Dick Dana

Dick Dana was born on Dec 08, 1900 in USA. Dick Dana's big-screen debut came with Top Banana directed by Alfred E. Green in 1954, strarring Danny.

Dick Dana was born as Samuel Critcherson, the son of William Dana Critcherson and the former Emma Davis of the Boston Opera Ideal Co. fame, on December 8, 1900 in New York, USA. Under his rightful name, after spending time in Great Britain, he returned six months later to the United States in 1919 (listing his occupation as a "singer") to work as an entertainer for America's Over There Theater League under the YMCA in New York and appeared in vaudeville as early as September 1921 in the Al Jolson musical, Bombo. Thereafter, he was featured in numerous vaudeville stage revues, including for two seasons Tangerine (1922), Mr. Battling Butler (1924), Lady Be Good (1925), Jolson's Big Boy (1926), and many others. In late November 1924, he married Cicely B. Fehrenback of London England. He went on to work with Allan David as Gloria Foy's assistants in her vaudeville act beginning in 1930 on the RKO theater circuit for two years, and then as a straight man to comedian Joe Besser from 1933 to 1937. In the early 1940s, he re-emerged after changing his name to Dick Dana to perform in vaudeville and burlesque shows as well as legitimate theater in the stage production of the Broadway hit, Top Banana, with comedian Phil Silvers in 1952. As an actor, he is known for his work in the film version of Top Banana (1954), The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) and Doodles Weaver (1951). He died on July 10, 1976 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA.