Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
MEET...KIM JUNG UN
They gave us some laughs as a double...I just don't think Kim Jung Un is ready to solo. I still have their first album, which came in a longbox cardboard CD package.
The Mayweather vs Ortiz Controversy
Victor Ortiz claims he tried to butt Roger Mayweather in the nose because Roger had hit him with his elbows.
Let's be thankful that Ortiz didn't try to nose Roger Mayweather in the butt. The man just might've been so out of control he'd try it!
In the heat of action, nobody could find an instant replay of Mayweather elbowing, but this freeze-frame, which I obtained by some fan named Zapruder, and had authenticated by Oliver Stone shows...
Let's be thankful that Ortiz didn't try to nose Roger Mayweather in the butt. The man just might've been so out of control he'd try it!
In the heat of action, nobody could find an instant replay of Mayweather elbowing, but this freeze-frame, which I obtained by some fan named Zapruder, and had authenticated by Oliver Stone shows...
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
He treated "All Patients Sick and Crazy." My father, Dr. Philip H. Smith
An obit for my father, who died this morning at the age of 94.
A writer before he became a doctor, the name Philip Smith turned up in student magazines and newspapers at N.Y.U., and in what he called “little magazines,” the various literary journals of the day. A few of his poems were anthologized in “The Yearbook of Modern Poetry 1939.”
Following medical school at Middlesex, he interned at Jamaica Hospital in 1942, and then became a medic in the Army. Captain Smith was overseas in 1944, in both Great Britain and France. After the war, he married (June of 1946) and opened his office in the Bronx. A few years ago, his health failing, he celebrated his 64th wedding anniversary. He received a cake, and much love from all of us, me, my mother, my sister. He had a good time, but he at one point he said to my mother, "I'm sorry...I didn't get you anything." Being housebound, we all understood. What he gave us was just being there, in good spirits, and always with an unpredictable, funny observation.
My father built the practice up, moving from Tremont Avenue to the Grand Concourse, and once the business was settled, and I and my sister were in junior high and high school, he returned to his love of writing, and as a hobby, turned out speculative fiction.
“A Miracle Too Many” was published in “Fantasy and Science Fiction” magazine, and then anthologized in Japan and via “10th Annual Edition The Year’s Best S-F,” edited by Judith Merrill. Among the other authors in that anthology, which was issued in both hardcover and paperback, were Isaac Bashevis Singer, Arthur C. Clark, Thomas M. Disch, John D. MacDonald and Fritz Leiber.
In 1979, he published his memoir, “Doctor!”
The book was originally titled “NYMD,” but as “Nurse” had come out fairly recently, the book company figured “Doctor” would have a place alongside it.
It takes time, concentration and often great determination to write a book, and my father did this while performing a demanding job that required office hours often six days a week, duty in hospitals, and, yes, house calls. My mother, Bernice Smith, said that one of his most remarkable traits was his determination, his "strength of character."
Since he was so amiable, so pleasant, this will power was never a negative. It manifested itself in the discipline to become a doctor, to write a book, and to quit smoking. My father decided one day that he wouldn't smoke anymore, so he literally threw out his collection of expensive pipes (much to my mother's astonishment) and that was it. When he decided to learn judo, he went at it with single-minded purpose, and there he'd be, practicing falls on the living room carpet. When he was in his late 80's and advised not to drive anymore, he sold his car within 24 hours. And my mother knew this trait in Dad from the start...they'd gone out on a blind date and were married within a few months.
In the early 1980's, with the Bronx deteriorating and many doctors finding it simply too dangerous to maintain an office along the once splendid Grand Concourse, Dr. Smith gave up his practice after some 30 years. I remember one summer I filled in for his vacationing receptionist, and he'd told me, "If a drug addict comes in, don't argue with him. This is where I keep the morphine. Give it to him." It had become that perilous in the neighborhood.
Though he closed his office, he wasn’t closing the door on his lifelong profession. Instead, he began working for the Veterans Hospital in Montrose, his patient roster heavy with not just physical but emotional casualties from various wars. He had to use all his skills, and learn new ones, to handle the challenge of wards filled with men with mental problems, some of them potentially violent.
The result of the experience was a revised, expanded and re-titled version of “Doctor.” Now, in addition to being an “inside look” into what your family doctor is all about, the book added amazing chapters to become...”All Patients Sick and Crazy.”
As with “Doctor” tying in to “Nurse,” this title was chosen to perhaps position the book next to “All Creatures Great and Small.” The book had a great cover photo and the back cover copy mentioned that the new book “takes us to three distinct settings”:
As combat physician during World War II, he had some field hospital experiences that make MASH look mild...
After the war, Dr. Smith settles into the unsettling position of general practictioner in a riotously mixed neighborhood in the Bronx...With some of the funniest and most unusual patients any doctor has ever seen, the G.P. learns that common sense and empathy are often the best medicine.
The final phase of Dr. Smith’s career brings him to a Veterans Hospital that serves the mentally ill. The wild scenes...make “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest” look tame. One lovesick patient gives the nurse the eye -- taking his glass eye right out of the socket!”
The book I think was a good reflection of the man, as well as the doctor and the writer...the anecdotes showed him to be a nice cynic, a kind realist, someone who knew human nature but felt a sense of duty and humanity anyway.
By the late 80’s and early 90’s, styles had changed in what was left of the science fiction and fantasy magazines, as well as the world of mystery books. He wrote a pair of novels after the publication of “All Patients Sick and Crazy,” but could not find a market for them without extensive re-writes...something that was too much like work. He did appreciate that he had two published writers in the family now.
My first novel appeared in 1993, years after the publication of my first best-selling non-fiction book, ‘Cosby.’ Since my father loved jokes so much, I dedicated “The Comedy Quote Dictionary” to him. It was published in 1992 by Doubleday. My sister April, fresh from her television success with made-for-TV movies (including “Kovacs,” starring Jeff Goldblum) and her work as writer, story editor and producer on “Lou Grant” and “Cagney and Lacy,” began turning out thrillers in 1994 (“North of Montana”). “For my father,” was the dedication on “Good Morning Killer,” which was published in 2003.
With or without a dedication on a page, much of what April and I have written, and will write, has been colored, inspired, and pointed to completion by the philosphy, spirit and love of words that came from our father.
Philip H. Smith, MD. (April 5, 1917-December 6, 2011)
A writer before he became a doctor, the name Philip Smith turned up in student magazines and newspapers at N.Y.U., and in what he called “little magazines,” the various literary journals of the day. A few of his poems were anthologized in “The Yearbook of Modern Poetry 1939.”
Following medical school at Middlesex, he interned at Jamaica Hospital in 1942, and then became a medic in the Army. Captain Smith was overseas in 1944, in both Great Britain and France. After the war, he married (June of 1946) and opened his office in the Bronx. A few years ago, his health failing, he celebrated his 64th wedding anniversary. He received a cake, and much love from all of us, me, my mother, my sister. He had a good time, but he at one point he said to my mother, "I'm sorry...I didn't get you anything." Being housebound, we all understood. What he gave us was just being there, in good spirits, and always with an unpredictable, funny observation.
My father built the practice up, moving from Tremont Avenue to the Grand Concourse, and once the business was settled, and I and my sister were in junior high and high school, he returned to his love of writing, and as a hobby, turned out speculative fiction.
“A Miracle Too Many” was published in “Fantasy and Science Fiction” magazine, and then anthologized in Japan and via “10th Annual Edition The Year’s Best S-F,” edited by Judith Merrill. Among the other authors in that anthology, which was issued in both hardcover and paperback, were Isaac Bashevis Singer, Arthur C. Clark, Thomas M. Disch, John D. MacDonald and Fritz Leiber.
In 1979, he published his memoir, “Doctor!”
The book was originally titled “NYMD,” but as “Nurse” had come out fairly recently, the book company figured “Doctor” would have a place alongside it.
It takes time, concentration and often great determination to write a book, and my father did this while performing a demanding job that required office hours often six days a week, duty in hospitals, and, yes, house calls. My mother, Bernice Smith, said that one of his most remarkable traits was his determination, his "strength of character."
Since he was so amiable, so pleasant, this will power was never a negative. It manifested itself in the discipline to become a doctor, to write a book, and to quit smoking. My father decided one day that he wouldn't smoke anymore, so he literally threw out his collection of expensive pipes (much to my mother's astonishment) and that was it. When he decided to learn judo, he went at it with single-minded purpose, and there he'd be, practicing falls on the living room carpet. When he was in his late 80's and advised not to drive anymore, he sold his car within 24 hours. And my mother knew this trait in Dad from the start...they'd gone out on a blind date and were married within a few months.
In the early 1980's, with the Bronx deteriorating and many doctors finding it simply too dangerous to maintain an office along the once splendid Grand Concourse, Dr. Smith gave up his practice after some 30 years. I remember one summer I filled in for his vacationing receptionist, and he'd told me, "If a drug addict comes in, don't argue with him. This is where I keep the morphine. Give it to him." It had become that perilous in the neighborhood.
Though he closed his office, he wasn’t closing the door on his lifelong profession. Instead, he began working for the Veterans Hospital in Montrose, his patient roster heavy with not just physical but emotional casualties from various wars. He had to use all his skills, and learn new ones, to handle the challenge of wards filled with men with mental problems, some of them potentially violent.
The result of the experience was a revised, expanded and re-titled version of “Doctor.” Now, in addition to being an “inside look” into what your family doctor is all about, the book added amazing chapters to become...”All Patients Sick and Crazy.”
As with “Doctor” tying in to “Nurse,” this title was chosen to perhaps position the book next to “All Creatures Great and Small.” The book had a great cover photo and the back cover copy mentioned that the new book “takes us to three distinct settings”:
As combat physician during World War II, he had some field hospital experiences that make MASH look mild...
After the war, Dr. Smith settles into the unsettling position of general practictioner in a riotously mixed neighborhood in the Bronx...With some of the funniest and most unusual patients any doctor has ever seen, the G.P. learns that common sense and empathy are often the best medicine.
The final phase of Dr. Smith’s career brings him to a Veterans Hospital that serves the mentally ill. The wild scenes...make “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest” look tame. One lovesick patient gives the nurse the eye -- taking his glass eye right out of the socket!”
The book I think was a good reflection of the man, as well as the doctor and the writer...the anecdotes showed him to be a nice cynic, a kind realist, someone who knew human nature but felt a sense of duty and humanity anyway.
By the late 80’s and early 90’s, styles had changed in what was left of the science fiction and fantasy magazines, as well as the world of mystery books. He wrote a pair of novels after the publication of “All Patients Sick and Crazy,” but could not find a market for them without extensive re-writes...something that was too much like work. He did appreciate that he had two published writers in the family now.
My first novel appeared in 1993, years after the publication of my first best-selling non-fiction book, ‘Cosby.’ Since my father loved jokes so much, I dedicated “The Comedy Quote Dictionary” to him. It was published in 1992 by Doubleday. My sister April, fresh from her television success with made-for-TV movies (including “Kovacs,” starring Jeff Goldblum) and her work as writer, story editor and producer on “Lou Grant” and “Cagney and Lacy,” began turning out thrillers in 1994 (“North of Montana”). “For my father,” was the dedication on “Good Morning Killer,” which was published in 2003.
With or without a dedication on a page, much of what April and I have written, and will write, has been colored, inspired, and pointed to completion by the philosphy, spirit and love of words that came from our father.
Philip H. Smith, MD. (April 5, 1917-December 6, 2011)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Margarito vs Cotto 2
Outrageous. I can't believe the ref let Margarito fight while wearing a rubber Halloween caveman mask.
Friday, October 14, 2011
And add "Indecent Exposure" too
It's rare when the daily "rampage from asshole who owns a gun" has any true outrage to it. And the outrage here? Exposed man boobs (aka "moobs")!
Our politicians do not want to pass any gun control legislation? All right...
...but in the name of public decency, let's ban horrific sights like this. Surely, while we now shrug over the way berserk men go on senseless rampages, and even take out public officials (hmmm...anyone even remember that little incident in Arizona...) we can't allow this type of nudity. We think nothing of mob violence, but how about moob vileness?
In our sick society, women want the right to go topless just like the men. No, no, no! Quite the reverse. We need to pass laws that make it illegal for men to go topless, whether flat-chested or, in this case, killer B-cups.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Will Drew Friedman try OLD IRISH COMEDIANS?
Yes, the "Old Jewish Comedians" series is finished, but would Fantagraphics pressure Drew Friedman to keep on going? There could be "Old Scandanavian Comedians" (some fans would just be happy to get 42 different drawings of Yogi Yorgesson, and too bad about El Brendel). There could be "Old Negro Comedians" (offensive, and maybe even off-color). And how about this one:
Mickey Rooney's 90. He looks to be in better shape than Spike Milligan. Then again, Spike died several years ago. My version of a "Drewing" should be drawn and quartered, but the point is...there's still an inkwell full of liver spots just waiting to be daubed on the pates of the Irish, the German, the Black and the Latino, and...Friedman really shouldn't waste that Joey Faye drawing...The ITALIAN. Be scared, Pat Cooper, be very scared...
Mickey Rooney's 90. He looks to be in better shape than Spike Milligan. Then again, Spike died several years ago. My version of a "Drewing" should be drawn and quartered, but the point is...there's still an inkwell full of liver spots just waiting to be daubed on the pates of the Irish, the German, the Black and the Latino, and...Friedman really shouldn't waste that Joey Faye drawing...The ITALIAN. Be scared, Pat Cooper, be very scared...
Thursday, September 15, 2011
DREW FRIEDMAN and "EVEN MORE OLD JEWISH COMEDIANS"
I was glad to see some old friends…and some even older ones…and some truly ancient ones…at the Friars Club "book warming" for Drew Friedman's latest. It ended a few hours ago at the famous old venue where my comic friends such as Henny Youngman and Soupy Sales would regularly sit around, joking and kvetching. As they got older, perhaps it was more kvetching than joking, but with Jewish humor, that's practically the same thing.
The place was packed, but Stewie Stone pointed at Drew and said, "If you told 'em there was a buffet today, an early bird dinner, there would be twice as many people here!"
Stewie has the honor of gracing the cover of "Even More Old Jewish Comedians," the third and final volume of Friedman's series. Drew countered, "Thanks for dressing so nicely…How could I not put Stewie Stone on the cover of my new book? With that face? I know what sells!" Then, getting the inevitable out of the way, he reminded us, "This is the very building, upstairs, where Milton Berle only took out enough to win…"
Stewie agreed that dick jokes are an obsession with comics. And schvantz-showing is another pastime: "Comics love to be naked in the steam room. When I was young, I was proud of my body, I used to walk around naked. Now I'm not proud of my body. I go to the steam room I wear galoshes, an overcoat, a muffler. I look down: I have no pecker, I have a turtle, that's what I have. I have to put a piece of lettuce there for the head to come out."
Coming out for the event…Gilbert Gottfried. Back in April, I'd Tweeted: "Aflac no longer wanted their duck voiced by Gilbert Gottfried. So they fired him and hired a sound-alike. What the flac?" Followed by: "Aflac's enjoying a tsunami of publicity, bringing out their new duck voice guy to unanimous cries of: "Who's the bland-faced no-talent?"
Having not actually seen Gilbert in person since then, I belatedly mentioned how the whole thing still bothers me; that his firing was had nothing to do with "outrage" at all. Gilbert and his entourage (ok, somebody was standing next to him) agreed that Aflac was just out for publicity (with that dubious nationwide search for a new duck voice) and also looking for an excuse to hire somebody for half his salary.
I'd first photographed Gilbert at the "Just for Laughs" festival in Montreal, back in 1988, for a piece in RAVE magazine. As for Eddie Lawrence, my photo shoot with him was for one of my first books, "The Stars of Stand-Up."
I was delighted to see him at Drew's event, 92 and still as funny as ever. His lovely wife was with him, and I'm still enjoying her amusing assessment that I look like I could be the son of Clive Revill.
I supplied the photos of both Eddie Lawrence and Victor Borge for Drew to work with, and that gave me an extra insight and appreciation into his genius. I saw in the finished pages, how his intuition guided him in just what elements of caricature, nuance, acid and putty would truly accentuate the heart, soul and comic mind of these men.
Turning the pages of a Drew Friedman book is always a suspenseful undertaking, as you never know what funny facets of a face he'll put before you…what surprise of vision and what comic darkness and white light of genius will combine to make your recognition humor turn into something deeper.
Speaking of great artists (and Eddie Lawrence is one…having studied with Leger, and still maintaining a studio downtown), the great Mad Magazine artist Al Jaffee was in attendance. I greatly enjoyed his lecture at Barnes & Noble some time ago, and you can view a bit of what I recorded on YouTube...a few minutes where he discusses the origin of his "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" pages.
Larry Storch, Bobby Ramsen and Abe Vigoda, all came up to the podium to joke around.
Larry told one of his favorites: "A guy goes to the doctor and he says, "Doctor…Every time I sneeze, I have this orgasm." The doctor says, "My God, what are you taking for it?" The guy says "Pepper!"
It was great to see Eddie Lawrence get up there. The Old Philosopher offered weird one-liners, the kind that were a part of his classic comedy singles and albums. He talked about how "Uncle Herman wolfed down a bag of figs at the dog races, and finished ahead of the iron rabbit." Other relatives had similar problems: "Grandpa's in bed with a terrible headache. He challenged an owl to a staring contest.,..Uncle Fred the flagpole sitter got a wild hawk up his pants." And he had to commiserate with one hapless soul: "You tried one of those All You Can Eat $4.95 buffets and almost choked to death on a buffalo nostril?"
While we all felt a bit of nostalgia for the typical "Old Jewish Comedian" of the Catskills…a look through Drew Friedman's book shows the vast array of comedians who happen to be Jewish, but have made us laugh in a wide variety of ways…the malaprops of Norm Crosby, the offbeat subtlety of Steve Landesberg, the satire of Stan Freberg and the political humor of Mort Sahl…the richly bawdy style of Pearl Williams and the dry wit of Henry Morgan…the outrageous Irwin Corey and the semi-logical David Brenner…the aggravated Robert Klein and the puckish Howard Morris. Physically, these guys aren't all that stereotypical either, but Drew nailed them all, from the evocative plump faces of Walter Matthau and Lou Jacobi to the slight and slack punim of Ben Blue and the scary slim Richard Belzer.
The crowd bought up the stacks of all three volumes, and got autographs from Drew, Stewie and Eddie Lawrence. Many ambushed Storch with F-Troop comic books and other memorabilia. I asked my pal Drew to autograph "The Fun Never Stops," as it's one of the few Friedman tomes that I don't have a signed copy of...and the one that includes the full front cover portrait of Shemp —- which accompanied a somewhat bizarre piece I once wrote, a fantasy entitled "I Look Like Shemp." (Obviously only a fantasy...as tonight has proven, I look more like the son of Clive Revill.) But really, no Drew Friedman event is without somebody mentioning Shemp. Or Joe Franklin. Or schmucks.
OK, since it's the "too Jewish" comedians that have really made this series such a success, let's close with a "too Jewish" joke. It was told last night by Bobby Ramsen, and it's about old (very old…VERY old) Mrs. Feinstein and her husband, who have come to the doctor for a check-up:
"During the examination, and in conversation, the doctor says to Mrs. Feinstein, "Let me ask you something, Mrs. Feinstein…. He says, "Do you have intercourse?" And she had a blank look on her face. She said "Wait a second." She stuck her head out of the examination room and into the waiting room. She said, "Sam, do we have intercourse?" And Sam said, "No, we have Blue Cross!"
ABOVE: Larry Storch autographs his Drewing...Gilbert Gottfried, and The Old Philospher himself, Eddie Lawrence
BELOW: Stewie Stone, Bobby Ramsen, Drew Friedman (left) and his brother Kipp, and the life of the party, Abe Vigoda
The place was packed, but Stewie Stone pointed at Drew and said, "If you told 'em there was a buffet today, an early bird dinner, there would be twice as many people here!"
Stewie has the honor of gracing the cover of "Even More Old Jewish Comedians," the third and final volume of Friedman's series. Drew countered, "Thanks for dressing so nicely…How could I not put Stewie Stone on the cover of my new book? With that face? I know what sells!" Then, getting the inevitable out of the way, he reminded us, "This is the very building, upstairs, where Milton Berle only took out enough to win…"
Stewie agreed that dick jokes are an obsession with comics. And schvantz-showing is another pastime: "Comics love to be naked in the steam room. When I was young, I was proud of my body, I used to walk around naked. Now I'm not proud of my body. I go to the steam room I wear galoshes, an overcoat, a muffler. I look down: I have no pecker, I have a turtle, that's what I have. I have to put a piece of lettuce there for the head to come out."
Coming out for the event…Gilbert Gottfried. Back in April, I'd Tweeted: "Aflac no longer wanted their duck voiced by Gilbert Gottfried. So they fired him and hired a sound-alike. What the flac?" Followed by: "Aflac's enjoying a tsunami of publicity, bringing out their new duck voice guy to unanimous cries of: "Who's the bland-faced no-talent?"
Having not actually seen Gilbert in person since then, I belatedly mentioned how the whole thing still bothers me; that his firing was had nothing to do with "outrage" at all. Gilbert and his entourage (ok, somebody was standing next to him) agreed that Aflac was just out for publicity (with that dubious nationwide search for a new duck voice) and also looking for an excuse to hire somebody for half his salary.
I'd first photographed Gilbert at the "Just for Laughs" festival in Montreal, back in 1988, for a piece in RAVE magazine. As for Eddie Lawrence, my photo shoot with him was for one of my first books, "The Stars of Stand-Up."
I was delighted to see him at Drew's event, 92 and still as funny as ever. His lovely wife was with him, and I'm still enjoying her amusing assessment that I look like I could be the son of Clive Revill.
I supplied the photos of both Eddie Lawrence and Victor Borge for Drew to work with, and that gave me an extra insight and appreciation into his genius. I saw in the finished pages, how his intuition guided him in just what elements of caricature, nuance, acid and putty would truly accentuate the heart, soul and comic mind of these men.
Turning the pages of a Drew Friedman book is always a suspenseful undertaking, as you never know what funny facets of a face he'll put before you…what surprise of vision and what comic darkness and white light of genius will combine to make your recognition humor turn into something deeper.
Speaking of great artists (and Eddie Lawrence is one…having studied with Leger, and still maintaining a studio downtown), the great Mad Magazine artist Al Jaffee was in attendance. I greatly enjoyed his lecture at Barnes & Noble some time ago, and you can view a bit of what I recorded on YouTube...a few minutes where he discusses the origin of his "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" pages.
Larry Storch, Bobby Ramsen and Abe Vigoda, all came up to the podium to joke around.
Larry told one of his favorites: "A guy goes to the doctor and he says, "Doctor…Every time I sneeze, I have this orgasm." The doctor says, "My God, what are you taking for it?" The guy says "Pepper!"
It was great to see Eddie Lawrence get up there. The Old Philosopher offered weird one-liners, the kind that were a part of his classic comedy singles and albums. He talked about how "Uncle Herman wolfed down a bag of figs at the dog races, and finished ahead of the iron rabbit." Other relatives had similar problems: "Grandpa's in bed with a terrible headache. He challenged an owl to a staring contest.,..Uncle Fred the flagpole sitter got a wild hawk up his pants." And he had to commiserate with one hapless soul: "You tried one of those All You Can Eat $4.95 buffets and almost choked to death on a buffalo nostril?"
While we all felt a bit of nostalgia for the typical "Old Jewish Comedian" of the Catskills…a look through Drew Friedman's book shows the vast array of comedians who happen to be Jewish, but have made us laugh in a wide variety of ways…the malaprops of Norm Crosby, the offbeat subtlety of Steve Landesberg, the satire of Stan Freberg and the political humor of Mort Sahl…the richly bawdy style of Pearl Williams and the dry wit of Henry Morgan…the outrageous Irwin Corey and the semi-logical David Brenner…the aggravated Robert Klein and the puckish Howard Morris. Physically, these guys aren't all that stereotypical either, but Drew nailed them all, from the evocative plump faces of Walter Matthau and Lou Jacobi to the slight and slack punim of Ben Blue and the scary slim Richard Belzer.
The crowd bought up the stacks of all three volumes, and got autographs from Drew, Stewie and Eddie Lawrence. Many ambushed Storch with F-Troop comic books and other memorabilia. I asked my pal Drew to autograph "The Fun Never Stops," as it's one of the few Friedman tomes that I don't have a signed copy of...and the one that includes the full front cover portrait of Shemp —- which accompanied a somewhat bizarre piece I once wrote, a fantasy entitled "I Look Like Shemp." (Obviously only a fantasy...as tonight has proven, I look more like the son of Clive Revill.) But really, no Drew Friedman event is without somebody mentioning Shemp. Or Joe Franklin. Or schmucks.
OK, since it's the "too Jewish" comedians that have really made this series such a success, let's close with a "too Jewish" joke. It was told last night by Bobby Ramsen, and it's about old (very old…VERY old) Mrs. Feinstein and her husband, who have come to the doctor for a check-up:
"During the examination, and in conversation, the doctor says to Mrs. Feinstein, "Let me ask you something, Mrs. Feinstein…. He says, "Do you have intercourse?" And she had a blank look on her face. She said "Wait a second." She stuck her head out of the examination room and into the waiting room. She said, "Sam, do we have intercourse?" And Sam said, "No, we have Blue Cross!"
BELOW: Stewie Stone, Bobby Ramsen, Drew Friedman (left) and his brother Kipp, and the life of the party, Abe Vigoda
Friday, September 9, 2011
Fecal JELL-O PUDDING Freak Face Campaign
"The cab driver sees a freakish ad for JELL-O Pudding and loses control of his car."
or
"Asian cab driver becomes enraged and tries to ram a racist ad that he claims perpetuates stereotypes about funny-looking people from the Orient."
Yes, I took the photo, but the image is too insidious for a mere caption. First point: cities are ugly enough without bus shelter ads that are ugly, stupid and nauseating.
Second point: Jell-o Pudding IS nauseating. That's why you don't eat it anymore. That's why nobody over five eats the crap anymore. It's only toddlers who will eat pure sugar, and will even put feces into their mouths if they aren't watched. And Jell-o pudding looks like a turdy pile of excreted slime.
The very name "pudding" is disgusting. It sounds like something on the toilet seat. "Would you clean the pudding off there?"
Jell-o bribed Bill Cosby to do ads for them. Cos may have said, "Enough! Get real, people. Your product is vile, unhealthy, and 3 out of 5 kids in America are overweight!"
Who needs Cos. Get Photoshop and an anonymous kid. Find a witless minimum wage clod in an ad agency to come up with a slogan in minutes and charge 100 billing hours: "Get Your PUDDING FACE On."Huh?
You're supposed to contort your face because your sadistic parents won't serve you pudding otherwise?
Or, after eating this shit, you're supposed to be HAPPY that the chemical reaction has turned you into a plastic surgery victim patched together after a dog bit your lips?
The advertising world is sadistic, big food companies are irresponsible, and there's certainly something sickening about eating pudding and having your mouth crease into some kind of giant ass crack.
Paging Bill Cosby, to say: "SAVE YOUR FACE, KID! Do NOT consume nasty, feces-like, over-processed JELL-O PUDDING. If you keeping eating that stuff, your Pudding Face will be PERMANENT. How would you feel about walking around like that forever?
FRIGHTENED!"
Lindsay Lohan's Sister Ali Heading for Weird Al Yankovic Surgery
It's pretty obvious where Ali Lohan is heading. Rumors have swirled that Lindsay Lohan's sister has had plastic surgery to change her looks. But what nobody has reported, is the reason behind the dribbling sibling's strange behavior.
Ali Lohan does not want to be mistaken for her Lindsay. She is, in fact, a huge fan of Weird Al Yankovic, and the lady is so gaga over him, she hopes to one day be mistaken for HIS twisted sister.
Ali Lohan does not want to be mistaken for her Lindsay. She is, in fact, a huge fan of Weird Al Yankovic, and the lady is so gaga over him, she hopes to one day be mistaken for HIS twisted sister.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Jack E. Leonard vs Lady Gaga
Still popular, still annoying, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" actually has people singing along, even when the lyrics are:
"Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah Roma, roma, ma Gaga, ooh, la, la"
And why not? I can easily go into "Witch Doctor" mode, without the song playing, and sing "Ooo eee, ooo ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang, ooo eee, ooo ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang!" (And that's from memory. Which I still have.)
Not long ago, some contestant on "America's Got Talent" wowed the crowed with a slow, passionate (he thought) version of "Bad Romance," wriggling his tongue around
"Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah Roma, roma, ma Gaga, ooh, la, la."
As long as there are pop hits, there will be stupid nonsense lyrics. No way to shield yourself from it, even if you turn off your radio and hide under an umbrella-ella-ella. Somebody else's blaring ear-buds, some supermarket's speakers, or some idiot singing out loud, will force you to hear the nonsense.
And that's the subject Jack E. Leonard addressed so long ago. "THAT'S THE WAY THEY SING" was the title of HIS novelty song. So go gaga, and download it, sans any password or having to type in a code. Ah ah, no capcha! Ya ha!
JACK E. LEONARD sings "THAT'S THE WAY THEY SING"
"Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah Roma, roma, ma Gaga, ooh, la, la"
And why not? I can easily go into "Witch Doctor" mode, without the song playing, and sing "Ooo eee, ooo ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang, ooo eee, ooo ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang!" (And that's from memory. Which I still have.)
Not long ago, some contestant on "America's Got Talent" wowed the crowed with a slow, passionate (he thought) version of "Bad Romance," wriggling his tongue around
"Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah Roma, roma, ma Gaga, ooh, la, la."
As long as there are pop hits, there will be stupid nonsense lyrics. No way to shield yourself from it, even if you turn off your radio and hide under an umbrella-ella-ella. Somebody else's blaring ear-buds, some supermarket's speakers, or some idiot singing out loud, will force you to hear the nonsense.
And that's the subject Jack E. Leonard addressed so long ago. "THAT'S THE WAY THEY SING" was the title of HIS novelty song. So go gaga, and download it, sans any password or having to type in a code. Ah ah, no capcha! Ya ha!
JACK E. LEONARD sings "THAT'S THE WAY THEY SING"
Craig Ferguson or Jimmy Fallon - GO THE F*CK TO SLEEP!
Heading toward one in the morning, you flip from CBS to NBC. What do you get?
On CBS, Craig Ferguson, with the ever-naughty look on his aging face, has yet again pushed the button so that SECRETARIAT can clomp onto the stage. Craig leaps to his feet to do the "Secretariat Dance," even more annoying than Conan's "string dance." He jabs the air with his upraised arms, and encourages his audience to go into mock hysterics. Wheeeee. Are we having fun yet?
Quickly turning to NBC, the alternative is Jimmy Fallon imitating Bud Collyer. I know, an OLD reference. And Jimmy is SO cutting edge! Except there he is, doing daytime schtick even Ellen Degeneres would find lame...hauling idiots out of the audience to do "Beat the Clock"-type stunts. That's entertainment?
For a while, Ferguson was something truly fresh. I liked his anecdotal, meandering monologues. The tired "letters from viewers" gambit that Letterman had long discarded, was funny again with Craig eager to show off his ad-lib chops. Craig could be irreverent with guests, and was savvy enough to ease up on the dress-in-costume sketches. When upstart Fallon arrived, Craig beat him easily.
Too bad the obvious and predictable happened...Craig began phoning it in, tiring of his tweeties-and-emails routine, cutting his monologue short, finding limited joy in tormenting viewers with puppets and "Secretariat."His boss, Letterman, made a career out of annoying people, and showing disdain for the nightly grind, so why not Craig? Because Craig isn't Dave, and the gay jokes, the smirks, the cursing...has all become a big bore. Craig was able, last week, to do the unthinkable. He made a trip to Paris boring. And yes, he brought Secretariat along.
As for Fallon, it wasn't a shaky start for him. He looked petrified. Who wouldn't feel bad about that? And to his credit, he got comfortable, and even scored some highlight moments with his Neil Young impression and the chutzpah of doing a duet with Paul McCartney. We all knew Paul mumbled "Scrambled Eggs" to the melody of "Yesterday," but here he was, actually doing an entire "Scrambled Eggs" song. Yes, it got pretty cold and stale before the last chorus, but it was still a fun moment.
So what happened? Fallon fell in love with his rock star parodies, began to coast with audience-participation stunts, and even dragged his guest stars into games of charades, and "Password" with his announcer not quite being Allen Ludden. In other words, subtle. Jimmy's announcer, who looks like Joseph Kearns (another old reference) mostly stands around with a smug, indulgent look on his face, tossing in wisecracks ala Andy Richter. In other words, he thinks he's funnier than Fallon and wants everyone to know he's just taking it easy on the kid. PS, if Jimmy thinks black people would ever tune in just because he deliberately chose what he thinks is da bomb of a band...well, check the demographics. It's still nerd-heavy.
Well, I've begun to do the unthinkable, for someone who wrote a book called "The Fight for Tonight," and who followed those who followed Carson and Cavett...including Dave, Snyder, Craig Kilborn, etc. I've found myself simply TURNING THIS REPETITIOUS, TEDIOUS, UNFUNNY SHIT OFF. I've decided to GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP instead. Or read. Or...
Funny (at least sometimes), Dave, Jay, and Jimmy aren't nearly as tiresome as Ferguson and Fallon. Maybe it's because those three know that there's competition, and there's good money involved, and that the hour isn't so late that people will simply stay and stare in a state of insomniac numbness no matter what insulting garbage flickers on the screen. G'night Craig. G'night Jimmy.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Phyllis Diller's 94th Birthday, July 17th
Here's a picture from the party...
She looks great doesn't she? Laughing well is the best revenge. Some seriously believe that joking around is a key to a long life. George Burns, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Betty White...if you're funny, or in the case of Mort Sahl, if you were once funny, you can live into your 80's and beyond.
Let's not forget who wrote the book on the subject. It was Phyllis! I remember interviewing her for Writer's Digest when she published: "The Joys of Aging...And How to Avoid Them."
She looks great doesn't she? Laughing well is the best revenge. Some seriously believe that joking around is a key to a long life. George Burns, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Betty White...if you're funny, or in the case of Mort Sahl, if you were once funny, you can live into your 80's and beyond.
Let's not forget who wrote the book on the subject. It was Phyllis! I remember interviewing her for Writer's Digest when she published: "The Joys of Aging...And How to Avoid Them."
Monday, July 18, 2011
PAUL McCARTNEY sponsored by DEPENDS at YANKEE STADIUM
PAUL McCARTNEY holds a box of DEPENDS aloft, after completing his two-and-a-half hour concert at Yankee Stadium. His "Band with the Runs" tour is calling attention to problems his audience can relate to. Paul is 69 years old, and many fans in attendance were even older, and very much in need of "a little help" from adult diapers.
"If we're going to be honest," Sir Paul said, "this is a problem for adults of any age. Do you think The Beatles didn't get dysentery in some of the weird places we visited? Then there are illnesses such as Crohn's disease. Gays who just wear out their bottoms. If you're on stage, or alone minding the store, or standing performing brain surgery, you can't rush to a bathroom! The answer is to wear protection! Then you're ok if you have to "carry that weight" or if your urinary tract goes "helter skelter."
Paul was too much of a showman to alter his set-list too much, but he amended his lyrics for "Band With the Runs," "The Long and Winding Colon," "Blackturd," "Live And Let Diaper," "I've Just Seen a Fece," "Maybe I'm Incontinent," "Day Dripper" and "Ob-La-Doodi."
Friday, June 24, 2011
FRED STEINER - THE BULLWINKLE SHOW
The versatile composer Fred Steiner died the other day (February 24, 1923 – June 23, 2011). Comedy fans might recognize the name from "The Bullwinkle Show." Fred wrote the theme song, which is a slightly cartoonish variation on the razzle-dazzle of typical show-biz variety music.
You can enjoy it below.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Steiner composed "Park Avenue Beat," a kind of dark bump-and-grind that suggested some of the forbidden low antics that the high-toned folk on the street enjoyed. It became the theme for 'Perry Mason.' Think about it...after the slow, menacing string introduction, the melody actually swings into an undulating, hip-swiveling bit of jazz. Take out that intro entirely, and you have a tune that rivals David Rose's "The Stripper." Perfect for the times Perry may have asked Della to show him more than legal briefs.
Among Steiner's other major musical credits…the incidental music for many episodes of "Star Trek," as well as episodes of "Hogan's Heroes" and "The Andy Griffith Show," and film scores including "Run for the Sun" and "The Color Purple." His daughter is singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman.
THE BULLWINKLE SHOW THEME
You can enjoy it below.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Steiner composed "Park Avenue Beat," a kind of dark bump-and-grind that suggested some of the forbidden low antics that the high-toned folk on the street enjoyed. It became the theme for 'Perry Mason.' Think about it...after the slow, menacing string introduction, the melody actually swings into an undulating, hip-swiveling bit of jazz. Take out that intro entirely, and you have a tune that rivals David Rose's "The Stripper." Perfect for the times Perry may have asked Della to show him more than legal briefs.
Among Steiner's other major musical credits…the incidental music for many episodes of "Star Trek," as well as episodes of "Hogan's Heroes" and "The Andy Griffith Show," and film scores including "Run for the Sun" and "The Color Purple." His daughter is singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman.
THE BULLWINKLE SHOW THEME
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
SEAN CONNERY and GEORGE LAZENBY APPLE ADVERT LETTERS
CLICK THEM AND THEY'LL BE FULL SIZE...
Hmmm. So the Sean Connery one was a forgery.
I guess there's little hope for the George Lazenby I just bought on eBay....
Hmmm. So the Sean Connery one was a forgery.
I guess there's little hope for the George Lazenby I just bought on eBay....
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
When you have a Lemon, make Lemonade. AN AD I'D LIKE to SEE...
Anthony Weiner, Eliot Spitzer, Bill Clinton and friends.
Monday, May 2, 2011
LAMEST JOKE TWEETS of APRIL 2011
Twitter seems to be the place where fortune cookie writers go to die.
It's also a place where washed-up comics recycle bad jokes, would-be comics think they'll become famous, and way too many "wits" engage in bon-NOTS.
I suppose even failed jokes are better than those meaningless Twitter tweets like "I'm having a nice day." They also make a little more sense than those tweet-responses given without telling us what the questions was: "You can say that again!" or "That was hilarious!" or "Only if you do it first!" etc. etc.
It seems Twitter works best for goo-goo eyed Lady Gaga fans and acolytes of other celebs who desperately need to know what the "star" had for dinner.
It's also used by people desperate to tell the world what they're doing in a part of the world nobody cares about. Dennis Miller: "I'll be performing at the FireLake Grand Casino in Shawnee, OK tomorrow night. Come on over." Right, I'm on the next plane, Dennis. Who IS your publicist?
"LAMEST TWEETS" isn't a contest. I didn't actually go looking for inane remarks. I think that if you pick any 12 comedians at random (pretty much what I did) you'll discover a terribly high percentage of terribleness. I thought a half-dozen dozers was enough. (Not counting the person who ASKED Ruth Buzzi to come up with a New York City rat joke.)
Don't squint, if you click the image below it will be larger and more readable.
It's also a place where washed-up comics recycle bad jokes, would-be comics think they'll become famous, and way too many "wits" engage in bon-NOTS.
I suppose even failed jokes are better than those meaningless Twitter tweets like "I'm having a nice day." They also make a little more sense than those tweet-responses given without telling us what the questions was: "You can say that again!" or "That was hilarious!" or "Only if you do it first!" etc. etc.
It seems Twitter works best for goo-goo eyed Lady Gaga fans and acolytes of other celebs who desperately need to know what the "star" had for dinner.
It's also used by people desperate to tell the world what they're doing in a part of the world nobody cares about. Dennis Miller: "I'll be performing at the FireLake Grand Casino in Shawnee, OK tomorrow night. Come on over." Right, I'm on the next plane, Dennis. Who IS your publicist?
"LAMEST TWEETS" isn't a contest. I didn't actually go looking for inane remarks. I think that if you pick any 12 comedians at random (pretty much what I did) you'll discover a terribly high percentage of terribleness. I thought a half-dozen dozers was enough. (Not counting the person who ASKED Ruth Buzzi to come up with a New York City rat joke.)
Don't squint, if you click the image below it will be larger and more readable.
Friday, April 15, 2011
MARTIN SHORT - Hollywood and the Stars
"What's that song that they always play when Martin Short makes his grandiose entrance on Late Night with David Letterman?"
And the answer is: "Hollywood and the Stars," perhaps one of the finest, but most obscure of television theme songs. David L. Wolper's short-lived series was ahead of its time, offering a half hour on great movies, stars and genres. Some might fondly remember Joseph Cotten narrating the episode on horror movies, with vintage clips of Karloff and Lugosi.
Back in the early 60's, there wasn't quite so much respect for old movies, and certainly not for guys like Karloff and Lugosi. Clearly Martin Short (who once graced the cover of my magazine RAVE) was one of the few avid, star-struck kids who watched "Hollywood and the Stars" and believed so fondly in movie magic.
Elmer Bernstein wrote the theme, and also penned another memorable TV theme: "National Geographic." You can almost hear the iconic opening trumpet notes, right? Well, time now for the strings to take over, and that rather haunting, and somewhat sadly nostalgic theme for "Hollywood and the Stars." Bernstein's forte was film scores, earning Oscar nominations and/or wins for "The Magnificent Seven," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Walk on the Wild Side," "Hawaii," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "True Grit," "Trading Place,""Age of Innocence," "Far from Heaven" and many more.
Bernstein's non Oscar-nominated film scores include: "Animal House," "Airplane," "I Love You Alice B. Toklas," "Cast a Giant Shadow," "Hud," "The Carpetbaggers," "Baby the Rain Must Fall," "Birdman of Alcatraz," "Sweet Smell of Success," "Fear Strikes Out," "Ten Commandments" and "The Great Escape."
YOUR LINK TO hearing and downloading HOLLYWOOD AND THE STARS, Martin Short's theme
"DAVY CROCKETT" Theme sung by STEVE ALLEN
Steve Allen once said to me, all seriousness not aside, "My predominant gift, is for music." Most would say he was gifted with one of the quickest, funniest minds of all time, the original hip quipster. Or quipping hipster. Come to think of it, he was never given enough credit for being hip, either. But as a musician…Steve rarely got any credit at all. One of the snider remarks aimed at his piano was that for all the thousands of songs he wrote, "can anyone name TWO?"
There was "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," yes…and some might have heard his "Gravy Watlz" (if not know it by title). But many singers, from Andy Williams to Ann Jillian, have produced albums solely of Steve's songs. He wrote movie soundtracks, musicals (including "Sophie" and "Alice in Wonderland") and made regular attempts at getting into the Top 10 with novelty singles…either sung or spoken.
Which leads us to "Davy Crockett," an unusual novelty that will have you wondering, "well, when is this going to become a parody?" Steve's serious about his "predominant gift" here, offers an amiable version of a song that was covered quite a bit back in 1955. (The flip side was "Very Square Dance"). The phenomenon of Walt Disney's version of the Davy Crockett story (as played by Fess Parker, and not dwelling on The Alamo tragedy) meant kids were buying up huge amounts of coloring books, coonskin caps, little yellow 78's of the theme song and…some of 'em did buy this one. In the photo, then-"Tonight Show" host Steve is pictured with band leader Skitch Henderson, as he's admired by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.
Your link to hearing and downloading DAVY CROCKETT sung by STEVE ALLEN
There was "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," yes…and some might have heard his "Gravy Watlz" (if not know it by title). But many singers, from Andy Williams to Ann Jillian, have produced albums solely of Steve's songs. He wrote movie soundtracks, musicals (including "Sophie" and "Alice in Wonderland") and made regular attempts at getting into the Top 10 with novelty singles…either sung or spoken.
Which leads us to "Davy Crockett," an unusual novelty that will have you wondering, "well, when is this going to become a parody?" Steve's serious about his "predominant gift" here, offers an amiable version of a song that was covered quite a bit back in 1955. (The flip side was "Very Square Dance"). The phenomenon of Walt Disney's version of the Davy Crockett story (as played by Fess Parker, and not dwelling on The Alamo tragedy) meant kids were buying up huge amounts of coloring books, coonskin caps, little yellow 78's of the theme song and…some of 'em did buy this one. In the photo, then-"Tonight Show" host Steve is pictured with band leader Skitch Henderson, as he's admired by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.
Your link to hearing and downloading DAVY CROCKETT sung by STEVE ALLEN
Monday, February 14, 2011
TV THEME: I DREAM OF JEANNIE - with VOCAL
First up in a series on sitcom TV themes...the justly obscure lyrical version of the "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" theme.
As with "BEWITCHED," during the run of the series, the alluring cartoon opening offered the theme without any intrusive words. It's a lot more magical that way.....
...but in case you wondered what anyone could possibly write about the genie, here's Hugo Montenegro's singers.
Oh yeah...and a plug for my book "Sweethearts of 60's TV," which a lot of eBay sellers wish to get rid of, and for not too much money.
BETTY GARRETT - The Humphrey Bogart Rhumba
You all know Betty Garrett (May 23, 1919 – February 12, 2011)….as either Irene Lorenzo in All in the Family or Edna Babish in Laverne & Shirley. Those who love movie musicals (and there's nothing wrong with that), love Betty in "Words and Music," "Neptune's Daughter,"and "On The Town." She was on Broadway in the 40's, and loved the theatre so much that she kept coming back (she was in the 2001 revival of "Follies") and co-founded Theatre West back home in California.
Betty fans could tell you that she was married to Larry Parks, the guy who looked nothing like Jolson, had a speaking voice an octave higher than Jolson, but captured his extravagant personality well enough to propel "The Jolson Story" to glory. He and Betty toured together, and even recorded some tunes including the novelty "Go To Sleep, Go To Sleep, Go To Sleep." He and Betty got swatted down as Commies during the "Red Scare" blacklist, and would've had some pretty lean years except for good business investments. I don't think any obit or blog would tell you another bit of trivia; their son Andy Parks actually recorded a comedy album for Capitol in the 60's. Here's a bit of oddness: Betty and James Komack put out a record in 1959 called "Clara," (on the obscure Commentary Records label) which was then spun into a Broadway show called "Beg, Borrow or Steal," with Larry Parks replacing Komack.
Betty was one of the most highly trained actresses of her generation, earning a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse, and studying music and dance as well as classical acting. She amassed a huge number of credits in every phase of show biz…doing song and dance schtick in the Catskills, singing sophisticated numbers in solo turns at the Village Vanguard, and even working as part of the Martha Graham dance company. Her good looks and vivacious personality got her booked more and more in musical comedy in the 40's (she was in Olsen & Johnson's "LAFFING ROOM ONLY" in 1944) and between shows, she worked nightclubs.
She always loved singing, and with a big audience for her old movies, and a newer one for her sitcom work, she sometimes put on one-woman shows including "Betty Garrett and Other Songs," which was also the title of her autobiography, which was a fast read, like one long wonderful and nostalgic letter from your favorite relative. Although chances are your favorite relative would relate being uninhibited enough to go topless in her dressing room, her join her nude husband in romps on the beach with equally nude Lloyd Bridges and wife.
Not merely represented on original cast albums, Betty recorded a lot of singles. There's a CD out there that's compiled 28 of them: "Betty Garrett Star of Stage & Screen." It features:
1. Ev'rything I've Got
2. Manhattan
3. Ok'i Baby Dok'i
4. There Ought to Be a Society
5. Don't Blame Me
6. I'm Gonna See a Lot of You
7. Buttons and Bows
8. Matador, The
9. Pussy Cat Song, The (Nyow! Nyot! Nyow!)
10. Any State in the Forty-Eight Is Great
11. There's a Small Hotel
12. Yes, Indeedy
13. Take Me out to the Ball Game
14. Humphrey Bogart Rhumba, The
15. Can I Come in for a Second?
16. Reckon I'm in Love
17. Side by Side
18. Hand Holdin' Music
19. Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep
20. Written Guarantee
21. Lazy Lack-A-Daisy Day, A
22. I'm Strictly on the Corny Side
23. It's a Quiet Town (In Crossbone County)
24. Home Cookin'
25. Poison Ivy
26. Don't Throw Cold Water on the Flame of Love
27. Soft Shoe, The
28. Go
Though quite goofy, "The Humphrey Bogart Rhumba" has some lilt thanks to Betty, and she name-checks a lot of celebs in it, from Lauren Bacall to...herself! I thought it was a fake Bogie voice at the end, but in her book she said it was actually Bogart, and he was nervous in front of the mike. No wonder he didn't sound quite like himself. I found the song on 78 rpm years ago, and Betty proudly noted (literally, on a Post-it) her contribution to the world of silly ditties.
While "Go To Sleep" is pretty strange (her duet with Larry Parks very different from the Mary Martin-Arthur Godfrey version) we'll stay with the rhumba as a little tribute to a great lady, who did get her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was still in good shape for a 90th birthday party at Hollywood's Music Box Theater. "People say, how come you've lasted this long?" she said. "I say I think it's because all of my life I have gotten to do what I love to do."
A link for hearing and downloading BETTY GARRETT on the 78rpm HUMPHREY BOGART RHUMBA
MORT SAHL - narrated by LILY TOMLIN (script by Ron Smith)
During its run, the scripts I wrote for the "Comedy College" show were read by some of the greatest stars in comedy: Lily Tomlin, Rita Rudner, Steve Martin and Bob Newhart.
The show was produced by Garrison Keillor's company in Minnesota, and one of my favorite episodes is the one I wrote about my pal Mort Sahl.
I remember having lunch with Jackie Mason one day, and Jackie was in full bombast. "Can you name any comedian better than me?" he asked. I said, "Well, I can think of one. Mort Sahl." Jackie said, "You're entitled to your opinion. And I'm entitled to tell you your opinion stinks!"
Listen to the show:
The show was produced by Garrison Keillor's company in Minnesota, and one of my favorite episodes is the one I wrote about my pal Mort Sahl.
I remember having lunch with Jackie Mason one day, and Jackie was in full bombast. "Can you name any comedian better than me?" he asked. I said, "Well, I can think of one. Mort Sahl." Jackie said, "You're entitled to your opinion. And I'm entitled to tell you your opinion stinks!"
Listen to the show:
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