Borge helped start several trust funds, including the Thanks to Scandinavia Fund, which was started in dedication to those who helped the Jews escape the German persecution during the war. Borge received Kennedy Center Honors in 1999.

Aside from his musical work, Borge wrote two books, My Favorite Intermissions and My Favorite Comedies in Music (with Robert Sherman), and the autobiography Smilet er den korteste afstand ("The Smile is the Shortest Distance") with Niels-Jørgen Kaiser. Victor Borge continued to tour until his last days, performing up to 60 times per year when he was 90 years old.

[

Legacy

Borge died in Greenwich, Connecticut, after more than 75 years of entertaining. He died peacefully, in his sleep, the day after returning from a concert in Denmark and was interred at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich. A replica of the Danish icon The Little Mermaid sits on a large rock at the gravesite. "It was just his time to go", Frederikke Borge said. "He's been missing my mother terribly."^{[citation needed]}

Victor Borge Hall, located in Scandinavia House in New York City, was named in Borge's honor in 2000, as was Victor Borges Plads ("Victor Borge Square") in Copenhagen in 2002.

He fathered 5 children (who occasionally performed with him): Sanna, Victor Jr., and Frederikke with Sarabel; Ronald and Janet with Elsie.

[

Memorable quotes

• I'd like to thank my parents for making this night possible. And my children for making it necessary.
• I normally don't do requests. Unless, of course, I have been asked to do so.
• I don't mind growing old. I'm just not used to it.
• Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
• Occasionally, a finger comes up to wipe a tear [of laughter] from the eye... and that's my reward... the rest goes to the government.
• I only know two pieces, one is 'Clair de Lune', the other one isn't.
• The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer.
• When you go home, please drive home extremely carefully. Extremely carefully. Because I walk in my sleep!
• It's your language, I'm just trying to use it...
• Giuseppe Verdi. Joe Green to you.
• I'm going to play it with both hands so it will end faster.
• I'm Lou Borg.
• You may not be aware of this but Leonard Bernstein won another award, for explaining the music of Igor Stravinsky... to Igor Stravinsky!
• There will be no dancing during this number... unless you absolutely have to!
• I'm going to play a piece...by a Danish composer. Umm... Mozart. Hans Christian Mozart!
• *Holds someone's red tie* Oh I thought you were bleeding
• We have a neighbour, well who doesn't...but he's our next window neighbour, because he does not have a door at that end of the house!
• My grandfather gave me this watch...a few minutes before he died...for 20 bucks...plus tax!
• The soprano... is about four and a half feet tall... Lying down.
• And now, Brahms! Joey Brahms! ...Brahms spelled backwards: "Smharb."
• One afternoon, when I was four years old, my father came home, and he found me in the living room in front of a roaring fire, which made him very angry. Because we didn't have a fireplace.
• Before we start, the Baldwin Piano Company has asked me to say that this is a Steinway Piano [or vice versa].
• (Inspecting the piano) Hmmm… Steinway & Sons. Didn't even know he was married.
• Ignaz Friedman's dead now—I sincerely hope, because they buried him about 28 years ago.
• It's Fliszt, not F. Liszt. Do you say M. Ozart?
• It is important to always, always fasten your seat belt wherever you play.
• Excuse me Ma'am, are you laying eggs? (Spoken in "Page-Turner")

[

Appearances in popular culture

• In episode #86 of The Odd Couple, "The Flying Felix", a panicky Felix Unger tries to tune his inflight radio to talk to the captain of a commercial airliner, only to exclaim, "I'm getting Victor Borge. Get off!!"

• On Family Guy, Borge is indirectly referenced when Jake Tucker from Family Guy auditions to be an organ player. He attempts to play the William Tell Overture, only to find it is upside down, much like the Victor Borge sketch.

• Borge is a guest actor in The Man from U.N.C.L.E "The Surburbia Affair" (1967).

• In 1976, Borge demonstrated his talents in comedy and in playing the piano when he and Richard Carpenter did a humorous duet on the piano.

• Borge made use of his "Phonetic Punctuation" routine on The Electric Company in a filmed sketch; He would also use it on the record to follow during the "Punctuation" song.

• Borge also guest starred many times on Sesame Street.

• Borge made several appearances on "The Dean Martin Variety Show".

• He was a guest on the fourth season of "The Muppet Show".

[

Discography

1. Phonetic Punctuation (Parts 1 and 2) (78rpm)
2. Blue Serenade/A Lesson In Composition (78rpm)
3. Brahms’ Lullaby/Grieg Rhapsody (78rpm)
4. Mozart Opera By Borge/All The Things You Are (78rpm)
5. Brahms, Bizet and Borge
6. Comedy in Music (1954, Columbia Records CL-554, re-released on CD in 1999)
7. Caught in the Act (1955 Columbia Records CL-646, re-released on CD in 1995)
8. Borge's Back (MGM E-3995)
9. Victor Borge (1962, MGM SE-3995P)
10. Great Moments of Comedy (1964, Verve V/V6 15044 - a re-issue of Borge's Back)
11. Hans Christian Andersen (1966 Decca DL-34406)
12. 13 Pianos Live in Concert (1975 Telefunken-Decca LC-0366)
13. Adventures of Piccolo, Saxie & Co. (Columbia Records CL-1223)
14. Concert Favorites (Columbia Records CL-1305)
15. A Victor Borge Program (Columbia Records CL-6013)
16. My Favorite Intervals (Pye 502)
17. Victor Borge - Live(!) (Re-released on CD in 1992 - Sony Masterworks MDK 48482)
18. Two Sides of Victor Borge (1998)

[

Further reading

• TIME Magazine, 1948

[

External links

• A Tribute to Victor Borge
• Laughterlog.com Biography with list of radio, television, film and record appearances
• Childrenschoir.dk Children's Choir of the Royal Danish Academy of Music of which Victor Borge was the patron
• Discography at SonyBMG Masterworks
• Victor Borge & Dean Martin adapt Phonetic Punctuation for Music
• Victor Borge playing Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

BCUZ.com FACTS Encyclopedia content is licensed under the GFDL as approved by Wikipedia.
For more information review our copyright contact and privacy policy. © 1996 - BCUZ.COM - We have all the FACTS you need about Small Business Financing, Behavior Disorder, Having Too Many Bills, Needing Cash Fast, Structured Settlements, Frequent Flier Programs, Top Steak Houses, The Mayan Indians, Norfolk and Suffolk England, Growing Longer Hair and a full reference English Encyclopedia and Spanish Encyclopedia.Privacy Policy