and Betty Rhodes were part of the cast, with Rhodes as the female singer as well as supporting work.

Later years and death

Einstein had a long history of heart disease, which eventually limited his mobility and stamina. After his radio show was canceled, his appearances were largely confined to Friars' Club roasts. He suffered a fatal heart attack in 1958, at the age of 54, during a roast in honor of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. After Einstein delivered his monologue, emcee Art Linkletter remarked, "Every time he finishes, I ask myself, why isn't he on the air in a prime time?" Einstein turned to Milton Berle, who was seated next to him on the dais, and said, "Yeah, how come?"—then slumped into his lap. Berle's shout of "Is there a doctor in the house?" was initially thought to be a humorous ad lib, but the gravity of the situation quickly became clear.
Einstein was carried backstage, where five physicians in attendance worked to revive him. One surgeon used his pen knife to make an incision for open heart massage; another used the ends of an electric cord as a makeshift defibrillator. With the remaining comedians on the bill reluctant to continue under the circumstances, Linkletter asked Tony Martin to sing a song; Martin's unfortunate choice was "There's No Tomorrow". Ball then came to the microphone and managed only, "I can say nothing," through tears. Arnaz, the closing speaker, said, "This is one of those moments that Lucy and I have waited a lifetime for, but it's meaningless now. They say the show must go on, but why must it? Let's close the show now by praying for this wonderful man backstage who has made a world laugh."
Despite two hours of continuous resuscitation by the physician volunteers and a rescue squad, Einstein was pronounced dead at 1:20 a.m. The news of his death was the Los Angeles Times' front-page headline the following morning. Einstein's funeral service was attended by 300 mourners. After a eulogy by George Jessel, Einstein was buried in Home of Peace mausoleum in Los Angeles.

Family

Einstein was the father of four sons: the writer Charles Einstein, and comedians Albert Brooks and Bob Einstein, and advertising executive Clifford Einstein. Harry and Lillian divorced in 1929.

In popular culture

The argument has been made that Albert Brooks, who was 11 years old when Einstein died, has dealt with the trauma of his father's passing through vignettes in his movies. For example, early in Defending Your Life, Brooks’ recently deceased character, Daniel Miller, finds himself in an afterlife nightclub, watching a terrible comedian. "How’d you die?" the comic asks him; Albert replies, "Onstage, like you." Later, Meryl Streep's character invites Albert to leave with her. "I can’t," he says, gesturing toward the stage. "That’s my father."
In the Season 9 episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, "It's Not So Funny When It's Your Mother", Bob Einstein tells host Jerry Seinfeld that the incident of his father dying on-stage at the Friars Club roast, when Bob Einstein was 14 years old, turned him off about performing for many years. Specifically, he was highly offended by the fact both Milton Berle and George Jessel performed their comedy routines as eulogies at Harry Einstein's funeral, feeling it was insensitive, and this made him uncomfortable with comedy.