The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 62

To 1 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2000 LOS ANGELES TIMES Victor Borge; Pianist, Comedian Skilled Musician Left Crowds Laughing Around the World TIMES MYRNA STAFF WRITER OLIVER VER Victor Borge, the comical musician or musical comedian- -depending on your point of w--who taught audiences around the world that classical piano could be fun, died Saturday at his home in Greenwich, Conn. He was 91. Borge's daughter, Rikke Borge, told the Associated Press that her father died peacefully in his sleep as the family was gathering to celebrate Christmas. He had just returned from a trip to Copenhagen, the city of his birth. Borge would have turned 92 on Jan.

3. "I think he brought laughter to every person he came in contact with," Rikke Borge said Saturday, "He had a long and happy life." For more than half a century, Borge kept people laughing with a busy performance schedule, including frequent Southland appearances. A Times review of Borge at the Hollywood Bowl in 1996 said: "Some of the comedic bits. were as old as the music he performed, but it didn't matter. Borge made it all seem spontaneous and fresh." Through radio, TV, films, records, books and videos, Borge shared his humor with the masses, adapting handily to new media as they developed.

And though his comedy may have overshadowed his musicianship, he was a first-rate pianist. "Bad musicians are rarely funny for very long, but Victor Borge remained a riot for a remarkably long time," said Times music critic Mark Swed. "He was such fun because he was the kind of brilliant pianist who could make everything look so easy." Perhaps the question most often asked of Borge was: What made you mix clowning with classical piano? "Fear," said the very private Borge in an interview some years ago. "Even today when I play with the orchestra, there are moments when I begin to shake. "The problem that everyone has, be they great or not so great, is that every time you perform, you are defending yourself, proving that you can do it and do it well.

You are audi- Pauline Curley; Silent Film Star Retired at Dawn of Talkies Pauline Curley, silent movie siren who played opposite Douglas Fairbanks in "Bound in Morocco" and "The Turn of the Road," has died at the age of 97. Curley, who retired in 1929 to rear her family as "talkies" began to emerge, died Saturday in Santa Monica. Born Dec. 19, 1903, in Holyoke, she began acting on stage at 7 and by 12 was making movies in New York and New Jersey studios. She made her debut in "The Unbroken Road" in 1915, but probably achieved her greatest fame in 1917, portraying Princess Irena in "The Fall of the Romanoffs." The names of the heroines she played and the titles of the more than 40 films she made reflected the melodrama of the era: Mayme Saunders in "A Case at Law," Beatrice Forsythe in "'The Square Deceiver," Margery La Tour in "His Daughter Pays." Curley's favorites were her roles opposite Fairbanks in "Bound in Morocco" in 1918 and "Turn in the Road," in 1919, the first film directed by King Vidor.

She was featured in two western serials with Antonio Moreno: "The Veiled Mystery" and "The Invisible Hand," both in 1920. Other westerns were among her feature films, including "The Borge mimics fellow pianist Liberace at a show in New York in 1954. tioning every time you touch the piano, because you never know who might be in the audience. The nerves and the fear can take everything out of you, and it isn't worth it." He developed his protective, selfdisparaging persona, which delighted generations of concertgoers, as a child in Denmark when his parents wanted to show off their prodigy. Audiences Welcomed Performer's Routines "I was taken around, expected to play after dinner on pianos which were generally out of tuneished, but out of tune," he said wryly.

"This poor kid would have to play Mendelssohn or Schubert on these horrors, so I would talk, make up a composer's name. I would play pieces that I just made up. My father Danish Royal Symphony would get angry with me, because sometimes there were very important people in the audience." Over the years, Borge refined his sketches in four languages, earning knighthoods and international popu- larity. And although the routines were repetitious, they came to be greeted as old friends. "How many times does an orchestra play Beethoven's Ninth, Fifth or Sixth? But people go back to hear it year in and year out," Generations he said.

"I'm and like apple pie. come go; like it, understand it. It doesn't have to change with the times." His best-known routines included signaling his page-turner by a pull of the tie, interspersing "Happy Birthday" amid pieces by the classical masters and using explosive sounds for periods, commas and exclamation points. Also popular was his "inflated language" in which "wonderful" became "two-derful," and "the second lieutenant ate the tenderloin with his fork" ballooned to "the third lieu-eleven-ant nined the eleven-derloin with his fivek." But he was careful to balance his droll asides and witty sight gags with superb piano work. "There has to be enough musical content to please the sophisticated," he said, "and enough broad humor to satisfy those who have come just to Born Borge Rosenbaum, he was educated at Borgerdydskolen, a Pauline Curley acted with Douglas Fairbanks in two movies.

Prairie Mystery," "Cowboy Courage," "Twin Six O'Brien," "Prince of the Saddle" and "Two Fisted Buckaroo." Curley's final film was "The Locked Door" in 1929. She retired from the screen when she married motion picture John Quinlan; Tail Gunner on Memphis Belle Bomber John Quinlan, 81, the tail gunner on the storied World War II bomber the Memphis Belle. Quinlan joined the Army Air Forces in 1941 and was assigned to a B-17 named for the girlfriend of pilot Robert Morgan, who was from Memphis, Tenn. The plane's 10-man crew was the first to complete 25 missions during World War II, all with no casualties. Their exploits became the subject of a wartime documentary and a 1990 Hollywood movie.

Quinlan was credited with shooting down two German planes while aboard the Memphis Belle, which is now on display in Memphis. He also shot down three Japanese fighters after he was transferred to the Pacific theater. During the Memphis Belle's legendary bombing runs over Germany, Quinlan kept up the crew's spirits by singing his own version of "The Wabash Cannonball," substituting his lyrics: "You could hear those Jerries say, "They're flying straight from hell. They come to bomb the Fatherland. They fly the Memphis Quinlan, an engineer after the war, retired in 1980.

On Monday in Albany, N.Y. Sell virtually any new home. latimes.com 010-EM-00 New HomeNetwork on Com 1-800-234-4444, ext. 77291 Obituaries public school in Copenhagen. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps, but young Borge preferred piano to violin.

At age 9, he entered the Copenhagen Conservatory on a scholarship. He later studied at the University of Berlin, and with private teachers in Copenhagen and Vienna. Borge made his concert debut at the age of 13 and began composing at 17. At 23 he made his professional comedy debut. He became a comedian, actor, composer, pianist, writer and even director of stage, screen and radio shows.

He appeared in six films and wrote a Swedish newspaper column. On Christmas Eve in 1933, Borge wed Elsie Chilton, an American who later helped him flee the Nazis. He had quickly earned a place high on the Nazi public enemies list by making fun of the party. Typical was his comment on the irony of a pact between Denmark and Germany: "Now the good German citizens can sleep peacefully in their beds, secure from the threat of Danish aggression." When the Germans invaded Denmark in 1940, Borge fortuitously was entertaining in Sweden. He was able to join Chilton in the hold of an overcrowded ship arriving in the United States on Aug.

28. Escaping From the Nazis Abandoning all his possessions, including his piano, Borge later joked that he had caught the last available ship out of Petsame, Finland, "with only five minutes to spare." The couple escaped with just their dog -and had to pay a $3 U.S. customs tax on it. Adept at Swedish, French and German, Borge taught himself lish by sitting through several showings of cheap movies and repeating the dialogue. Changing his name to Victor Borge, he translated some of his routines into English and won a spot in a Florida nightclub show.

He met Rudy Vallee, who gave him an audition and lent him a studio audience that included Bing Crosby's radio sponsors. Borge's guest appearance on Crosby's "Kraft Music Hall" in 1941 led to a niche as a regular on the crooner's show for 56 weeks. BARTY Continued from B9 March on the leg. Over the years, his film credits would include serious and comedic parts in such films as "The Day of the Locust," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Tough Guys," "Under the Rainbow," "W.C. Fields and Me," and "Willow." The vaudeville circuit beckoned in the 1930s, and he began a sevenyear stint with the musical comedy act billed as Billy Barty and His Sisters.

He played drums and did impressions while his sisters sang. Barty tried to break out of show business for a time in the 1940s, returning to Los Angeles to go to college. Hoping to become a sportswriter or broadcaster, he majored in journalism at Los Angeles City College, where he was the sports editor of the college's award-winning newspaper. He continued his education and graduated from what is now Cal State L.A. But in the 1950s, he was drawn into television.

One of the high points of his career came when he joined Spike Jones and His City Slickers. He toured the United States and Australia with Jones' band and appeared on several of the zany bandleader's television programs doing comedy bits and impersonations. He also hosted a children's television program, "Billy Barty's Big Show," for several years and appeared on such programs as "Peter Gunn," "Get Smart," "Rawhide" and "Mr. Lucky." In later years, it was not uncommon to see him on "Barney Miller," "'The Waltons," "The Golden Girls" and "Frasier." He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in July 1981. He received an honorary doctorate from Cal State L.A.

in 1995. LOOK HOW FAR SOME PEOPLE WILL GO SO YOU CAN REACH MILLIONS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS All the way to Alaska! TIMES It's New Year's biggest advertising 8 JANUARY 7, 2001 opportunity. Featuring an Alaskan cruise to So don't attract miss millions the of boat! readers. Publishing: Sunday, I January 7, 9001 SPECIAL Times Loo Angeles Times representative advertise, or contart calf your 1-000-234-4444. sales www.latimes.com Classified 00-G3-303 Los Angeles Times Victor Borge jokes with the audience at Knott's Berry Farm in 1992.

Borge's American career in top nightclubs and concert halls was launched. When he made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1945, Variety headlined its review, "Best Acts of All Play Carnegie Hall Cued by Borge's Show." He was soon engaged as a summer replacement for the radio show "Fibber McGee and Molly," and in 1946 began broadcasting "The Victor Borge Show" on NBC. His one-man Broadway show ran for years in the early 1950s, setting an 849-performance record for such a solo act. Borge's gags became so expected that when he twitched his nose during a concert because a fly landed on it, the audience considered the reaction part of the act and demanded to know how he trained the fly. Recalling a concert in which one pianist had played a few opening chords and then slumped forward on (76) Stria Associated Press Barty sizes up Kareem Abdul-Jab- bar at Dodger Stadium in 1977.

At the time of his death, Barty was completing his autobiography. Barty is survived by his wife, Shirley; daughter, Lori Nielsen; son, Braden; a granddaughter; and a sister, Deede Morse. A memorial service is scheduled for 1 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, 11022 Riverside Drive, North Hollywood. the keys, dead, Borge quipped: "If I did that, everybody would Borge's hobbies of flying and preparing gourmet meals served as a diversion.

But another one became a business--and headache. He introduced the delicacy of rock Cornish game hens to the U.S., raising and freezing the birds on a farm he bought in Connecticut for his second wife, the former Sarabel Sanna -his first marriage ended in divorce--and his children. Late in his career, Borge began conducting. His second book, "My Favorite Comedies in Music," cowritten with critic Robert Sherman in 1980, was prompted by his study of various musical instruments in preparation for conducting. Borge is survived by his five children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

His second wife died in September at 83. GASSNER Continued from B9 ate. But this fall, Middelhoff unexpectedly invited Gassner back to replace both Dornemann and Zelnick in November to rejuvenate a company Middelhoff believes is under-performing. Gassner had long been considered one of the industry's top international executives. On Saturday, Dornemann recalled that he lured Gassner to the company in 1986 from PolyGram after BMG bought RCA records when he realized the company lacked a seasoned international executive.

Dornemann said one of Gassner's biggest innovations was taking artists popular in their native countries and broadening their appeal. In 13 years, Gassner tripled BMG Entertainment International's revenue, with the number of operating companies outside of the U.S. growing from 14 to 53, featuring more than 200 labels. His international work became the subject of a prestigious case study at the Harvard Business School, where Gassner developed close ties and became an advisor to the dean of Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Born Rudolf L. Gassner, he lived in Connecticut, where he is expected to be buried. In addition to his wife, Gassner is survived by children Claudia, Beatrice, Alexandra and Maximilian along with his mother, Mathilde. photography director Kenneth D. Peach.

He died in 1988. Curley is survived by their three children, Kenneth D. Peach Pauline A. Reynolds and Martin S. Peach; seven grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

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