Ben Basenko
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Born on 20 December 1910 in
Lokshivke, Kiev Gubernia, Ukraine, to parents descended
from R' Liberl of Berdichev. His father was a
businessman. He learned in a Talmud Torah in Uman. In
1919 the family immigrated to Romania, and B. learned in
Kishinev in the "Beit Sefer Lflitim," then graduated
hrb from Tsirelson's pro-gymnasium. At the same time
he sang as an alto in the chorus with the cantors
Tsipers and Dovidl Roitman.
In 1924 he immigrated with
his family to the United States. Here he learned in the
Yiddish prep school and worked as an employee in the
office of "Tog," then became a reporter there and was given to
an associate of a city editor A.H. Rubinstein.
Attending the drama "Kedem," staged by Bulgakov, and
during the Habima visit to New York, he joined the Habima studio. Later he acted in Yiddish and Hebrew with
the remaining division of the "Habima" troupe,
which was run by Nakhum Tsimakh, as well as Glagolin's English production
of Lope De Vega's "The Gardener's Dog."
In 1932 B. was a singer and recitator in concerts, including in "Kunts ring," acting
in Maurice Schwartz's production of "Yoshe Kalb,"
"Brothers Ashkenazi," "Jacques Berson" and "The Wise Men
of Chelm," and later with Lucy and Misha German in
Chicago.
B. went on a tour across the
United States and Canada for the Jewish National Workers
Farband, with L. Harris and Bela Bellarina, acting for
two years in the troupe of the "Folks Theatre" |
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as a "seriozha"
in Artsybashev's "Jealousy," "Enzl shukht" in
Ressler's "60,000 Heroes," In Gottesfeld's "In-Laws,"
in Pirandello's "Er, zi un der okt," in "The
Verdict,"
as well as the small-arts troupe "Tsu-lakh-es" and "Salt
and Pepper" with Scooler, Bleich, Gladstone et al, and
Bulgarov's English production of Gogol's "Inspector
General."
In 1942 he served in the
American air flotilla, working in the military
secrets section, learning to be a radio operator in
Wisconsin and in University of Illinois and
graduated as a translator of Russian and
German.
He returned from
military service, and he performed with Goldinburg
in the Parkway Theatre, and in 1945 he came to the
WEVD radio station as a news reporter, then became a
permanent staff member as an announcer, commentator,
and director with the kufs khulim programs.
Since 1949 he has performed on the radio several
times a week as a reader of Sholem Aleichem's works,
and he also directed a children's riddle(?) program
in Yiddish, Hebrew and English, under the name "Sharfe
kepelekh."
Sh. and M.E.
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