Abraham Kalish (December 18, 1896,[nb 1][1] – September 7, 1966), known by the stage name Al Kelly, was an American vaudeville comedian.
Kelly was born in Kreva, Russian Empire (now Belarus), the eldest of six children of Max and Gelle (Mary) Kalish.
[3] When he was performing this stand-up comedy in the 1930s, he fluffed a joke so that it came out as nonsense: this got a good laugh so he made such double-talk the focus of his act and became especially known for this.
He was also an actor with supporting roles, such as in the film Singing in the Dark (1956) and in the TV series Mack & Myer for Hire (1963).
Kelly died at age 69[nb 1] in the early hours of September 7, 1966 of a heart attack[3] while sitting in the audience in the dining room at one of his favorite venues, The Friars' Club, in New York City, during a roast.