George White

White, George

George White, né Weitz, producer, director, librettist, lyricist, actor, dancer (b at New York City, NY 1890; d at Hollywood, Calif 10 Oct 1968). A "Runyonesque" Broadway showman, often presumed Canadian because his family moved to Toronto when he was 7, he played harmonica while selling newspapers at King and Bay streets and ran away before he was 18. He made his Broadway debuts acting in The Echo (1910) and dancing in The Ziegfeld Follies (1911). He came to prominence as the author-producer of Scandals of 1919, in which he starred. Until 1931 George White's Scandals were a virtually annual New York event. His extravaganzas featured showgirls and comedians, while popularizing Harlem jazz, "the blues," and the Charleston and Black Bottom dances. There were additional Scandals in 1935 and 1939, and a final nightclub version in 1963. Three editions (1934, 1935, 1945) were filmed.