Seymour Rexite

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Seymour Rexite (born January 18, 1908 in Piotrków Trybunalski as Seymour timely ; † October 14, 2002 in Greenwich Village , New York City ) was a Polish-American actor and singer of the Yiddish theater, film and radio and partly President of the Hebrew Actors' Union .

Life

childhood

Born in Poland , his voice was admired from an early age and so he was performing all over his home country at the age of 4. He grew up with his 5 siblings: Jack, Sam and Helen, as well as 2 other strangers.

Immigration to the USA

In 1920, at the age of 12, he emigrated to the USA with his father and brother . Because of the wetness and the wind on the ship, Rexite fell ill and was only allowed to return to the USA after a few days, where father and brother were already waiting.

Since the three of them had already made their way through the business successfully by 1924, the idea was to bring the rest of the family west with them. However, since the immigrants were very strictly controlled in 1924, they could not enter the country for the time being. After hearing the young Rexite, a senator was asked to serenade President Calvin Coolidge . Brother Jack wrote a song called Bring Me My Mother From The Other Side . He was so fascinated by Rexite's voice that he immigrated the family.

Later personal life and death

In 1943 he married Miriam Kressyn, with whom he lived until her death in 1996. Rexite died on October 14, 2002 at the age of 94. He was buried in a family grave with his wife in Flushing .

Act

He was always supported a lot by his wife Miriam Kressyn, who had been married since 1943, a Yiddish actress and singer who managed to turn US hits into Jewish hits.

His career reached its peak in the 1940s and 50s, where he performed and sang up to 18 half-hour radio programs over a week. Initially, Rexite sang almost only Jewish poetry, which ranged from liturgical to Yiddish pop pieces. Later, things turned out differently: depending on which songs are currently on the charts , his wife Miriam Kessyn translated them into Yiddish and Rexite then sang them in his shows.

The Kressyn Rexite lyrics were very popular with American Jews. Rexite was partially revered Sinatra-like by female fans. Kressyn's often mocked lyrics often jumbled up the content of a song in a ridiculous way (for example, "like a horse and his carriage" became "together like soup and dumplings").

The team became so successful that they were sponsored by international companies such as Ajax and Campbell's Soup . Rexite was also a frequent guest in lavishly produced shows such as "Yiddish Melodies In Swing" by the WHN. His program "The Barbasol Troubadour" was kept rather simple: he, a microphone and a pianist or organist. Constant companions from the show were Sam Medoff, former band leader, and Abe Ellstein, who wrote many of the Rexite hits.

Rexite had the talent to perform in live shows just as much as on the radio. He appeared regularly in Yiddish theaters, radio stations or television recordings, but also in upscale New York nightclubs such as the Casino de Paris.

Discography (selection)

  • Sings Folk Songs (1960) ( Famous Records )
  • Seymour Rexsite Sings Jewish Folk Songs & Yiddish Theater Favorites (1971) ( The Greater Recording Co., Inc. )
  • Miriam Kressyn & Seymour Rexsite Sing The Yiddish Hit Parade (1971) (The Greater Recording Co., Inc.)
  • The East Side Story (?) ( Tikva Records )
  • The Best of Miriam Kressyn & Seymour Rexsite (?) ( Banner Records )

Filmography

As an actor:

  • Monticello, Here We Come (1950)
  • Mazel Tov Yidden (1941)
  • The Jewish Melody (1940)
  • Her Second Mother (1940)
  • Motel the Operator (1940)
  • Shir Hashirim (1935)
  • Eternal Fools (1930)
  • My Jewish Mother (1930)

As himself:

  • Yiddish Theater: A Love Story (2005)
  • The Komediant (2000)
  • Almonds and Raisins (1984)

Documentations:

  • Live and Laugh (1933)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Seymour Rexite's Early Life. In: rsa.fau.edu. Accessed November 1, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Seymour Rexites and Miriam Kressyns lyrical works. In: yiddishradioproject.org. Accessed November 1, 2019 .
  3. ^ Announcement of the death of Seymour Rexite. In: nytimes.com. New York Times, accessed November 1, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Seymour Rexites music. In: discogs.com. Accessed November 1, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Seymour Rexites filmography. In: imdb.com. Accessed November 1, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Rexite, Seymour
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Timely, Seymour (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Polish-American actor and singer, President of the Hebrew Actors' Union
DATE OF BIRTH January 18, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Piotrków Trybunalski
DATE OF DEATH October 14, 2002
Place of death Greenwich Village , New York City