Roy Arthur

From: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6652221/adolph-cohen

Adolf Cohen was the eldest son of Jacob and Sarah (Adelson) Cohen. He signed his name “Adolf Ike Cohen” on his World War I draft registration in 1917. His stage name was ROY ARTHUR, but he was known as “Bunk” by his family members. After finishing with school he became an actor in Vaudeville as early as May 1900, and also worked as a clerk. He played a foil in “blackface” to Jean Bedini, an accomplished juggler, and “Arthur” brought the comedy, to the detriment of the objects deftly juggled by Bedini. Roy was able to get his childhood acquaintance, Eddie Cantor, a job as another lackey for Bedini. When a singer had "one too many" and couldn’t go on, it was Roy Arthur who suggested, “Let Eddie go on, he can sing a couple of songs!” An accomplished, but unknown singer, Cantor knocked the audience out, and the rest is history. Eddie never forgot what Roy did for him, and the two of them worked together for years after Eddie Cantor became a giant in stage and radio. It wasn’t too long before Bedini and Arthur parted ways, and Roy brought his brother, PHIL ROY into the act as the juggler, and Arthur still playing the comic foil in Roy and Arthur. Roy Arthur married Mary Kaplan in Manhattan in 1914 and they had a son together, Jerome, b. 1916. "Uncle Bunk" brought his young nephew, Jack Cohen to Eddie Cantor’s shows and let him have a seat in the front row. One day Cantor asked Roy, Who’s that kid in the front row who never laughs at my jokes? Roy told him that it was his brother Phil’s kid. “Well, put him in the back, I can’t have people not laughing up here.” Afterwards, young Jack laughed like crazy at everything during the shows. His uncle asked him, Why are you laughing so hard? “I’m trying to get my seat back in the front row” was his answer. Roy’s nephew Jack grew up to become comedian Rodney Dangerfield. Roy moved his family to Los Angeles in the early 1930s and took a job there with Eddie Cantor as stage manager for his radio and live shows. His wife Mary died in 1951 and Roy Arthur died in 1952.

bio by: Census taker

The only photos I have found of Adolph (Roy Arthur) are in blackface and I prefer not to post them. ~jb~