Musician and comedian Victor Borge

Victor Borge (January 3, 1909 – December 23, 2000) was a Danish-American humorist, entertainer and pianist, affectionately known as the Clown Prince of Denmark and the Great Dane. Víctor Manuel Barbosa Borges (born 24 May 1955) is a Cape Verdean politician. ... Victor Borge is the bassist in the Norwegian hard rock band TNT. He joined the band in 2005, replacing Sid Ringsby. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (512x768, 25 KB) Victor Borge. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (512x768, 25 KB) Victor Borge. ... is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... A short grand piano, with the lid up. ...

Biography

Born Børge Rosenbaum in Copenhagen, Denmark, into a Jewish family. His parents, Bernhard and Frederikke Rosenbaum, were both musicians (his father was a violinist in the Royal Danish Chapel, and his mother played piano), Borge took up piano like his mother at the age of 3, and it was soon apparent that he was a prodigy. He gave his first piano recital when he was 8 years old, and in 1918 was awarded a full scholarship at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, studying under Olivo Krause. Later on, he was taught by Victor Schiøler, Liszt's student Frederic Lamond, and Busoni's pupil Egon Petri. For other uses, see Copenhagen (disambiguation). ... The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen was founded in 1867 by the composer Niels Wilhelm Gade. ... Victor Schiøler was a Danish pianist (B. Copenhagen April 7, 1899 - D. Copenhagen Feb. ... Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a virtuoso pianist and composer. ... Frederic Lamond (28 January 1868–21 February 1948) was a classical pianist and the second-to-last surviving pupil of Franz Liszt. ... Dante Michaelangelo Benvenuto Ferruccio Busoni (April 1, 1866 – July 27, Italian composer, pianist, music teacher and conductor. ... Egon Petri (March 23, 1881 - May 27, 1962) was a classical pianist. ...

Borge played his first major concert in 1926 at the Danish concert-hall Odd Fellow Palæet (The Odd Fellow Mansion). After a few years as a classical concert pianist, he started his now famous "stand up" act, with the signature blend of piano music and jokes. He married American Elsie Chilton in 1933, the same year he debuted with his revue acts. Borge started touring extensively in Europe, where he began telling anti-Nazi jokes. This led to Adolf Hitler placing the outspoken Jew on his list of enemies to the Fatherland. Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... Hitler redirects here. ...

When the Nazis occupied Denmark during World War II, Borge was playing a concert in Sweden, and managed to escape to Finland. He traveled to America on the USS American Legion, the last passenger ship that made it out of Europe prior to the war, and arrived August 28, 1940 with only 20 dollars, three of which went to the customs fee. Disguised as a sailor, Borge returned to Denmark once during the occupation, to visit his dying mother. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... USS American Legion (AP-35/APA-17) was a United States Navy ship. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Even though Borge didn't speak a word of English upon arrival, he quickly managed to adapt his jokes to the American audience, learning English by watching movies. He took the name of Victor Borge, and, in 1941, he started on Rudy Vallee's radio show, but was hired soon after by Bing Crosby for his Kraft Music Hall. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Rudy Vallee (July 28, 1901 - July 3, 1986) was a popular United States singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

From then on, it went quickly for Borge, who won Best New Radio Performer of the Year in 1942. Soon after the award, he was offered film roles with stars such as Frank Sinatra (in Higher and Higher). While hosting The Victor Borge Show on NBC from 1946, he developed many of his trademarks, including repeatedly announcing his intent to play a piece but getting "distracted" by something or other, making comments about the audience, or discussing the usefulness of Chopin's Minute Waltz as an eggtimer. Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sinatra redirects here. ... This article is about the 1943 film. ... This article is about the television network. ... Chopin redirects here. ... The Waltz in D flat major, opus 64, No. ...

Among Borge's other famous routines is the "Phonetic Punctuation" routine, in which he recites a story, with full punctuation (comma, period, exclamation mark, etc.) as onomatopoetic sounds. Another is his "Inflationary Language", where he incremented numbers embedded in words, whether they are visible or not ("inflate" becomes "inflnine", "forehead" becomes "fivehead", "Tea For Two" becomes "Tea Five Three", etc). The term punctuation has two different linguistic meanings: in general, the act and the effect of punctuating, i. ... Inflationary Language is a comedic language or language game, originally created by Victor Borge. ...

Borge used physical and visual elements in his live and televised performances. He would play a strange-sounding piano tune from sheet music, looking increasingly confused; turning the sheet upside down, he would then play the actual tune, flashing a joyful smile of accomplishment to the audience (he had, at first, been literally playing the actual tune upside down). When his energetic playing of another song would cause him to fall off the piano bench, he would open the seat lid, take out the two ends of an automotive seatbelt, and buckle himself onto the bench, "for safety". His musical sidekick in the 1950s, Leonid Hambro, was a well-known concert pianist. Leonid Hambro (b. ...

He also enjoyed interacting with the audience. Seeing an interested person in the front row, he would ask the person, "Do you like piano music?" After an affirmative answer, Borge would take the sheet music from his piano and say "Here," and hand it over. Waiting for the laughter to die down, he would say, "That'll be $1.95" (Or whatever the current price might be), before bumping up the asked price if the audience member could indeed read music.

Borge appeared on Toast of the Town hosted by Ed Sullivan several times during 1948, and became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America the same year. He started the Comedy in Music show on The Golden Theatre in New York City on October 2, 1953. Comedy in Music became the longest running one-man show with 849 performances when it closed on January 21, 1956, which feat placed it in the Guinness Book of World Records. The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television variety show that ran from June 20, 1948, to June 6, 1971, and was hosted by Ed Sullivan. ... For other persons named Edward Sullivan, see Edward Sullivan (disambiguation). ... Naturalization is the process whereby a person becomes a national of a nation, or a citizen of a country, other than the one of his birth. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Guinness Book of Records (or in recent editions Guinness World Records, and in previous US editions Guinness Book of World Records) is a book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of superlatives: both in terms of human achievement and the extrema of the natural world. ...

After divorcing his wife Elsie, he married Sarabel Sanna Scraper in 1953.

Continuing his success with several tours and shows, Borge played with some of the world's most renowned orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and London Philharmonic. Always modest, he felt very honored when he was invited to conduct the Danish Royal Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1992. The New York Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in New York City. ... The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. ... Royal Danish Theatre and Hans Christian Andersen ...

Borge helped start several trust funds, including the Thanks to Scandinavia Fund, which was started in dedication to those who helped the Jews escape the German persecution during the war. Borge received Kennedy Center Honors in 1999. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

Aside from his musical work, Borge wrote two books, My Favorite Intermissions and My Favorite Comedies in Music (with Robert Sherman), and the autobiography Smilet er den korteste afstand ("The Smile is the Shortest Distance") with Niels-Jørgen Kaiser. Victor Borge continued to tour until his last days, performing up to 60 times per year when he was 90 years old. Robert Sherman is president and owner of F.I.T., Inc. ...

Borge died in Greenwich, Connecticut, after more than 75 years of entertaining. He died peacefully, in his sleep, the day after returning from a concert in Denmark. "It was just his time to go," Frederikke Borge said. "He's been missing my mother terribly."^{[citation needed]} Location in Connecticut Coordinates: , NECTA Region Settled 1640 Joined Connecticut 1656 Government  - Type Representative town meeting  - First selectman Peter Tesei  - Town administrator Edward Gomeau  - Town meeting moderator Thomas J. Byrne Area  - Total 174. ...

Victor Borge Hall, located in Scandinavia House in New York City, was named in Borge's honor in 2000, as was Victor Borges Plads ("Victor Borge Square") in Copenhagen in 2002. Scandinavia House - The American-Scandinavian Foundation 58 Park Ave, New York NY Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, The American-Scandinavian Foundations cultural center, is located at 58 Park Avenue, between 37th and 38th streets in midtown Manhattan. ...

He fathered 5 children (who occasionally performed with him) : Sanna, Victor Jr., and Frederikke with Sarabel; Ronald and Janet with Elsie.

Memorable Quotes

• I'd like to thank my parents for making this night possible. And my children for making it necessary.
• I don't mind growing old. I'm just not used to it.
• Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
• Occasionally, a finger comes up to wipe a tear [of laughter] from the eye... and that's my reward... the rest goes to the government.
• I only know two pieces, one is 'Claire de Lune', the other one isn't.
• The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer.
• When you go home, please drive home extremely carefully. Extremely carefully. Because I walk in my sleep!
• It's your language, I'm just trying to use it...
• Giuseppe Verdi. Joe Green to you.
• I'm going to play it with both hands so it will end faster.
• I'm Lou Borg.
• You may not be aware of this but Leonard Bernstein won another award, for explaining the music of Igor Stravinsky... to Igor Stravinsky!
• There will be no dancing during this number... unless you absolutely have to!
• I'm going to play a piece...by a Danish composer. Umm... Mozart. Hans Christian Mozart!
• *Holds someone's red tie* Oh I thought you were bleeding
• We have a neighbour, well who doesn't...but he's our next window neighbour, because he does not have a door at that end of the house!
• My grandfather gave me this watch...a few minutes before he died...for 20 bucks...plus tax!
• The soprano... is about four and a half feet tall... Lying down.
• And now, Brahms! Joey Brahms! ...Brahms spelled backwards: "Smharb."
• One afternoon, when I was four years old, my father came home, and he found me in the living room in front of a roaring fire, which made him very angry. Because we didn't have a fireplace.
• Before we start, the Baldwin Piano Company has asked me to say that this is a Steinway Piano [or vice versa].
• (Inspecting the piano) Hmmm… Steinway & Sons. Didn't even know he was married.
• Ignaz Friedman's dead now—I sincerely hope, because they buried him about 28 years ago.
• It's Fliszt, not F. Liszt. Do you say M. Ozart?
• It is important to always, always fasten your seat belt wherever you play.
• What and where did you eat? (Spoken to this contributor, who attended Borge's performance at El Camino College in spring 1984. The contributor, in a front-row seat, laughed at the wrong time and thus got Borge's attention.)
• Excuse me Ma'am, are you laying eggs? (Spoken in "Page-Turner")

Clair de Lune (French for moonlight) may refer to: Clair de lune, a poem by Paul Verlaine Clair de lune, Claude Debussys depiction of the poem in his Suite bergamasque Clair de lune, Gabriel Faurés setting of the poem Clair de lune, a 1921 Broadway play written by... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... The viola (French, alto; German Bratsche) is a bowed string instrument. ... “Verdi” redirects here. ... Leonard Bernstein in 1971 Leonard Bernstein (IPA pronunciation: )[1] (August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, and pianist. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Hans Christian Andersen (disambiguation). ... This article is about the voice-type. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of classical music. ... Winter (fireplace), tacuinum sanitatis casanatensis (XIV century) A fireplace is an architectural element consisting of a space designed to contain a fire, generally for heating but sometimes also for cooking. ... The Baldwin Piano Company is the largest US-based manufacturer of keyboard instruments, most notably pianos. ... Steinway & Sons is a piano manufacturing firm, currently based in New York and Hamburg, Germany. ... A short grand piano, with the lid up. ... Ignaz Friedman (also spelled Ignace or Ignacy) (February 14, 1882 – January 26, 1948) was a Polish pianist and composer. ... // [[General Information]] El Camino College is a two-year public community college located in Torrance in Los Angeles County, California. ... For other uses, see Spring. ... This article is about the year. ...

Cultural References

• In episode #86 of The Odd Couple, "The Flying Felix," a panicky Felix Unger tries to tune his inflight radio to talk to the captain of a commercial airliner, only to exclaim, "I'm getting Victor Borge. Get off!!"

• On Family Guy, Borge is indirectly reference when Jake Tucker from Family Guy auditions to be an organ player. He attempts to play the William Tell Overture, only to find it is upside down, much like the Victor Borge sketch.

• Borge is a guest actor in The Man from U.N.C.L.E "The Surburbia Affair" (1967).

• In 1976, Borge demonstrated his talents in comedy and in playing the piano when he and Richard Carpenter do a humorous duet on the piano.

• Borge made appearances on over a dozen other TV shows.

The Odd Couple was a television situation comedy broadcast from September 24, 1970 to July 4, 1975 on ABC. It starred Tony Randall as Felix Unger and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison. ... Felix Unger was one of the principal characters in Neil Simons play The Odd Couple. ... Quahog 5 is the local television station the FOX network TV show Family Guy. ... The overture to the opera William Tell, especially its high-energy finale, is a very familiar work composed by Gioacchino Rossini. ... Rare childrens storybook based upon Left to right: David McCallum, Robert Vaughn, and Leo G. Carroll. ... Richard Lynn Carpenter (b. ...

Discography

1. Phonetic Punctuation (Parts 1 and 2) (78rpm)
2. Blue Serenade/A Lesson In Composition (78rpm)
3. Brahms’ Lullaby/Grieg Rhapsody (78rpm)
4. Mozart Opera By Borge/All The Things You Are (78rpm)
5. Brahms, Bizet and Borge
6. Comedy in Music (1954, Columbia Records CL-554, re-released on CD in 1999)
7. Caught in the Act (1955 Columbia Records CL-646, re-released on CD in 1995)
8. Borge's Back (MGM E-3995)
9. Victor Borge (1962, MGM SE-3995P)
10. Great Moments of Comedy (1964, Verve V/V6 15044 - a re-issue of Borge's Back)
11. Hans Christian Andersen (1966 Decca DL-34406)
12. 13 Pianos Live in Concert (1975 Telefunken-Decca LC-0366)
13. Adventures of Piccolo, Saxie & Co. (Columbia Records CL-1223)
14. Concert Favorites (Columbia Records CL-1305)
15. A Victor Borge Program (Columbia Records CL-6013)
16. My Favorite Intervals (Pye 502)
17. Victor Borge - Live(!) (Re-released on CD in 1992 - Sony Masterworks MDK 48482)
18. Two Sides of Victor Borge (1998)

Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

References

This article does not cite any references or sources. (July 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Image File history File links Question_book-3. ...

External links

• A Tribute to Victor Borge
• Laughterlog.com Biography with list of radio, television, film and record appearances
• Childrenschoir.dk Children's Choir of the Royal Danish Academy of Music of which Victor Borge was the patron
• Discography at SonyBMG Masterworks
• Victor Borge & Dean Martin adapt Phonetic Punctuation for Music
• [1] Victor Borge playing Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2