Today would be the 118th birthday of Elmer Brendle, who, under the name El Brendel, briefly became one of the most popular comedians in America.
Brendel, who had no trace of an accent, achieved fame as a dialect comedian, specifically as a comical Swede--because Swedes, of course, are inherently funny--and milked his shtick for all it was worth. (Apparently, he actually coined the phrase "yumpin' yiminy"--now you know who to blame!)
Inexplicably, he achieved enough popularity to land parts in big movies. The Gershwins tailored a song to his "talent" for the 1931 movie Delicious. That same year, he had the lead in the misbegotten science fiction musical Just Imagine. I first stumbled across this as part of an all-night science fiction festival back in 1980, and I've hated Brendel ever since. Think I'm being harsh? Try sitting through this:
I don't know if audiences at the time actually found Brendel funny, or if he was sort of the Larry The Cable Guy or Dane Cook of his day. In any event, ye gods, this guy was irritating.
