Jack Pearl

Who was Jack Pearl?

Jack Pearl, born Jack Perlman, was a vaudeville performer and a star of early radio.

Born in New York, Pearl made an easy transition from vaudeville to broadcasting when he introduced his character Baron Munchausen on The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air in 1932. His creation was loosely based on the Baron Münchhausen literary character. As the Baron, Pearl would tell far-fetched stories with a comic German accent. When the straight man expressed skepticism, the Baron replied with his familiar tagline and punchline: "Vass you dere, Sharlie?" This catch phrase soon became part of the national lexicon.

Typical of the dialogue:

Pearl played this character and others in musical revues of the 1920s and 1930s: The Dancing Girl, Topics of 1923, A Night in Paris, Artists and Models, Pleasure Bound, International Review, Ziegfeld Follies of 1931, Pardon My English and All for All.