All About Jewish Theatre - Comedian and Actor Alan King Dies at 76

Alan King, 76, the dyspeptic wisecracker whose withering stare, Brooklyn
accent and mockery of modern American life made him a comic favorite for
six decades, died May 9 at a hospital in New York. He had lung cancer.

The comedian, known also for his ever-present cigar, amused audiences in
nightclubs and on stage and television with routines about the ailments
of suburban living. His acts exemplified an old school of Jewish New York
humor in which one could practically hear the rimshot after each line.

To Mr. King, the Long Island Expressway was "the world's largest parking
lot." His wife's devotion to neatness was also a problem, he said; he'd
get up at 5 a.m. to use the toilet only to find the bed made when he got
back.

Insurance companies' policies were equally confounding. After his house
was robbed, he said, he called the insurer to collect on his policy only
to be told he "should have had fire or theft, not fire and theft."

He also broadened into more topical territory, including civil rights protests.
His politics were leftward, and in the late 1960s, he made frequent fun
of then-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, which led to many angry letters
when he repeated the jokes on television.

He hosted network specials, became a guest host for Johnny Carson on "The
Tonight Show," made comedy albums and wrote best-selling books that brought
him wider audiences.

His books had such titles as "Anyone Who Owns His Own Home Deserves It"
(1962), "Help! I'm a Prisoner in a Chinese Bakery" (1964), "Is Salami and
Eggs Better Than Sex? Memoirs of a Happy Eater" (1985) and "Alan King's
Great Jewish Joke Book" (2002). A memoir, "Matzoh Balls for Breakfast and
Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish," is scheduled for publication next
year.

Mr. King was born Irwin Alan Kniberg in a tough part of Brooklyn where
he learned to use his mouth as a weapon. He also boxed, just in case words
failed him.

He played drums and led a band that played at bar mitzvahs and other neighborhood
events. He left high school to do comedy full time at burlesque houses
and in Catskill Mountains resorts.

His assertiveness led to better gigs, such as when he persuaded the management
of the Paramount theater chain to let him replace an aging comic on a bill.
His career began to flourish when he moved to suburban Queens from downtown
Manhattan. The change provoked the humor that became central to his act
as he discussed struggling with the phone company, dealing with doctors
and making airline reservations.

He spent years doing opening routines for such singers as Lena Horne and
Billy Eckstine. His breakthrough came in 1956 when mainstream reviewers
caught his act on the same bill with Judy Garland at the Palace Theatre
in New York. With excellent feedback, he and Garland toured Europe and
performed for royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II.

After that show, he had an audience with the queen, who asked, "How do
you do, Mr. King?"

He replied: "How do you do, Mrs. Queen?"

A few painful seconds passed in silence. "She stared at me, and then Prince
Philip laughed," he said. "Thank God Prince Philip laughed."

On his return to the United States, he became a regular on Ed Sullivan's
show and other television variety programs. He also was a favorite at the
Latin Quarter in New York, the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas and other prominent
clubs.

He was asked to appear in films, but found Hollywood a letdown when he
was repeatedly cast as "the sergeant from Brooklyn named Kowalski." He
made his movie debut as a shore patrolman in the musical "Hit the Deck"
(1955), followed by small roles in such films as "The Girl He Left Behind"
(1956) and "The Helen Morgan Story" (1957).

He had a rare leading part in Sidney Lumet's comedy "Just Tell Me What
You Want" (1980), as a business tycoon infatuated with his mistress, played
by Ali MacGraw. He goes to great lengths to win her back from her new,
younger boyfriend.

Mr. King made several Broadway appearances, notably as a psychiatrist who
is writing a book about teenagers but is hopelessly out of touch with his
own daughter in the comedy "The Impossible Years" (1965). The show ran
670 performances.

In the mid- to late 1960s, he produced such Broadway shows as "The Lion
in Winter," "Dinner at Eight" and "Something Different."

With investments in several successful businesses, he used much of his
fortune for charitable donations. He also founded a pro tennis tournament,
the Alan King Tennis Classic in Las Vegas.

Survivors include his wife, three children and seven grandchildren.

He made his family a focus of his humor, but not all his family stories
were endearing. In the early 1970s, he turned in one of his teenage sons
for taking drugs and then taking the family car for a drive.

He blamed himself -- and his ambition -- for the situation. "I was away,
working five, six nights a week," he told an interviewer. "They need a
father, and I wasn't there."