Max Joachim
Max Joachim | |
---|---|
Born |
December 1871 Austria-Hungary |
Died |
January 4, 1939 Glendale, Queens, New York, U.S. | (aged 67)
Occupation | Haberdasher |
Spouse(s) | Pauline Joachim (?–1935; her death) |
Children |
George Ritz Al Ritz Jimmy Ritz Harry Ritz Gertrude Soll |
Max Joachim (December 1871–January 4, 1939) was an American haberdasher and the father of the Ritz Brothers.
Life
Joachim was born in December 1871 in Austria-Hungary. He came to the United States in his adult years. He settled in Newark where he married a woman named Pauline who was born in Russia. Shortly after the marriage, Joachim became a haberdasher.
The Joachims had five children; George (1898–1984), Albert (1901–1965), Samuel (1904–1985), Harry (1907–1986) and Gertrude (1911–1986). Albert went into vaudeville shortly after graduating high school. In 1925 after Harry graduated from high school, him, Albert and Samuel formed a song-and-comedy act. Albert and Samuel now went under the names Al and Jimmy and the three boys decided to call themselves the Ritz Brothers. Joachim's other son George acted as the Brothers' manager. The group signed on with 20th Century Fox in 1936 and then with Universal Studios in 1940. The boys made 15 films before quitting from the movie business in 1943. They went on solely as a stage and nightclub act.
Joachim died on January 4, 1939 in Glendale, Queens, Queens, New York. He was buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Glendale next to his wife who died four years earlier.