The biopic The Joker Is Wild is better remembered these days than the man being portrayed by Frank Sinatra. That man is Joe E. Lewis, born 122 years ago today in The Bronx. Joe was a successful nightclub performer in the 40’s, 50’s & 60’s, known mainly as a comedian, though his earliest success came as a singer in Chicago in the 20’s. Joe was appearing under contract, for $650 a week, at the Green Mill Gardens, 4802 N. Broadway Avenue, managed by Jack “Machine Gun Jack” McGurn. He was a favorite hitman of Al Capone’s, a man who happened to love entertainers. Joe’s contract was just about up at the Green Mill, and he informed McGurn of his plan to finish out the contract and not renew. He wanted to take on a new gig, at $1000 a week plus 1% of the door, at the The New Rendez-vous on Chicago’s Northside. Jack wasn’t having it. Joe told him he’d get him a replacement in no time. He told Joe if he didn’t keep appearing at the Green Mill, he wouldn’t live to open his new engagement. No matter, Joe fulfilled the contract and departed. Living at the Commonwealth Hotel, Joe would nervously come and go, often with a bodyguard. After a time, he came to believe McGurn was bluffing, and his opening night at the New Rendez-vous went off smoothly. Jack caught up with him one day and told Joe the Green Mill was a morgue without him. In November of 1927, Joe is asleep at the Commonwealth. A knock on the door. Half awake, not thinking about McGurn, he opens the door. Three gorillas burst in, two of them pistol-whipping him senseless. Propping him up, the third guy pulls out a knife and slits Joe’s throat, beginning at his left ear. Then he cut a piece of Joe’s tongue out. Amazingly, he had the strength to crawl out into the hallway of the hotel. Chambermaids at first thought it was a joke since Joe was often practical joking. Ambulances rescued him and he miraculously survived. Al Capone offered to cover his bills, though Joe held Al responsible for even allowing the hit. No one was ever charged with the crime as Joe wouldn’t name McGurn. Years later he finally told friends it had in fact been ordered by McGurn.

After 2+ years of learning how to speak again, and more time to gain back any level of confidence, Joe was a bit player in Sophie Tucker’s touring company. Sophie got wind that it was Joe, in costume behind her, and stopped the show one night and introduced him. He cracked a joke, got a small laugh. Cracked another, got a bigger laugh. He would go on to new success as a stand up, appearing often in Las Vegas in the 50’s and 60’s, making well-known steady appearances at The Copa, socilaizing with the stars of the day. Most importantly, this included Frank Sinatra, who would snap up the film rights to the biography of Joe E. Lewis by Art Cohn, The Joker Is Wild. Among the links below is a clip from the film, Frank performing the theme “All The Way,” as well as 3 minutes or so of silent footage from the September ’57 night the film premiered in Las Vegas. You can see them about 1:15 in. Frank and Joe remained friends until Joe earned his rainbow in 1971.

Frank even gave him a cameo in Lady In Cement, the 1968 sequel to Tony Rome.

One other thing about Joe. He was my Great Uncle. I kid you not. A family heirloom, a commemorative shot glass from the ceremony inducting Joe into The Friar’s Club, Waldorf Hotel, April 1, 1962. Joe was known to enjoy a drink. Or seven:

I never knew him, though my brother and sister did from Joe’s visits to The Bronx. The closest I came to the inner circle was in 1972, at a ceremony at the Friars Club for the unveiling of Joe’s bust. On that very night, I met Ed Sullivan. Truth. One bit of family lore, and I’ve never found any evidence, but my parents swore it to be true: Joe wrote “Bye Bye Blackbird” and gave it away for a case of scotch. Knowing what I do about him, I have no reason to not believe it.

The Green Mill is still there. In 2021 while in Chicago for a very special event, I was brought to the Green Mill as a surprise by one of my sons. I found out that night, he himself had played on that very stage. We went to see a great guitarist named Joel Patterson. The staff there knew all about Joe and McGurn, and there’s a picture of Joe behind the bar. The maitre d’ told me to pick any table I wanted, which I did. It had been Al Capone’s personal table. I kid you not.

One last thing about Joe, this one involving a guy named Bob Dylan. It’s March 19, 2008, at my desk, I’m listening to that week’s new episode of Bob’s Theme Time Radio Hour on Sirius. The theme that week: Joe. Episode 23 of the 2nd season. About halfway in, Dylan begins quoting various Joe’s, finally saying that his favorite quotable Joe was none other than Joe E. Lewis. He told the entire story above about Jack McGurn, the recovery, and Frank. Bob even delivered a couple of Joe’s one-liners, including “I wake up every day at the crack of ice.” What a thrill. Bob would record his own version of “All The Way” in 2016, which you can hear below.

In honor of Uncle Bobby’s radio show, Today’s Playlist is a SomethingIsHappening compendium of all the Joe songs Dylan included in the episode, along with a few more:

“All The Way,” from The Joker Is Wild:

Silent Footage, September ’57 Las Vegas premiere of The Joker Is Wild:

And finally, Dylan sings “All The Way”: