Shawn, Dick

Dick Shawn (1923–1987) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and satirist whose innovative style helped reshape American comedy in the decades before modern stand-up. Born Richard Schulefand in Buffalo, New York, Shawn developed a unique performance style that blended improvisation, satire, physical comedy, and character acting. He became known for lampooning social conventions, politics, and popular culture, earning acclaim on television, in nightclubs, and on Broadway. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as the charismatic hippie Sylvester Marcus in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and as the rock-star-turned-dictator Lorenzo St. DuBois in Mel Brooks's The Producers (1967).

During the 1950s and 1960s, Shawn was closely identified with Englewood, New Jersey. Newspaper accounts regularly referred to him as "the Englewood comedian" and "Englewood's fast-rising young comic" as his national reputation grew. Like many performers of the television era, Shawn found Bergen County an attractive place to live, offering suburban family life while remaining close to New York City's television studios, theaters, and nightclubs.

Shawn became one of the most visible members of Englewood's entertainment community. He maintained friendships with fellow comedians Buddy Hackett, Joey Bishop, and Phil Foster, all of whom lived in or near Bergen County. According to contemporary accounts, Shawn introduced Hackett to life in Englewood and later sold him his Englewood home. Their friendship reflected the close-knit network of performers who helped transform the area into an informal center of American comedy during the postwar years.

A passionate golfer, Shawn was especially connected to the Englewood Golf Club. Newspaper reports described his determination to compete in club tournaments, including one occasion when he arranged an extraordinary helicopter trip from Pennsylvania to reach a tournament at the club. Shawn later joined Buddy Hackett, Joey Bishop, and Phil Foster in acquiring an ownership interest in the historic golf club, which served as a social gathering place for entertainers, athletes, and business leaders. Through the club, Shawn became part of a community that linked suburban Bergen County with the worlds of television, theater, and nightclub entertainment.

Shawn also remained engaged with the civic and cultural life of Englewood. At a community event celebrating the arts, he publicly praised the city's efforts to establish a cultural center, demonstrating his support for local cultural development. His participation reflected a broader commitment to the community that extended beyond his career as a performer.

Shawn's family would also become connected to another prominent Englewood entertainment family. His daughter, Wendy Shawn, married Joey Travolta, the eldest son of Helen Burke Travolta, the influential drama teacher at Dwight Morrow High School and St. Cecilia High School who helped build Bergen County's community theater movement. Through this marriage, the Shawn and Travolta families became linked, connecting two families whose stories are deeply intertwined with Englewood's contributions to American entertainment.

Today, Dick Shawn is remembered as one of the most original comic performers of his generation. His years in Englewood illustrate how the city became home to a remarkable concentration of entertainers whose friendships, family lives, and social activities helped make Bergen County an important center of American cultural life during the mid-twentieth century.

Steven H. Scheuer, "Shawn Rejects Loot," The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), August 31, 1958.

The Record (Hackensack, NJ), July 17, 1970, referring to Shawn as "the Englewood comedian."

David Spengler, arts column discussing Shawn's support for Englewood's arts center initiative.

"Comic Shawn's Golf Trip Just a Genuine Gasser," The Record (Hackensack, NJ), June 14, 1976.

Radio Mirror, November 1956, describing Shawn's friendship with Buddy Hackett and the sale of his Englewood home to Hackett.

Contemporary accounts of the Englewood Golf Club ownership group, including Dick Shawn, Buddy Hackett, Joey Bishop, and Phil Foster.

Biographical records documenting Wendy Shawn's marriage to Joey Travolta and the connection between the Shawn and Travolta families.

 

General Artists Corporation

December 4, 1964

Public Domain