Comedy / Film & TV
Danny Thomas
1912–1991 · comedian, actor, TV producer
Lebanese-American entertainer from Michigan who started his show-business career on Detroit radio in the 1930s before becoming a TV star and founding St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
- Born
Deerfield, Michigan- Died
Beverly Hills, California
aged 79- Birth name
- Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz
- Detroit years
- 1932–1940
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Thomas was born Amos Kairouz in Deerfield, Michigan, one of ten children of Maronite Catholic immigrants from Bsharri, Lebanon, and grew up in Toledo, Ohio. Detroit, an hour to the north, was where he found his first stage. In 1932 he began performing on radio station WMBC's The Happy Hour Club, billed under his anglicized name Amos Jacobs, and Detroit remained his base as a young entertainer for most of the decade. In 1936 he married the singer Rose Marie Cassaniti. Around 1940 he moved on to Chicago, adopted the stage name Danny Thomas, and went on to network radio, films and the long-running sitcom Make Room for Daddy. In 1962 he opened St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, fulfilling a vow he had made to St. Jude during his lean early years.
Highlights
- Began on Detroit radio (WMBC) in 1932 as Amos Jacobs
- Based in Detroit as a young entertainer, 1932–1940
- Star of Make Room for Daddy / The Danny Thomas Show (1953–1964)
- Founded St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (1962)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Performed here · 1932–1930s
WMBC radio (Detroit)
Status being checked
Detroit radio station where Thomas made his debut on The Happy Hour Club in 1932.