Editing Red Buttons (section)

==Early life==
Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt<ref name="bbc"/> on February 5, 1919, in [[Manhattan]],<ref name="bbc"/> New York, to Russo-Polish [[Jews|Jewish]] immigrants Sophie (née Baker) and Michael Chwatt.<ref name="judaicaref">{{cite encyclopedia | title =Motion Pictures| encyclopedia =Encyclopaedia Judaica| publisher =Keter Publishing House| date =1971–1972}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/55/Red-Buttons.html|title=Red Buttons Biography (1919-)|website= filmreference.com|access-date=May 4, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221100532/http://www.filmreference.com/film/55/Red-Buttons.html|archive-date=February 21, 2018}}</ref> At 16 years old, Chwatt got a job as an entertaining [[bellhop]] at Ryan's Tavern in [[City Island, Bronx|City Island]], [[the Bronx]], New York. The combination of his red hair and the large, shiny buttons on the bellhop uniforms inspired orchestra leader Charles "Dinty" Moore to call him "Red Buttons", the name under which he would later perform.

Later that same summer, Buttons worked on the [[Borscht Belt]];<ref name="bbc"/> his [[double act|straight man]] was [[Robert Alda]]. Buttons was working at the Irvington Hotel in [[South Fallsburg, New York]], when the master of ceremonies became incapacitated, and Buttons asked for the chance to replace him. In 1939, Buttons started working for [[Minsky's Burlesque]]; in 1941, [[José Ferrer]] chose Buttons to appear in a [[Broadway theater|Broadway show]] ''The Admiral Had a Wife'', a [[farce]], set in [[Pearl Harbor]] at [[Oahu]], [[Hawaii]]. It was due to open on December 8, 1941, but never did.  It was deemed inappropriate after the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor]]. In later years, Buttons would joke that the Japanese only attacked Pearl Harbor to keep him off Broadway.