Eddie Lawrence

Eddie Lawrence, born Lawrence Eisler on March 2, 1919, in Brooklyn, New York, was an American performer whose work spanned monologue, acting, singing, lyric writing, playwriting, directing, painting, and television. He died on March 25, 2014. His comic character "The Old Philosopher" earned him a cult following that lasted more than five decades.

Lawrence began performing toward the end of the Great Depression, building an early reputation in small New York clubs and on the Catskill Mountains resort circuit, where he delivered whimsical free verse in an unconventional comic style. His first confirmed radio appearance came in 1943 on Major Bowes Amateur Hour, where he performed wartime impressions of Charles Boyer, Ronald Colman, Roland Young, and Clem McCarthy. That performance was later included on the 1959 LP Original Amateur Hour 25th Anniversary Album. At some point during his early career, Lawrence traveled to Paris to study painting under Fernand Léger, producing visual art under his birth name, Lawrence Eisler.

By the early 1950s he had settled into the professional name Eddie Lawrence, continuing to work club engagements while taking bit parts in live television productions based in New York. His first significant stage role came in 1955, when he joined the cast of the second Off-Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera at Theater deLys, which opened on September 30 of that year. Lawrence sang the role of Crook-Finger Jack, one of Macheath's henchmen. That production ran for 2,611 performances before closing on December 17, 1961, though Lawrence departed before the end of its first year.

In September 1956, the single "The Old Philosopher" reached the Billboard Top 40. The recording featured Lawrence speaking in a comically downtrodden voice over an accordion rendition of "Beautiful Dreamer," cataloguing an escalating series of absurd misfortunes before pivoting to an exuberant rallying cry drawn from a brassy rendition of "National Emblem." The routine concluded with a darkly comic implication of self-destruction. The single's success drew attention to two LPs Lawrence had already released: The Garden of Eddie Lawrence on Signature Records, originally issued in early 1955, and The Old Philosopher on Coral Records, released in mid-1956, which had supplied the title track for the single. The Old Philosopher was the first of five LPs Lawrence recorded for Coral. The original routine was later included on the Warner Bros. compilation 25 Years of Recorded Comedy.

While preparing follow-up recordings, Lawrence entered rehearsals for his first full Broadway production. Bells Are Ringing, with music by Jule Styne and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, opened at the Shubert Theatre on November 29, 1956, starring Judy Holliday. Lawrence played the supporting role of Sandor for most of the show's run, and his performance was preserved on the original cast album released by Columbia Records. The production closed on March 7, 1959, after 924 performances.

Lawrence's subsequent Coral albums continued to showcase his range as a comic writer and performer. The Side-Splitting Personality of Eddie Lawrence appeared in 1957 and included parodies of The Untouchables and Casablanca, the latter featuring an impression of Peter Lorre. The Kingdom of Eddie Lawrence followed later that year, containing two Old Philosopher tracks alongside other material, including a holiday-themed routine. Eddie the Old Philosopher, released in 1959, collected four Old Philosopher routines as well as additional character pieces.

His Broadway career extended from 1955 to 1967 and included credits such as Kelly, Sort of an Adventure, The Beautiful Mariposa, Louie and the Elephant, and Sherry!, in addition to his work as a book writer for the stage. From 1987 to 1992, Lawrence reprised a version of the Old Philosopher character on the television program Square One TV, adapting the format to address mathematical concepts for the show's audience.