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Inka Dinka Doo: The Life of Jimmy Durante
Relates Durante's rise from humble immigrant beginnings to his later exalted status in the entertainment industry
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
194 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 13, 2021
Jimmy Durante was a legendary comedian whose career spanned from his youth playing rough clubs in New York to Broadway to the movies in the early 30s and a revival in the 1940s to his radio career, television show and Vegas shows.
The writing is excellent. Jhan Robbins knew Durante personally and he paints a vivid picture of an era gone by with few words. His reliance on direct quotes from the people involved provides the personality.
Durante, like Jack Benny, seemed to be loved by everyone. Like Benny, he liked to greet fans passing by his home on the celebrity home tours. Manager Lou Clayton said, "...something inside that man kept him good and honest and kind. When you're near him it's like warming your hands over a fire." Danny Thomas said, "...Schnozzola wasn't a phony. So you were never one in his presence."
The only real cause of contrast against a very pleasant and successful life was Durante's first wife Jeanne. She sounds like a major pill; she was jealous of her husband's success, tried to turn him into someone he wasn't, and displayed signs of bipolar disorder. Luckily he found love again after Jeanne died.
It would have been nice to have more information here, about specific films Durante made, about his radio and television shows, etc. However, the book gets at the heart of the man and makes you feel as if you knew him too.
The writing is excellent. Jhan Robbins knew Durante personally and he paints a vivid picture of an era gone by with few words. His reliance on direct quotes from the people involved provides the personality.
Durante, like Jack Benny, seemed to be loved by everyone. Like Benny, he liked to greet fans passing by his home on the celebrity home tours. Manager Lou Clayton said, "...something inside that man kept him good and honest and kind. When you're near him it's like warming your hands over a fire." Danny Thomas said, "...Schnozzola wasn't a phony. So you were never one in his presence."
The only real cause of contrast against a very pleasant and successful life was Durante's first wife Jeanne. She sounds like a major pill; she was jealous of her husband's success, tried to turn him into someone he wasn't, and displayed signs of bipolar disorder. Luckily he found love again after Jeanne died.
It would have been nice to have more information here, about specific films Durante made, about his radio and television shows, etc. However, the book gets at the heart of the man and makes you feel as if you knew him too.
September 25, 2012
In Inka Dinka Doo, Jhan Robbins writes a biography of Jimmy Durante, beginning with his birth to a large immigrant family in the family’s kitchen to his early days playing dives in New York as a ragtime piano players to vaudeville success and motion picture hits and misses all the way to his death in 1980.
To Robbins, its a mystery. In the introduction, he lays out well what the mystery is, "Durante wasn't a singer like Sinatra any more than he was a comic technician like Bob Hope. He lacked the polish of Johnny Carson, the bluntness of Humphrey Bogart. When malapropisms and errors were deliberately inserted into his scripts he would mispronounce the mispronunciations. Other entertainers squeezed laughs out of vulgarity but not he. What was his secret?"
Robbins had gotten to know Durante over more than 20 years. The book is chock full of stories that tell the tale of Durante’s uncommon decency and kindness. Robbins' book could seem one-sided but as Robbins stated, he looked desperately to find Durante detractors but couldn't find any. The secret to Durante's success was his genuine warmth and heart which spills out over the nearly 200 pages in Inka Dinka Doo.
We learn of Durante's closest and deepest friendships with his longtime partners Lou Clayton and Eddie Jackson as well as Eddie Cantor. His rocky career during Prohibition and his even bumpier landing at MGM in the 1930s where he continually drew forgettable roles even after getting a high dollar star contract. We learn of his career on radio and triumphant entry into the new age of television.
The book is littered with anecdotes that show Durante's heart and spirit. Durante was an extremely friendly person. In fact, Hollywood tour buses made a point to stop by his house knowing that he would run out and greet the bus, sometimes with a pitcher of lemonade to sell. It was Durante's friendliness that got him out of the speakeasy business as an undercover prohibition agent came to the door and asked for him. Durante came down and the agent greeted him by name and Durante responded warmly. Then the agent complained of not being admitted and Durante let the guy in and the agent gathered evidence and the The Club Durant was shuttered the next evening.
Robbins also wrote of Durante's loyalty and concern for others. When a fading Buster Keaton was released by MGM, Durante pleaded with Louie B Mayer on Keaton's behalf and won Keaton's reinstatement. When attending a Dodgers' game, Durante silenced a heckler who was mocking young future Hall of Fame Catcher Roy Campanella because he was black. Durante was kind and considerate even though he pronounced Campanella's name as "Cantorbella."
The book is full of such stories and makes for a light and engaging read with chapters slice up perfectly in digestible chunks.
I'd offer two criticisms of the book. First, I think Robbins did a bit of an injustice to both Durante's first wife (who left Durante a widower in 1943) in the degree of his negative portrayal of her. Much of the source material for this information appears to be Durante's longtime friend Eddie Jackson who the first Mrs. Durante didn't get along with. What Robbins ended up with was a somewhat one side portrayal of Jeanne Durante. In addition, as Robbins stated, Durante never criticized or spoke negatively of Jeanne and so Robbins' portrayal of Jeanne wasn't quite in the spirit of Schnozolla.
In addition, the book has a somewhat uneven quality to it. For example, Robbins writes in painstaking detail about the one flop after another that MGM put Durante into. He then tells us that Durante's pictures from the mid-1940s were better, but mentions no film by name between In the Army Now (1941) and The Last Judgment (1961). The book also tells us little about Durante's latter day career as a ballad singer, a remarkable new direction for his that occurred at age 66. Of course, Inka Dinka Doo was released before Sleepless in Seattle which created new interest in Durante's ballads with Durante's performance of "As Time Goes By" and "Make Someone Happy" featuring prominently in the film.
Overall, there's more to Durante's life and career than this 200-page volume provides, however Robbins wrote with obvious affection for his subject and this book is not a bad place to start if you're interested in learning about one of America's best-loved entertainers. The book is out of print but may be available at your library (or through an interlibrary loan) or also as a used book through Amazon.
To Robbins, its a mystery. In the introduction, he lays out well what the mystery is, "Durante wasn't a singer like Sinatra any more than he was a comic technician like Bob Hope. He lacked the polish of Johnny Carson, the bluntness of Humphrey Bogart. When malapropisms and errors were deliberately inserted into his scripts he would mispronounce the mispronunciations. Other entertainers squeezed laughs out of vulgarity but not he. What was his secret?"
Robbins had gotten to know Durante over more than 20 years. The book is chock full of stories that tell the tale of Durante’s uncommon decency and kindness. Robbins' book could seem one-sided but as Robbins stated, he looked desperately to find Durante detractors but couldn't find any. The secret to Durante's success was his genuine warmth and heart which spills out over the nearly 200 pages in Inka Dinka Doo.
We learn of Durante's closest and deepest friendships with his longtime partners Lou Clayton and Eddie Jackson as well as Eddie Cantor. His rocky career during Prohibition and his even bumpier landing at MGM in the 1930s where he continually drew forgettable roles even after getting a high dollar star contract. We learn of his career on radio and triumphant entry into the new age of television.
The book is littered with anecdotes that show Durante's heart and spirit. Durante was an extremely friendly person. In fact, Hollywood tour buses made a point to stop by his house knowing that he would run out and greet the bus, sometimes with a pitcher of lemonade to sell. It was Durante's friendliness that got him out of the speakeasy business as an undercover prohibition agent came to the door and asked for him. Durante came down and the agent greeted him by name and Durante responded warmly. Then the agent complained of not being admitted and Durante let the guy in and the agent gathered evidence and the The Club Durant was shuttered the next evening.
Robbins also wrote of Durante's loyalty and concern for others. When a fading Buster Keaton was released by MGM, Durante pleaded with Louie B Mayer on Keaton's behalf and won Keaton's reinstatement. When attending a Dodgers' game, Durante silenced a heckler who was mocking young future Hall of Fame Catcher Roy Campanella because he was black. Durante was kind and considerate even though he pronounced Campanella's name as "Cantorbella."
The book is full of such stories and makes for a light and engaging read with chapters slice up perfectly in digestible chunks.
I'd offer two criticisms of the book. First, I think Robbins did a bit of an injustice to both Durante's first wife (who left Durante a widower in 1943) in the degree of his negative portrayal of her. Much of the source material for this information appears to be Durante's longtime friend Eddie Jackson who the first Mrs. Durante didn't get along with. What Robbins ended up with was a somewhat one side portrayal of Jeanne Durante. In addition, as Robbins stated, Durante never criticized or spoke negatively of Jeanne and so Robbins' portrayal of Jeanne wasn't quite in the spirit of Schnozolla.
In addition, the book has a somewhat uneven quality to it. For example, Robbins writes in painstaking detail about the one flop after another that MGM put Durante into. He then tells us that Durante's pictures from the mid-1940s were better, but mentions no film by name between In the Army Now (1941) and The Last Judgment (1961). The book also tells us little about Durante's latter day career as a ballad singer, a remarkable new direction for his that occurred at age 66. Of course, Inka Dinka Doo was released before Sleepless in Seattle which created new interest in Durante's ballads with Durante's performance of "As Time Goes By" and "Make Someone Happy" featuring prominently in the film.
Overall, there's more to Durante's life and career than this 200-page volume provides, however Robbins wrote with obvious affection for his subject and this book is not a bad place to start if you're interested in learning about one of America's best-loved entertainers. The book is out of print but may be available at your library (or through an interlibrary loan) or also as a used book through Amazon.
February 17, 2021
Fantastic biography, maybe my favourite I've read!! I already admired and was inspired by Jimmy but now I love and admire him so so much more! He was so sweet and genuine and funny and went through wild things in life.
It's easy to read,no dry parts and I really liked that all of Jimmy's quotes are written just as he spoke,so it's very easy to hear him in your as you read.
This book covers his life from start to finish and was written by a close friend of his. Yet it's still objective and unbiased, just giving the facts and stories without getting too affected by the author's emotions on any subjects.
I was amazed and thrilled by the wildness of some of the stories,gangsters, speakeasies, brawling drunkards,this book reads like a movie itself,yet this was real life in the 30s,crazy!
Jimmy Durante was a class act,he was a gentleman,he was special and yet it's hard to pin down exactly what his magic was...He was pure and innocent,rowdy and electric, mischievous yet classy and seemingly fearless. I'm so glad to have stumbled upon The Man Who Came to Dinner film and found out about this amazing little fellow.
It's easy to read,no dry parts and I really liked that all of Jimmy's quotes are written just as he spoke,so it's very easy to hear him in your as you read.
This book covers his life from start to finish and was written by a close friend of his. Yet it's still objective and unbiased, just giving the facts and stories without getting too affected by the author's emotions on any subjects.
I was amazed and thrilled by the wildness of some of the stories,gangsters, speakeasies, brawling drunkards,this book reads like a movie itself,yet this was real life in the 30s,crazy!
Jimmy Durante was a class act,he was a gentleman,he was special and yet it's hard to pin down exactly what his magic was...He was pure and innocent,rowdy and electric, mischievous yet classy and seemingly fearless. I'm so glad to have stumbled upon The Man Who Came to Dinner film and found out about this amazing little fellow.
July 14, 2020
I really love this man. I don’t think you can read this book, or anything about Jimmy Durante without loving the guy. I am stunned at how amazing of a man he was, how humble, kind and generous he was. He really is a man to model ones life after.
I may rate this book a 3. Sadly :/ I loved hearing about his life... but this was much to short. It felt more like a summary of a much longer better biopic. I’m bummed out that I don’t get to read 400 more pages about this wonderful mans life. I want to know so much more. This book barely skimmed the surface. It skipped out on some of the most important aspects of his career. One day I hope someone writes a serious biography on this man. I wait for that day. But until than, this is an ok start.
I may rate this book a 3. Sadly :/ I loved hearing about his life... but this was much to short. It felt more like a summary of a much longer better biopic. I’m bummed out that I don’t get to read 400 more pages about this wonderful mans life. I want to know so much more. This book barely skimmed the surface. It skipped out on some of the most important aspects of his career. One day I hope someone writes a serious biography on this man. I wait for that day. But until than, this is an ok start.
March 1, 2018
Absolutely one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. I knew nothing about this actor but found this in a used book store and I’m so glad I did. What a wonderful human being he was and so humble. He never forgot his beginnings or others who were there for him.
Right after I finished this book the movie “Jumbo” was on ... he was in it and gave a wonderful meaning seeing it 👍👍👍👍👍 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Right after I finished this book the movie “Jumbo” was on ... he was in it and gave a wonderful meaning seeing it 👍👍👍👍👍 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
April 17, 2022
You almost have to be of a certain age to wish to read a biography of Jimmy Durante or to remember seeing him on television. He certainly did not have a "great" singing voice, but I still love listening to him sing: Make Someone Happy, I'll Be Seeing You, As Time Goes By, Young at Heart, Frosty the Snowman, and, of course, Inka Dinka Doo. I remember him most from guest appearances on the Ed Sullivan show and his own TV show plus the movies Jumbo and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I never knew about his great accomplishments in vaudeville here and abroad. I did not realize that he began his career as a pianist, acted and sang on Broadway, and was one of the biggest box-office draws at the London Palladium and the Palace theatres for his live shows. I just knew that as a young girl that I thought he was a terrific comic with his mangled English and genuinely nice man. It is nice to read a biography and not find out that a childhood "hero" had feet of clay. Jimmy Durante did not have an easy life, but he was a faithful friend, husband, and father. I remember he always signed off his appearance with: Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are. Supposedly this was an idea manufactured by Jimmy and his agent, but he always seemed so sad and genuine, that I still wonder about the source of this farewell. Regardless, Goodnight Mr. Durante wherever you are. Kristi & Abby Tabby
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews