Amos Joseph Jacobs (1912 - 1991)

Born 6 Jan 1912 in Deerfield Township, Lenawee, Michigan, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Rose Marie (Cassaniti) Thomas — married 15 Jan 1936 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States

Died 6 Feb 1991 at age 79 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Biography

Amos Jacobs is Notable.

Danny Thomas, was an actor, comedian, singer, producer, writer and philanthropist.

Although he claimed in his autobiography that he was born with the name Muzyad Yakhoob, and that his father Anglicized his name to Amos Jacobs when he was still a young child, the records don't seem to support this. Although we have yet to uncover a Amos' birth certificate, we do know that his grandfather was using the name Jacobs as early as 1900 - just a year after arriving in the United States and 12 years before Amos was born. A probable scenario is that Amos' parents, being Lebanese speakers, called Amos by his Lebanese name until he was old enough to attend school, at which point he became known by his legal name, Amos Jacobs.

Amos Jacobs was born, 6 Jan 1912, in Deerfield Township, Lenawee, Michigan. He was one of nine sons and a single daughter born to Shaheed "Charles" Yakhoob and Margaret Christine Simon, immigrants to America from Lebanon. When Muzyad was a child, his father Anglicized his family's names and Muzyad from then on became known as Amos Jacobs.

The Jacobs family soon moved to nearby Toledo, Ohio, where Amos grew up. In 1920, Amos was an eight-year-old schoolboy, residing at 622 Crane Lane in Toledo, along with his parents and seven siblings.^[1] He was schooled by Ursuline nuns at St. Francis de Sales parochial school and later attended Woodward High School.

In 1930, 18-year-old Amos was residing with his family in a home at 2 Walnut in Toledo. Although he is said to have dropped out of high school in his junior year in order to pursue a show business career, he is listed as having no occupation in 1930.^[2]

After taking a job selling snacks at the Empire Theater in downtown Toledo, Amos became enamored with motion pictures. He soon began a career as a singer at a Detroit radio station while also performing as an MC-comedian in local nightclubs. Initially, he performed under his Anglicized birth name, Amos Jacobs, before settling on Danny Thomas, a derivative from first names of his two brothers. However, his legal name remained Amos Jacobs for his entire life. Danny Thomas was the stage name he used for professional purposes only.

On 15 Jan 1936, Amos married Rose Marie Cassanti, a singer with her own radio show in Detroit, Michigan. [She was the daughter of Marie "Mary" CASSANTI (1896–1972), a drummer and percussionist for "Marie's Merry Music Makers".] Dannie and Rose had three children; Margaret Julia ("Marlo"), Theresa ("Terre") and Charles Anthony ("Tony"). [The THOMAS children followed their parents into entertainment in various capacities: Marlo as an actress ('That Girl' 1966-1971) and producer, Tony as a television producer, and Terre as an accomplished singer-songwriter.] In 1940, Amos and Rose were residing in a home at 21 Brainard Street in Detroit, Michigan, along with their two-year-old daughter, Margaret. That year, Amos was working as a night club and radio performer. ^[3]

In October 1940, Amos registered for the World War II draft, stating his home address as 1124 1/2 Meldrum Avenue, in Detroit, Michigan. He listed his cousin, Joseph Azar, residing at the same address, as the person who would always know his whereabouts. He listed himself as self-employed without further elaboration.^[4]

By 1950, Amos and Rose had moved their family to Beverly Hills, California, where they lived at 630 N. Elm Drive, along with their three children, Margaret, Theresa, and Charles. Also residing with the family were Amos' widowed mother, his sister Emily, and a nurse named Sarah Young. Amos was then listed as a night club, radio and motion picture entertainer.^[5]

Amos's brief film career had began in 1947, playing opposite the child actress Margaret O'Brien in The Unfinished Dance. He is best remembered, however, for his role in the long-running television sitcom Make Room for Daddy, later renamed The Danny Thomas Show, (1953-1964), for which he won the 1955 Emmy Award for Best Actor Starring in a Regular Series. Later, he was a producer responsible for such hit television shows as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and The Mod Squad.

In 1962, Amos founded St Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, using much of his own money while spearheading the fundraising for its construction. [1] He also founded the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), an organization that raises funds for the maintenance and operating costs of the hospital allowing free treatment to needy children while finding cures for catastrophic children's diseases.

On April 16, 1984, President Ronald Reagan presented Amos with the Congressional Gold Medal for his work with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Pope Paul VI presented him the highest honor that could be bestowed upon a layman...Knight Commander with Star in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The American Medical Association bestowed on him The Layman Award, its highest honor to a nonmedical person. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 1990 he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Amos' final television appearance, on an episode of the sitcom Empty Nest for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, aired 2 Feb 1991. Four days later, on 6 Feb 1991, Amos Jacobs, known to the world as Danny Thomas, died of heart failure at the age of 79, in Los Angeles, California.^[6] Two days previous he had celebrated St. Jude Hospital's 29th anniversary and filmed a commercial, which aired posthumously. His funeral, held at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Hollywood, was attended by former Presidents Gerald Ford & Ronald Reagan and a huge crowd of Hollywood celebrities. A special message from President George Bush lauding the entertainer was read. His remains were transported to Memphis where he lay in state in the Pavilion, while families stood in line for hours, to pay tribute. He was interred on the grounds of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in a plot now known as the 'Danny and Rose Marie Memorial Garden'. Rose Marie was interred with him after her death in July 2000."^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ 1920 United States Federal Census, Ohio, Lucas County, Toledo Ward 6, ED 77, sheet 2B, dwelling 31, family 39, household of Charles Jacobs. Image available online at Ancestry.com
2. ↑ 1930 United States Federal Census, Ohio, Lucas County, Toledo, ED 199, sheet 7A, dwelling 80, family 93, household of Charles Jacobs. Image available online at FamilySearch.org
3. ↑ 1940 United States Federal Census, Michigan, Wayne County, Detroit, ED 84-85, page 61A, dwelling 21, household of Amos J. Jacobs. Ancestry.com
4. ↑ U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 for Amos Joseph Jacobs,, Michigan. Image available online at Ancestry.com
5. ↑ 1950 United States Federal Census, California, Los Angeles County, Beverly Hills, ED 19-166. page 16, dwelling 192, household of Amos J. Jacobs. Image available online at Ancestry.com
6. ↑ California Death Index, 1940-1997. Abstract available at Ancestry.com
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2419/danny-thomas: accessed 07 June 2023), memorial page for Danny Thomas (6 Jan 1912–6 Feb 1991), Find a Grave Memorial ID 2419, citing Saint Jude Hospital Grounds, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.

See Also

Autobiography: Make Room for Danny by Danny Thomas (1991).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Thomas

https://www.stjude.org/about-st-jude/history.html

https://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/02/16/Danny-Thomas-gets-stamp.html