Jimmy Durante The Candidate

A black and white photograph of a man's face appears before a white background. The man wears a bowler hat. Above him the button is rimmed in blue with white text; below is red, also with white text.

This promotional material tied into the marketing campaign for the 1952 book The Candidate: A Photographic Interview with the Honorable James Durante by Philippe, Yvette, and Ylla Halsman. James Francis "Jimmy" Durante (1893-1980) was an American singer, pianist, comedian, and actor. The son of Italian immigrants, Durante was born and raised in New York City and became one of the most well-known performers from the 1920s until the 1970s. He started off as a ragtime pianist but later branched out into comedy, singing, and acting. Starting in the 1930, Durante was also prominently featured on radio and, starting in 1950, on television.