Kalla Pasha

Kalla Pasha (born as Joseph T. Rickard; March 5, 1879 – June 10, 1933) was an American professional wrestler, vaudeville comedian, and film actor active during the silent era.

Kalla Pasha
Pasha in Film Fun, 1922
Born
Joseph T. Rickard

(1879-03-05)March 5, 1879
Detroit, Michigan, US
DiedJune 10, 1933(1933-06-10) (aged 54)
Talmage, California, US
Occupation(s)Wrestler, vaudevillian, screen actor
Years active1919–1931

Biography

Kalla Pasha was the stage name of Joseph T. Rickard, a native of Detroit.[1] He was the professional wrestler Hamid Kalla Pasha, whom the press called "The Crazy Turk"[2] before performing on vaudeville and appearing in 74 films between 1919 and 1931. Rickard's success with Mack Sennett enabled him to be a free-spender, claiming later he would often go about town with a 150 thousand dollars strapped around his waist.[3]

The money did not last though, and not long afterward he was arrested for striking a man over the head with a milk bottle during a dust-up involving five cents. As a result, Rickard was sent to Mendocino State Hospital for psychiatric care, where he would die a little over a year later from heart disease.[4][3][5][6]

Caricature of Pasha (far right) in promotion of Married Life (1920)

Selected filmography

References
  1. US Passport Application (Joseph T. Rickard ) January 14, 1915
  2. The Daily Review, (Decatur, Illinois) December 18, 1909 | Page 3
  3. Ogden Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah ) April 3, 1932 | Page 6
  4. Redwood Journal (Ukiah, California) May 27, 1932 | Page 1
  5. Washington Post, June 11, 1933
  6. Balducci, Anthony (January 10, 2014). The Funny Parts: A History of Film Comedy Routines and Gags. McFarland. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-7864-8893-3.
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