Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
FRISCO, Joe
FRISCO, Joe. (Rock Island, IL, 1890-Hollywood, CA, Feb. 12, 1958). Actor. Frisco, actually a Dubuque resident named Louis Joseph, developed celebrity status in Broadway vaudeville and later MOTION PICTURES by making the most of his pronounced stutter and his flashy jazz dancing. In 1926 he added the name "Joe" to his previously used "Frisco" to distinguish him from others using the same name. In 1932 Frisco earned an estimated $4,000 weekly while making the movie The Gorilla. He last appeared in Sweet Smell of Success in 1957 with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.
Despite his salary, Frisco's overdue bills, bets at the track, and income tax troubles were well known among his friends in the film industry. Although needing frequent loans from friends, an estimated twelve hundred well-wishers attended a testimonial dinner in his honor just weeks before his death.
Frisco's earliest performances are believed to have been in front of the GRAND THEATER in Dubuque where, during the early 1900s, he tap-danced hoping to attract attention.