Jimmy Savo was born in New York City in 1892, the son of Giuseppe Sava, a shoemaker, and his wife Carmela (née Baione), who were immigrants to the United States from the village of Stigliano, in southern Italy.

Over the years, he added such skills as rope walking, singing, dancing, and joke telling to his act, and performed in burlesque shows as well as vaudeville.

[2] According to vaudeville historian Anthony Slide:"With his baggy pants and pixie-like grin, Jimmy Savo was a unique comedy talent, whom mere words cannot describe.

[2] In 1942 Isidore Herk and the Shubert brothers co-produced a Broadway show called Wine, Women and Song, starring Jimmy Savo and Margie Hart.

[2] After he underwent a leg amputation in 1946, Savo continued to perform in nightclub settings, notably at the Plaza Hotel in New York.