Freddie Stewart

A promising post-war musical entertainer from the bandstand as well as in late 40s films, singer Freddie Stewart is a name that slips by most. Born Morris Joseph Lazar on March 25, 1921, in New York City, his father was a cantor. Freddie was forced to drop out of school while relatively young and work as a clerk to help support his family. His musical talents were noticed early and he found work in the Catskills resort area where he introduced himself with a more suitable marquee name -- Freddie Stewart. By 1940 he had moved up in the musical field as a tenor vocalist with Clyde McCoy's Orchestra, which led to his own radio show, "Freddie Stewart Sings," in New York. A compact, highly personable young man with wavy hair and an appealing, boyish enthusiasm, Hollywood's ears eventually caught the sound of this young New York talent, and the powers that be encouraged him to move West. Following a brief singing spot in Columbia's She's a Sweetheart (1944) which starred Larry Parks, no oth