- published: 30 May 2010
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Leon Belasco (11 October 1902 – 1 June 1988), born Leonid Simeonovich Berladsky, was a Russian-American musician and actor who had a 60-year career in film and television from the 1920s to the 1980s, appearing in more than 100 films.
Born in Odessa, Ukraine, Belasco attended St. Joseph College in Yokohama, Japan, and trained as a musician in Japan and Manchuria. For several years, he appeared as the first violinist with the Tokyo Symphony.
When his family moved to California, Belasco found occasional work in Hollywood. He made his film debut in 1926 in the silent film The Best People. To supplement his income, he played the violin. Later he formed his own band, which mainly performed in hotels in and around New York City. The Andrews Sisters were introduced through his band.
During a season break from a hotel engagement, he returned to Hollywood, first appearing in Broadway Serenade and Topper Takes a Trip (1938). He acted in 13 films in 1942, including Holiday Inn, Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and Road to Morocco.
"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise.
The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either passively, openly or via sabotage.
As a phrase meaning "the boss" it dates from at least 1918.
In the Southern U.S. states, the phrase came to be applied to any man or any group in a position of authority, or to authority in the abstract. From about the 1950s the phrase was also an underworld code word for police, the warden of a prison or other law enforcement or penal authorities.
The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in U.S. News and World Report, had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine Easyriders which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."
Dick Robertson may refer to:
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
More Love may refer to:
Funny little piece from my film collection with Leon Belasco.
A bandleader during the 1930s (he conducted the Andrews Sisters’ debut recordings), the Russian-born Belasco then shifted to an acting career, appearing in well over a hundred movies and television shows from the 1940s to 1970s, often in bit roles. Disc courtesy of The Rick Colom Collection, digitally processed from the original 78rpm: Vocalion 2552 - Don’t Change (Be As You Are) (Turk-Lawnhurst) by Leon Belasco and his Hotel St. Moritz Orchestra, vocal by Leon Belasco, recorded in NYC September 22, 1933 Check out the daily music posts on my Facebook group: 1950s HITS--EVERY DAY! https://www.facebook.com/groups/824194430969202/ MusicProf78 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Musicprof78/689903871053047
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection This and the posted 78 flip side “Build A Little Home” were Dubin & Warren tunes from the Eddie Cantor film “Roman Scandals.” Transferred from the 78rpm: (UK) Edison Bell Winner W-101, original U.S. issue on Vocalion 2591 - No More Love (Dubin-Warren) by Leon Belasco and his Hotel St. Moritz Orchestra, vocal by Leon Belasco, recorded in NYC November 22, 1933 Check out the daily music posts on my Facebook group: 1950s HITS--EVERY DAY! https://www.facebook.com/groups/824194430969202/ MusicProf78 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Musicprof78/689903871053047
From the 1933 Eddie Cantor film Roman Scandals comes this Great Depression tune. Noted for his career in TV and film, Leon Belasco led a pleasant dance band during the first half of the 1930s that recorded for Vocalion on their gold label. Dick Robertson, as he did with many other orchestras, offers his vocals for this session. This rendition of the song is quite toned down from the version you hear sung by Cantor and other bands. The photograph of Belasco is courtesy of collector William Smith. Transcribed from the original 78 rpm record. Vocalion gold label 2591-A, recorded November 22nd, 1933. Flipside is "No More Love" with vocals by Leon Belasco.
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection This and the posted 78 flip side “No More Love” were Dubin and Warren tunes from the Eddie Cantor film “Roman Scandals.” Ben Selvin’s recording of “Build A Little Home” is also available on the MusicProf78 channel. Transferred from the 78rpm: (UK) Edison Bell Winner W-101, original U.S. issue on Vocalion 2591 - Build A Little Home (Dubin-Warren) by Leon Belasco and his Hotel St. Moritz Orchestra, vocal by Dick Robertson, recorded in NYC November 22, 1933 Check out the daily music posts on my Facebook group: 1950s HITS--EVERY DAY! https://www.facebook.com/groups/824194430969202/ MusicProf78 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Musicprof78/689903871053047
One of my favorite musical segments from the Marx films. It's always enjoyable watching any of the three (or four) brothers do their musical thang, but Chico especially...you talk about "playing the piano," but he played WITH the piano, so effortlessly, like it was a toy!
The Man Called X is an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston/"Mr. X" who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pegon Zellschmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pegon would annoy and help Mr. X. Wendell Niles was the announcer from 1947 to 1948. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. The series was created by Jay Richard Kennedy who later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated television series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston for Ziv Television. Our channel is dedicated to preserving Old Time Radio classic shows, such as this....
Funny little piece from my film collection with Leon Belasco.
A bandleader during the 1930s (he conducted the Andrews Sisters’ debut recordings), the Russian-born Belasco then shifted to an acting career, appearing in well over a hundred movies and television shows from the 1940s to 1970s, often in bit roles. Disc courtesy of The Rick Colom Collection, digitally processed from the original 78rpm: Vocalion 2552 - Don’t Change (Be As You Are) (Turk-Lawnhurst) by Leon Belasco and his Hotel St. Moritz Orchestra, vocal by Leon Belasco, recorded in NYC September 22, 1933 Check out the daily music posts on my Facebook group: 1950s HITS--EVERY DAY! https://www.facebook.com/groups/824194430969202/ MusicProf78 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Musicprof78/689903871053047
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection This and the posted 78 flip side “Build A Little Home” were Dubin & Warren tunes from the Eddie Cantor film “Roman Scandals.” Transferred from the 78rpm: (UK) Edison Bell Winner W-101, original U.S. issue on Vocalion 2591 - No More Love (Dubin-Warren) by Leon Belasco and his Hotel St. Moritz Orchestra, vocal by Leon Belasco, recorded in NYC November 22, 1933 Check out the daily music posts on my Facebook group: 1950s HITS--EVERY DAY! https://www.facebook.com/groups/824194430969202/ MusicProf78 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Musicprof78/689903871053047
From the 1933 Eddie Cantor film Roman Scandals comes this Great Depression tune. Noted for his career in TV and film, Leon Belasco led a pleasant dance band during the first half of the 1930s that recorded for Vocalion on their gold label. Dick Robertson, as he did with many other orchestras, offers his vocals for this session. This rendition of the song is quite toned down from the version you hear sung by Cantor and other bands. The photograph of Belasco is courtesy of collector William Smith. Transcribed from the original 78 rpm record. Vocalion gold label 2591-A, recorded November 22nd, 1933. Flipside is "No More Love" with vocals by Leon Belasco.
Original 78rpm courtesy of the Rick Colom Collection This and the posted 78 flip side “No More Love” were Dubin and Warren tunes from the Eddie Cantor film “Roman Scandals.” Ben Selvin’s recording of “Build A Little Home” is also available on the MusicProf78 channel. Transferred from the 78rpm: (UK) Edison Bell Winner W-101, original U.S. issue on Vocalion 2591 - Build A Little Home (Dubin-Warren) by Leon Belasco and his Hotel St. Moritz Orchestra, vocal by Dick Robertson, recorded in NYC November 22, 1933 Check out the daily music posts on my Facebook group: 1950s HITS--EVERY DAY! https://www.facebook.com/groups/824194430969202/ MusicProf78 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Musicprof78/689903871053047
One of my favorite musical segments from the Marx films. It's always enjoyable watching any of the three (or four) brothers do their musical thang, but Chico especially...you talk about "playing the piano," but he played WITH the piano, so effortlessly, like it was a toy!
The Man Called X is an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston/"Mr. X" who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pegon Zellschmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pegon would annoy and help Mr. X. Wendell Niles was the announcer from 1947 to 1948. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. The series was created by Jay Richard Kennedy who later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated television series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston for Ziv Television. Our channel is dedicated to preserving Old Time Radio classic shows, such as this....
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Niagara Falls 1941 Public Domain http://oldtimeradiofoundation.org Check out our great cause for seniors and veterans above Margie Blake, who wants to get married young and have two dozen kids, has a flat tire and traveling salesman Tom Wilson... Niagara Falls is a 1941 American comedy of errors film directed by Gordon Douglas that was one of Hal Roach's Streamliners. Marjorie Woodworth,Tom Brown,Zasu Pitts,Slim Summerville,Chester Clute,Edgar Dearing,Edward Gargan,Gladys Blake,Leon Belasco,Rand Brooks,Margaret Roach,Jack Rice,Carlyle Blackwell Jr.,John Davidson,Marjorie Deanne,Joseph Depew,Dudley Dickerson,Jack Egan,Frank Faylen,Bud Geary,Charlie Hall,Eddie Hall,Robert Kent,Gwen Kenyon,Ethelreda Leopold,Lois Lindsay,Patsy Mace,Tommy Mack,Gertrude Messinger,Irving Mitchell
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Called X was an espionage radio drama which aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944 to May 20, 1952. Herbert Marshall had the lead role of agent Ken Thurston who took on dangerous cases in a variety of exotic locations. Gordon Jenkins Orchestra supplied the background music. Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world because he had a "cousin" there. Pagan would annoy and help Mr. X. Ziv Television later adapted The Man Called X as a 39 episode syndicated series (1956-57) starring Barry Sullivan as Thurston. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------