B. S. Pully

B. S. Pully was a New York nightclub comedian and stage actor who created the role of "Big Jule" in the musical Guys and Dolls. He was noted for his blue humor and thick, gravelly voice.

Biography

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Pully began his career on the Borscht Belt. In an interview with historian Kliph Nesteroff, entertainer Freddie Roman recalled, "B. S. Pully was a burlesque kind of comic. Very low class until he got lucky and got that part in Guys and Dolls, which changed his life. He had a partner. It was B. S. Pully and H. S. Gump . There was a little nightclub up in the Catskill Mountains -- not attached to a hotel -- and they would spend the summer up there."
Pully was under contract briefly to 20th Century-Fox in 1944 and 1945, working in 13 feature films. He played a tough-guy quiz-show contestant in Take It or [Leave It (1944 film)|Take It or Leave It], a gruff Christmas-tree vendor in A [Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945 film)|A Tree Grows in Brooklyn], and Joe the Bartender in Nob Hill.
He achieved fame originating the Big Jule role in the original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls, appearing in more than 1,000 performances. He also played the role in the 1955 film version. He remained in New York and appeared in guest roles in the New York-based TV series Car [54, Where Are You?]
B. S. Pully died of a heart attack in Thomas [Jefferson University Hospital] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at age 61. He was buried in Cedar Park Cemetery, Emerson, New Jersey.