Ken Murray

Ken Murray wasn’t some born genius, but he definitely had showbiz in his blood—his dad worked vaudeville, and Ken just hustled hard to keep up. Grew up in NYC, 1903, and basically cobbled together his own act: dancing, singing, jokes, even roping tricks. Nothing fancy, just good old-fashioned elbow grease. He and his first wife toured together, and before long, he was headlining the Palace, even as vaudeville was starting to fade out. Now, get this—he picks up a 16mm camera, just to shoot home movies, and before you know it, the guy is filming Hollywood stars hamming it up. By the ‘30s, Columbia picks up his reels for “Screen Snapshots”—those clips still pop up in documentaries. Not too shabby for a side hobby. Fast-forward to 1942—Ken launches “Ken Murray’s Blackouts,” which was, honestly, wild: risqué jokes, gorgeous dancers, music, crazy acts—the works. It ran seven years in LA, which was unheard of. WWII folks just ate it up. He even snagged a special Oscar in ‘47 for his creative filmmaking. TV came calling in the ‘50s, and Ken hosted his own show for a few years. He worked Vegas, picked up small roles (yep, he’s in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”), and wrote his life story—because why not? “Life on a Pogo Stick.” Later on, he edited his home movies into “Ken Murray’s Shooting Stars.” Had four kids; one son, Cort, even sang professionally. Ken finally clocked out at 85, in Burbank. What a ride.