Shecky Greene, legendary Las Vegas headliner, dead at 97
nypost.comLas Vegas Review-Journal. “It was fun,” Marie Musso Greene said when asked what it was like being married to the late headliner. “He always made humor out of whatever he could.
He made you laugh and feel good. It was a happy time.”His rep, Howard Rapp, told The Post: “Shecky Greene was a brilliant comedian whose career spanned 7 decades and will be missed by all.
He entertained me even through our last phone call where he sang me a song and included my name to entertain me. I will miss him as I [have known] him for over 50 years.”Born Fred Sheldon Greenfield on April 8, 1926, in Chicago, Greene served in the Navy during World War II.He attended community college to become a gym teacher but ended up performing in nightclubs for money.Greene’s love for comedy deepened when he teamed up with the future co-founder of The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, Sammy Shore.
In 1953, Greene relocated to Las Vegas, where he opened for Dorothy Shay — also known as the “Park Avenue Hillbillie.”“This was the making of my career,” Greene recalled in a 1996 interview with the Las Vegas Sun. “They held me over with Patty Andrews after she left her sisters, then they put me up with [bandleader] Xavier Cugat.”In 1956, Greene introduced Elvis Presley, who was making his Vegas debut.
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