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Aug 14, 2021 · Between 1963 and 1964, after a lifetime of psychic peaks and valleys, Levant sat for a series of interviews on Jack Paar’s “Tonight Show.” Levant frankly discussed his mental...
- Dr. Howard Markel
- A politician is a man who will double cross that bridge when he comes to it. Oscar Levant. Men, Bridges, Double Standard.
- What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left. Oscar Levant. Funny, Humility, Pride.
- Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic, and so am I. Oscar Levant. Funny, Humorous, Flower.
- My psychiatrist once said to me, 'Maybe life isn't for everyone'. Oscar Levant. Said, Psychiatrist.
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Aug 17, 2018 · He made memorably jarring appearances on the “Tonight Show” with Jack Parr and hosted his own TV show in Los Angeles in the late 1950s, until his caustic outbursts and riffs on mental...
- Overview
- Career Highlights
- Biographical Notes
- Quips and Quotes
- Afterward
Anyone who watched late night television during the late 1950s and early 1960s will recall Oscar Levant’s frequent and provocative appearances on NBC’s Jack Paar Show. It was during those appearances that Levant became the first celebrity to candidly discuss, in front of a national audience, his battle with drug addiction, his bouts with obsessive–...
First Piano Lessons:
Oscar’s parents, Max and Annie, insisted that he and his three brothers take music lessons from the time they were very young. Oscar quickly demonstrated that he was musically gifted, but he had to be forced to practice. (When asked by Jack Paar, many years later, what he wanted to be when he was a child, Oscar replied, “An orphan.”) Oscar’s brother, Harry, went on to become a professional violinist.
Piano Teachers:
In 1921, shortly after Oscar’s father died, Oscar dropped out of high school and was sent to New York City by his mother to study music. Oscar began his studies under Sigismond Stojowski, a highly regarded teacher and a disciple of Paderewski. To make money, Oscar got jobs playing the piano in various roadhouses and nightclubs where he developed an affection for contemporary Broadway show tunes, an affection that he felt clashed with his love of classical music. In 1935 Oscar studied music co...
Introduction to Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”:
In 1924 Oscar heard Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”for the first time when it was performed by Paul Whiteman’s Palais Royal Orchestra. The piece served to resolve the conflict in Oscar between his love of classical compositions and his growing affection for Broadway–style music. Oscar immediately memorized the piece. Although Oscar met George Gershwin briefly the following year, it wasn’t until 1930, after he was befriended by Ira Gershwin’s wife and became their regular houseguest, that Oscar...
Although both of Oscar’s parents were Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Russia, they did not meet and marry until they were both living in Pittsburgh. Oscar’s father showed contempt for displays of emotion, and while his mother was indulgent and loving, she was also remote and aloof. Oscar’s uncle, Oscar Radin, left Pittsburgh and became influential ...
Upon meeting Greta Garbo: “Sorry, I didn’t get the name.”To George Gershwin: “Tell me, George, if you had to do it all over would you fall in love with yourself again?”Of Leonard Bernstein: “I admire Leonard Bernstein, but not as much as he does.”Of Elizabeth Taylor: “Always a bride, never a bridesmaid.”Honoring what they felt were his wishes, Oscar’s family buried him at Westwood Memorial Cemetery in Los Angeles without a religious ceremony. His wife, June, told one reporter, “Oscar never could face the medieval agony of a funeral service.” Lengthy obituaries of Oscar Levant ran in all of the nation’s major newspapers. New York mayor John Lindsay...
3. Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906 – August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He had roles in the films Rhapsody in Blue (1945), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), An American in Paris (1951), and The Band Wagon (1953).
Some of Levant's Memorable Quotes: * "Roses are red, violets are blue, I am schizophrenic, and so am I." * "When Frank Sinatra, Jr. was kidnapped, I said, 'It must have been done by music critics.'"
