The Great Jewish Entertainers: Borrah Minevitch and His Harmonica Rascals

Borrah Minevitch, born Boruch Minewitz in Kiev, Ukraine, was a notable harmonica player, actor, and leader of his group The Harmonica Rascals.

The Harmonica Rascals, an ensemble of approximately ten pieces, recorded for Brunswick Records in 1933, and later for Decca Records where Minevitch hired Richard Hayman as an arranger for the Rascals. (Hayman later worked as an arranger for MGM and the Boston Pops Orchestra.)

In 1923, Minevitch sold the rights to his work on the chromatic harmonica to Hohner for one million dollars and the company subsequently made a successful "Borrah Minevitch" line of harmonicas. He spent the rest of his career as a music hall performer, comedy film actor, impresario, film financier, and film distributor.

Here is a scene with Minevitch and the Rascals from One in a Million, a 1936 American film which marked the Hollywood debut of Sonja Henie. It features footage from the 1936 Winter Olympic Games.

Enjoy!

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