Victor Borge: Late Career

Victor Borge’s career received an important injection from early appearances on Ed Sullivan’s TV show Toast of the Town in 1948.  He even acted in the capacity of guest host on at least one occasion.

From there, Borge launched the mainstay of his career a one-man show called Comedy in Music, which would become the longest-running one-main show in theater’s history.  It debuted on Oct. 2, 1953 at John Golden Theatre in New York City and ran until Jan. of 1956.  It is in front of live theatre audiences that Borge honed his most memorable acts, such as the “phonetic punctuation” routine and the upside-down sheet music gag.

His celebrity was enough to land him on television several more times, including some guest appearances on the noted, Groucho-Marx-hosted What’s My Line?  One of his several appearances was on an episode with Joan Crawford.

His comedy, while geared to adults, brought him to a children’s audience when he appeared on The Electric Company, The Muppets, and Sesame Street.

His live performances lived well beyond the duration of Comedy in Music.  He performed until the end of his life.