Milt Gross
Milt Gross (; March 4, 1895 – November 29, 1953) was an American cartoonist and animator. His work is noted for its exaggerated cartoon style and Yiddish-inflected English dialogue. He originated the non-sequitur "Banana Oil!" as a phrase deflating pomposity and posing. His character Count Screwloose's admonition, "Iggy, keep an eye on me!", became a national catchphrase. The National Cartoonists Society fund to aid indigent cartoonists and their families, for many years was known as the Milt Gross Fund. In 2005, it was absorbed by the Society's Foundation, which continues the charitable work of the Fund. |
Birth and Death Data: Born New York City (most populous city in the United States) , Died November 28, 1953 (Pacific Ocean (ocean between Asia, Australia and the Americas) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1925 - 1927
Roles Represented in DAHR: author, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | [Trial 1926-05-19-01] | 10-in. | 5/19/1926 | Nice baby | Samuel G. Cahan | Recitation | author | |
| Columbia | W140502 | 10-in. | 4/7/1925 | Banana oil | Vaughn De Leath | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Columbia | W143428 | 10-in. | 3/7/1927 | De sturry from Captain John Smeet with Pumpkinhontas | Mory Leaf | Comic monologue | author | |
| Columbia | W143431 | 10-in. | 3/7/1927 | De sturry from Weeliam Tell | Mory Leaf | Comic monologue, unaccompanied | author |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gross, Milt," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103907.
Gross, Milt. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103907.
"Gross, Milt." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Gross, Milt, 1895-1953 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82151528
Wikidata: Milt Gross - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q15492951
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/57971406
Getty ULAN: Gross, Milt - https://vocab.getty.edu/ulan/500123833
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/101852 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/101852
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