RED BUTTONS (1919 - 2006) Missing Buttons

During at least its first season in 1952, “The Red Buttons Show” was a Tuesday night must-see for us first-generation TV viewers; in fact, a line from a comic bit RED BUTTONS performed weekly – “Strange things are happening!” – became a national catch-phrase. I can still see my dad guffawing when the diminutive red-headed comic cupped his hand to his right ear, did a little shuffle, and made goofy observations. But starting in its second season, ratings started to sag, and three years from its debut, the show was cancelled. But thankfully, we didn’t lose our Buttons. Red made a smooth leap to the big screen, and an Oscar in 1957 cemented his character actor status.

Red's career began long before TV, of course. Born Aaron Chwatt in New York City in 1919, he performed on street corners when he was a kid. Burlesque theater owners discovered him and made him the youngest comedian on the comedy circuit. Playing in the Catskills and on Broadway before being drafted in 1943, Red made his film debut in WINGED VICTORY (1944). Billed as "Cpl. Red Buttons," he recreated a part he originated on Broadway alongside other budding stars, including Karl Malden, Judy Holliday and Lee J. Cobb. He returned to show business in 1946, performing mainly on Broadway before landing on TV.

Red's chance to prove himself as a dramatic actor came in 1957 when famed director Joshua Logan cast him SAYONARA, starrring Marlon Brando. He delivered an achingly sensitive performance as a soldier in post-World War II Japan who enters into a tragic marriage with a Japanese woman, played by Miyoshi Umeki. The role earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (co-star Umeki also won an Oscar, the first Asian to do so). SAYONARA is dated today, but it's Red's performance, not Brando's, that holds up.

In the years that followed, Red appeared in (and brightened) such films as THE LONGEST DAY, HARLOW, THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? (the latter two earned him Golden Globe nominations), and the cult favorite and commercial hit THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, in which he was one of five Oscar-winning cast members. In HATARI (1962), he was a joy to watch, more than holding his own against no less than bigger-than-life John Wayne.

Red’s film career lost steam in the ‘70s, but he continued to work non-stop in TV, appearing in the '70s (“The Love Boat,” “Fantasy Island”), '80s (“The Cosby Show”,” Knots Landing”)), and into the '90s in sitcoms and dramas. His recurring character in ER, Jules Rubadoux, earned him an Emmy nomination in 2005, but sadly would be his final role.