One-of-a-kind nightclub comedian and singer Dick Shawn (ne Richard Schulefand) was as off-the-wall as they came and, as such, proved to be rather an acquired taste. Way ahead of his time most say, it was extremely difficult indeed to know how to properly tap into this man's eclectic talents. Shawn ... began inching toward the forefront during the be-bop 50s and early 60s with his odd penchant for playing cool cats. During his mild bid for film stardom, he was top-billed as a hip, laid back genie in the thoroughly dismal satire The Wizard of Baghdad (1960), but seemed to have better luck when taken in smaller doses. He fared quite well opposite another "way-out-there" comedian, Ernie Kovacs, in Wake Me When It's Over (1960) as a hustling soldier out to make a buck in the Far East. Also on the plus side, he replaced Zero Mostel in the bawdy musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" on Broadway and stole a small scene in the all-star epic comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). By far, the one role that completely overshadows all of his other hard work is his mock portrayal of a singing Adolf Hitler in the show-within-a-movie The Producers (1968). In the film, which starred Mostel and Gene Wilder as two con artists deliberately producing a stage "bomb" called "Springtime for Hitler," Shawn sang the hammy, absurdly narcissistic song "Love Power." The movie finally captured Shawn in his element, but this stroke of genius of matching actor to role would never happen again for him. For the most part his roles came off slick and smarmy, and were stuck in mediocre material. Shawn won a huge fan base, however, touring in one-man stage shows which contained a weird mix of songs, sketches, satire, philosophy and even pantomime. A bright, innovative wit, one of his best touring shows was called "The Second Greatest Entertainer in the World." During the show's intermission, Shawn would lie visibly on the stage floor absolutely still during the entire time. By freakish coincidence, Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego in 1987 when he suddenly fell forward on the stage during one of his spiels about the Holocaust. The audience, of course, laughed, thinking it was just a part of his odd shtick. In actuality, the 63-year-old married actor with four children had suffered a fatal heart attack. A not-surprising end for this thoroughly offbeat and intriguing personality.
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| Organization | Category | Movie |
|---|
Hail to the Chief
as Ivan Zolotov
Episodes: 7
First Aired: Apr 09, 1985
The Love Boat
as Harvey Blanchard
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
Tales from the Darkside
as Bo Gumbs
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 30, 1984
The Lucy Show
as Ace Winthrop
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 01, 1962
General Electric Theater
as Felix Franklin
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 01, 1953
ABC Stage 67
as Paul Benderhof
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 14, 1966
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
as Charlie Wilson
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1959
Amazing Stories
as Joe Willoughby
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 29, 1985
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Emperor
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 11, 1982
The Love Boat
as David Jackson
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
The Ed Sullivan Show
as Self
Episodes: 6
First Aired: Jun 20, 1948
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self
Episodes: 6
First Aired: Oct 01, 1962
Medical Center
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 24, 1969
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self - Co-Host
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Dec 11, 1961
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Dec 11, 1961
St. Elsewhere
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 26, 1982
Magnum, P.I.
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 11, 1980
The Twilight Zone
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 27, 1985
That Girl
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 08, 1966
Laverne & Shirley
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 27, 1976
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 04, 1963
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 05, 1956
The Judy Garland Show
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 08, 1963
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Guest Interviewee
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 11, 1982
The Dick Cavett Show
as Self - Guest
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jun 06, 1968
Madame's Place
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 20, 1982
Popularity History
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| 2024 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 4 |
| 2024 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 6 |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 4 |
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| 2024 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
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| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |