Biography Brother Theodore

1 biography

1.1 years
1.2 america
1.3 success
1.4 comeback
1.5 documentary
1.6 death

biography
early years

gottlieb born wealthy jewish family in düsseldorf, in rhine province, father magazine publisher. attended university of cologne. @ age 32, under nazi rule, imprisoned @ dachau concentration camp until signed on family s fortune 1 reichsmark. after being deported chess hustling switzerland, went austria albert einstein, family friend , alleged lover of mother, helped him escape united states.

to america

he worked janitor @ stanford university, demonstrated prowess @ chess beating 30 professors simultaneously, , later became dockworker in san francisco. played bit part in orson welles 1946 movie stranger. 1 of several movie appearances made beginning in 1940s , continuing 1990s. these small parts in b-movies, although did provide voice of gollum in 1977 made-for-television animated version of hobbit , follow-up adaptation of return of king (1980). voiced ruhk, mommy fortuna s assistant , carnival barker in last unicorn (1982).

success

theodore s career monologuist began in california in late 1940s, dramatic poe recitals. moved new york city, , 1950s, monologues, darkly humorous, had attracted cult following. in 1958, presented one-man show promoted idea human beings should walk on fours. jay landesman booked him @ st. louis crystal palace during 1960s. in 1960s, performed @ café bizarre in new york s greenwich village (106 w 3rd street). reached wider audience through television, 36 appearances on merv griffin show in 1960s , 70s, , guest on tonight show starring johnny carson, dick cavett show, , joey bishop show. after nightclub , tv appearances in 1950s , 60s waned, retired in mid-1970s.

comeback

he pulled out of retirement , booked magician dorothy dietrich , dick brooks in magic towne house on affluent upper east side of manhattan special weekend midnight performances. years earlier, brooks had remembered seeing brother theodore drawing packed crowds @ small, funky , eclectic clubs across lower east side (greenwich , east village) , sought him out new club. resulted in resurgence of interest in brother theodore brought him success in later years starting tom snyder s tomorrow show in 1977 followed more tv appearances , movies. according brooks, took multiple calls theodore convince him make comeback. theodore s attitude bleak, , felt career over. brooks wanted charge ten or more dollars, theodore insisted on 4 dollars, not scare people away. show success , ran several seasons. picture of magic towne house ad appeared in local new york newspapers such village voice , new york post.

theodore made 16 appearances on nbc s late night david letterman in 1980s. in 1980s, regular on billy crystal comedy hour. did voice work, including voice-over american trailer lucio fulci s house cemetery in 1981. in 1989 appeared in joe dante comedy film burbs. until late 1990s, guest actor in several episodes of joe frank: work in progress radio show on national public radio (npr).

an article on theodore appeared in rave magazine color photos. segments in book s in comedy. prior death pneumonia, recorded several monologues controversial documentary series, disinfo nation. appeared in billy crystal s mockumentary don t me started , voiced character of ointment expert on npr s weekend edition saturday version of julius knipl, real estate photographer in 1995.

documentary

in 2001, encouragement of long-time friend & confidant, jack finelli, theodore requested meet film artist jeff sumerel consider possibility of him producing documentary theodore. after in-person meeting, sumerel received theodore s approval, , agreed proceed film.

theodore cautious, because of past documentary attempts aborted because of eventual suspicions , distrust of filmmaker(s). sumerel too, hearing of theodore s tendencies self-sabotage past efforts. in february, preliminary shooting began, informal interviews theodore in apartment; however, in april, theodore became ill pneumonia , died.

nevertheless, sumerel encouraged theodore s family , friends continue documentary. since no funding available, sumerel continued project labor of love , when time , financing allowed. interview henry gibson began lead other notable performers theodore devotees. gibson connected sumerel penn & teller (friends of gibson s) long-time, avid theodorians. on next 5 years sumerel able capture interviews dick cavett, eric bogosian, tom schiller, len belzer, joe dante, mark shulman, , woody allen, among others. of them gave no hesitation participate, because of admiration of , respect theodore. sumerel spent next 2 years gathering archival materials , working editor, jeter rhodes, sift through vast amount of content conveying theodore s personal , professional life. in end, sumerel & rhodes wove both stories non-traditional documentary fitting theodore , titled great chagrin: unbelievable story of brother theodore. film selected premiere, february 13, 2008 @ opening night of museum of modern art s fortnight series.

death

theodore died in new york city on april 5, 2001, @ age of 94. buried in mount pleasant cemetery in hawthorne, new york.

his headstone reads: known brother theodore / solo performer, comedian, metaphysician / long there death, there hope