troupe "Cărăbuș" (meaning cockchafer). Over the course of 20 years, he would establish a tradition of humorous cabaret/revue theater that still continues in Romania today, most notably at the "Constantin Tănase" Revue Theatre, the former home of "Cărăbuș" at 33-35 Calea Victoriei in the heart of Bucharest. At "Cărăbuș", Tănase launched the careers of numerous performers, notably Maria Tănase and Horia Șerbănescu. "Cărăbuș" frequently toured Romania and on at least one occasion toured Turkey. Tănase himself also performed in Paris. According to at least one source, he also founded 3 schools for children and a church. Death According to the official account, he died of complications from a tonsillitis on August 29, 1945, in Bucharest. However, it is rumored that he was killed by the invading Red Army, as reported in the following account. Tănase was still performing in Bucharest a year after the arrival of the Russians, and was killed for satirizing the Red Army soldiers' habit of "requisitioning" all personal property in sight, in particular of taking people's watches, demanding them by saying, "Davai ceas" (davai – Russian for "Give me", and ceas – Romanian for "watch"). Tănase made up a verse: Rău era cu "der, die, das" Da-i mai rău cu "davai ceas" De la Nistru pân' la Don Davai ceas, davai palton Davai ceas, davai moșie Harașo tovărășie It was bad with "der, die, das" But it's worse with "davai ceas" From Dniester to Don Davai watch, davai overcoat Davai watch, davai land Harașo comradeship Another variant of these verses in loose translation: It was bad with "der, die, das" But it's worse with "davai ceas" From the Dniester to the Don Davai watch, coat and long-johns, You can forego your ownership, Harașo comradeship After several performances he was arrested, threatened with death, and told not to do the sketch again. However, Tănase was not a man to be intimidated. At the next performance, he came on stage in a giant overcoat, with his arms festooned in watches. The audience applauded wildly as he simply stood there. Then he opened the overcoat, revealing a pendulum clock. Pointing to it, he said "El tic, eu tac, el tic, eu tac" (punning on tic-tac, the Romanian equivalent of "tick-tock", but also meaning "It ticks, I am silent, it ticks, I am silent"). Two days later he was dead. He is buried in Bellu Cemetery, in Bucharest. Works Tănase's