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Al Shean
Al Shean
	Shean in The Blue Bird (1940 film)
Born	Abraham Elieser Adolph Schönberg; May 12, 1868; Dornum, Province of Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia,; North German Confederation
Died	August 12, 1949 (aged 81); Manhattan, New York City, NY, U.S.
Other names	Adolf Schönberg; Alfred Schönberg; Albert Schönberg
Occupation(s)	Comedian, vaudevillian
Years active	1912–1944
Spouse	Johanna Davidson
Children	1
Relatives	Minnie Schönberg (sister); Marx Brothers (nephews)

Abraham Elieser Adolph Schönberg^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] (May 12, 1868 – August 12, 1949), known as Al Shean, was a comedian and vaudeville performer. Other sources give his birth name variously as Adolf Schönberg, Albert Schönberg, or Alfred Schönberg.^[6] He is most remembered for being half of the vaudeville team Gallagher and Shean, and as the uncle of the Marx Brothers (Leonard Joseph "Chico" Marx, Adolph (Arthur) "Harpo" Marx, Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx, Milton "Gummo" Marx and Herbert Manfred "Zeppo" Marx).^[7]

Biography

Shean was born in Dornum, Kingdom of Prussia on May 12, 1868, the son of Fanny and Levi or Louis Schoenberg. His father was a magician. His sister, Minnie, married Sam "Frenchie" Marx; their sons would become known as the Marx Brothers.

After making a name for himself in vaudeville, Shean teamed up with Edward Gallagher to create the act Gallagher and Shean. While the act was successful, the men apparently did not like each other much. After their act's final Ziegfeld Follies pairing, Shean went on to perform solo in eight Broadway shows, even playing the title character in Father Malachy's Miracle.

Shean had some solo film roles: as the piano player, known as "The Professor" in San Francisco (1936), as grandfather in The Blue Bird (1940), as a priest in Hitler's Madman (1943), and in some three dozen other films. He and Gallagher also made an early sound film at the Theodore Case studio in Auburn, New York, in 1925.^[8]

He died on August 12, 1949.^[9]

Legacy

Shean's son, also named Al Shean, worked on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.^[10]

Shean is reputed to have written the Marx Brothers' first (moderately) successful vaudeville sketch on butcher paper at Minnie and Frenchie's kitchen table one night while he was visiting.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1934	Music in the Air	Dr. Walter Lessing	Film debut
1935	Traveling Saleslady	Schmidt
	Page Miss Glory	Mr. Hamburgher
	Sweet Music	Sigmund Selzer
1936	The King Steps Out	Ballet Master	Uncredited
1936	San Francisco	The Professor
1937	The Road Back	Markheim
	Live, Love and Learn	Professor Fraum
	52nd Street	Klauber
	The Prisoner of Zenda	Orchestra Leader	Uncredited
	Rosalie	Herman Schmidt	Uncredited
1938	Too Hot to Handle	Gumpert	Uncredited
1938	The Great Waltz	Cellist	Uncredited
1939	Broadway Serenade	Herman
1940	The Blue Bird	Grandpa Tyl
1941	Ziegfeld Girl	Al
1943	Hitler's Madman	Father Cemlanek
1943	Crime Doctor	Dave - Convict	Uncredited
1944	Atlantic City	Himself	Final film

References

^ Mitchell, Glenn (2003). The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia. Reynolds & Hearn. p. 258. ISBN 1-905287-11-9.
^ "The Marx Brothers Family". Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ "Abraham Elieser Adolf SCHONBERG". FamilySearch International Genealogical. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ Vaudeville, old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performers. Frank Cullen,Florence Hackman,Donald McNeilly. 2007. ISBN 9780415938532. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
^ Louvish, Simon (2000). Monkey Business.The Lives and Legends of the Marx Brothers. St. Martin's Press. p. 471. ISBN 0-312-25292-7.
^ Mitchell, Glenn (2003). The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia. London: Reynolds & Hearn. p. 258. ISBN 1-905287-11-9.
^ "Al Shean, Old Vaudeville Star, Is 80. 'Absolutely, Mr. Gallagher,' He's Doing Fine". The New York Times. May 12, 1948. Retrieved November 29, 2014. Al Shean of Gallagher Shean fame, will celebrate his eightieth birthday today, but -- "absolutely, Mr. Gallagher" -- he does not consider it a noteworthy event.
^ "Gallagher and Shean". CBX Media. November 19, 2003. Archived from the original on November 19, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
^ "Al Shean Rites Held, 150 in Theatrical Field Attend Service for Veteran Trouper". The New York Times. August 16, 1949. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
^ "Alan Shean". IMDb.