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Karol Hanusz – who remembers this gentleman? I must admit, I only learned about him recently when I found a letter from him among my grandfather’s belongings.
Karol Szczęsny Hanusz was born on May 30th, 1894, in Warsaw, the son of Jan Hanusz and Albina Korwin-Krukowska. He spent his youth in Krakow, where he finished classical high school and attended drama school. During this time, he also took singing lessons and began recording under various pseudonyms for several labels. He made his stage debut in 1911 at the Polish Theatre in Sosnowiec and later performed in Warsaw, Łódź, and Częstochowa.
In 1916, he decided to move to the capital, where he began performing in cabarets and revue theaters. He quickly became one of the leading actors and performed in almost all the popular venues (including ‘Qui Pro Quo,’ ‘Cyrulik Warszawski,’ ‘Morskie Oko,’ ‘Perskie Oko,’ ‘Chochoł,’ ‘Miraż,’ and ‘Czarny Kot’).
It’s worth mentioning that Hanka Ordonówna (Maria Pietruszyńska) owes her stage name and the launch of her career to Hanusz.
Even though newspapers from that time praised Hanusz as Warsaw’s favorite and the most elegant singer in the capital, he is mostly remembered as a friend of Eugeniusz Bodo and other stars of the era’s entertainment scene.
Perhaps the reason for this was that Hanusz was open about his sexual orientation, and his performances often included homosexual undertones that did not sit well with some critics.
There were also suspicions that Karol Hanusz and Eugeniusz Bodo shared something more than friendship at one point, especially during the time they served together in the military in 1920, after which they were inseparable both personally and professionally.
During World War II, Karol performed in open cabarets (such as Kometa, Nowości, and Nowy Miraż). After the war, he returned to the stage, trying to revive the pre-war entertainment scene. He excelled at performing Warsaw songs, reciting Tuwim’s poetry, dancing, and delivering monologues, bringing joy to people’s lives.
Exactly 56 years ago, on December 20th, 1965, Karol Hanusz was killed by a man he had met at the Warsaw train station.
He was buried in the family grave at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.
The family grave of Karol Hanusz at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw / Source: Wikipedia
After finding a postcard from Karol to my grandfather, my mom and I wondered if we had stumbled upon some long-hidden family secret.
In particular, the paragraphs starting with ‘Dearest Janusz’ and the lovely phrase ‘eyes shimmering in sea green’, which referred to my grandfather, who was 20 at the time, really made us think.
Grandma quickly put those suspicions to rest—she revealed that she and Karol knew each other and had spent some time together at ‘Grandek’ in ‘Ciopot’ during the summer.
Source: private collection
Letter from Karol Hanusz, Sopot ‘Ciopot,’ September 2nd, 1951 / Source: private collection
Sources:
E-book Duchy Przodków. Poradnik genealogiczny już w sprzedaży!
Odkryj historię swoich przodków już teraz.
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