JOE E. LEWIS

Joe E. Lewis was an actor and comedian from the 1920s to the 1960s. He performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and later "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson". He only appeared in four movies: The Big Show, Private Number, The Holy Terror, and Private Buckaroo. Note that Lewis was the victim of an attempted mob hit in 1927, after refusing to renew a contract to perform at a nightclub. The request was made by Al Capone's lieutenant Jack 'Machine Gun' McGurn. Lewis was attacked in his hotel room, where his throat and tongue were slashed and he was left for dead. It took him years to learn to speak and sing again. Capone himself gave Lewis $10,000 to aid in his recovery (Capone was displeased with the attempted hit, but refused to take action against McGurn!). Frank Sinatra later played Lewis in 1957's "The Joker Is Wild". Lewis passed away in 1971 at the age of 69.