Monday, March 18, 2024

A Joke to Start the Week - "A Full Conversion"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. He worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory.

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: Sidney Soboroff was an observant Jew all of his life, but he decided to convert to Christianity. And then...

Enjoy!

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Sunday, March 17, 2024

10 IDF Couples Get Married in Mass Wedding Ceremony in Savion, Israel

Last week in the Israeli town of Savyon, ten couples stood underneath their wedding canopies, which were lined up side by side on a large stage. 1,500 guests looked on as the brides and grooms took their vows in one of the largest joint marriage ceremonies to ever take place in Israel.

As Jennifer Hassan-Smith reported for i24 News,

The unique ceremony was organized by the Savyon Chabad Community as part of an initiative called "Marrying the Warrior." They are helping couples like these — whose previous wedding plans were derailed by the war — finally celebrate their unions. 

In all of these couples, either the groom or bride have been serving in the IDF reserves, and have had to reschedule their dream day several times before the organizers stepped in with the special offer. 

Such is the case of Moshe and his bride, who were supposed to get married on October 12.  While a mass ceremony is the opposite of their initial plans for an intimate wedding, they were grateful for the chance to celebrate their coming together as a family, and participate in a larger display of joy and solidarity amid the war.

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Friday, March 15, 2024

Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi as Sung in the Shtetl of Mszana Dolna, Poland

Mszana Dolna is a town in Poland, with 7,431 inhabitants. Mszana Dolna lies 50 kilometers south of Kraków. The town is located in a deep valley, surrounded by several ranges, including the Gorce Mountains featuring Gorce National Park.

The Jewish community in Mszana Dolna is mentioned in the 1891 official record of Jewish congregations. However, Jews must have started living there much earlier. The first Jews to settle down in Mszana Dolna were innkeepers, which is confirmed by 18th century data.  Inns were leased to those Jews by the local nobility. 

January 17 is the Day of Judaism in Poland. Workshops were conducted with three groups of young people, who learned the basic concepts of the Jewish religion and culture and elements of the celebration of Shabbat.

sztetlmszanadolna.com is a website dedicated to saving the memory of the Jews of Mszana Dolna and building kind relations with the descendants of the few among them who survived the Shoah. Its organizers take care of the sites of memory and martyrdom of the Jews of Mszana Dolna, organize anniversaries of the Shoah in the town, as well as Remembrance Days and Remembrance Walks. Together with the town’s youth they plant crocuses at the mass murder sites to commemorate the youngest victims. Every week they light the Shabbat candles and bake challah and they also light the menorah during Chanukah. 

In this video, members of the community sing the traditional version of Lecha Dodi to welcome Shabbat.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Thursday, March 14, 2024

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Allan Sherman's "A Waste of Money" Parody of Herb Alpert's "A Taste of Honey"


One year ago we posted a video clip of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass performing their 1965 hit A Taste of Honey. Today we were going through a collection of parody songs by Allan Sherman and came across his takeoff on this musical classic called A Waste of Money

In Sherman's version, he is trying to win girlfriends with a Mercedes-Benz car and some jewelry, but it doesn't work out so he calls it a waste of money.

Enjoy!

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  #Throwback Thursday      #TBT

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Office Managers Buy Expensive Stupid Tech Products - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes. 

In this classic episode office managers were brought into a high-tech showroom to see demonstrations of three ridiculous expensive office machines. And one actually bought them.

Enjoy!

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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Catskill Comedy Special: "Ten Cents a Bagel" Yiddish Sketch From "Catskill Honeymoon"

Catskill Honeymoon is a raucous marriage ceremony between Yiddish-American cinema and the Borscht Belt. Billed as a “Yiddish-American Musical Revue,” it was one of the very last Yiddish-language films to premiere on Broadway. Its success demonstrated that by 1950 the center of Jewish-American entertainment had moved from New York City to the Catskill resorts of upstate New York . 

With its performers, emcee, and audience often filmed separately and awkwardly intercut, Catskill Honeymoon has the airless feel of “canned vaudeville,” as critic J. Hoberman put it. Nevertheless, it became one of the longest-running Yiddish films.

Up to the late 1970s, it was still a favorite in elderly and rehabilitation homes, having outlasted the Yiddish theatre scene and Young’s Gap Hotel, which closed in 1967. Increased social mobility and assimilation doomed the Catskills resorts, but not before they introduced performers such as Danny Kaye, Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, and Jerry Lewis. Catskill Honeymoon preserves the performances of a grab-bag of entertainers from this tradition, allowing viewers to enjoy a night in the mountains.

Here is a classic sketch from the film set in a Catskills lunchroom in which the three actors, Max Bozyk, Henrietta Jacobson, and Julius Adler, standing on principle, gradually throw all their possessions out the window.

The black and white movie clip is in Yiddish with English subtitles. Enjoy!

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Monday, March 11, 2024

A Joke to Start the Week - "The Speaker"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today we're sharing a joke by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson, one of America's premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism.

Rabbi Jacobson, an American Chabad rabbi from Monsey, New York, is one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world today, lecturing to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences on six continents and in forty states, and serving as teacher and mentor to thousands across the globe. 

He is considered to be one of the most successful, passionate and mesmerizing communicators of Judaism today, culling his ideas from the entire spectrum of Jewish thought and making them relevant to contemporary audiences. 

He served as editor-in-chief of the Algemeiner Journal, and as a choizer (transcriber) for Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

He also loves to tell jokes, and here's the setup: This lecturer gets up to give this lecture. He speaks for two hours and 50 per cent of the crowd leaves. And then...

Enjoy!

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Sunday, March 10, 2024

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hava Nagila Performance in Georgia

Georgia is a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is part of the Caucasus region, bounded by the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north and northeast, Turkey to the southwest, Armenia to the south, and Azerbaijan to the southeast. 

Georgia covers an area of 26,900 square miles. It has a population of 3.7 million, of which over a third live in the capital and largest city, Tbilisi. Georgians, who are indigenous to the region, constitute a majority.

We wouldn't expect to see a performance of Hava Nagila in Georgia, but since just about every country in the world has adopted one of Israel's most famous songs, we weren't surprised to find another version on the internet.

Here a group called Melomoney (მელოMoney) sings Hava Nagila on a Georgian TV show. It's the 122nd version that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central in 2009.

Enjoy!

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Friday, March 8, 2024

Welcoming Shabbat with Shalom Aleichem Sung by The Shalva Band

The song Shalom Aleichem is traditionally sung in many Jewish households, and asks the angels to protect us and bless us with peace. The Shalva Band has brought together Israeli communities in the diaspora, alongside evacuees from the south and the north, as well as families of abductees to join in prayer, singing together for peace in Israel.

Since 2005, the Shalva Band has been inspiring crowds worldwide. Having perfomed at Eurovision and for the President of the United States, the band uses music as a language to unite people.

From all corners of the globe, we celebrate the unbridled unity of Israelis and Jews around the world, and pray that we can welcome home the hostages for a Shabbat soon.

Enjoy the Shalva Band's version of Shalom Aleichem, and Shabbat shalom!

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Thursday, March 7, 2024

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Jan Peerce Sings "Because" on the Ed Sullivan Show

Today we're turning the calendar way way back 72 years to 1952 when Jan Peerce appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to sing Because, a song that was a regular part of most weddings.

Peerce, who was born Yehoshua Pinkhes Perelmuth in New York, was an accomplished performer on the operatic and Broadway concert stages, in solo recitals, and as a recording artist. Peerce became the brother-in-law of fellow American tenor Richard Tucker when Sara Perelmuth, Peerce’s only sister, married Tucker, who was then a part-time cantor, in 1936.

Enjoy!

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  #Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Movie Madness - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes. 

This classic episode first aired in 1999. New Yorkers are told about a crazy new movie theater policy that requires ticket buyers at the box office to line up in alphabetical order. Enjoy!

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Tuesday, March 5, 2024

It's Tuesday, But Let's Go to Tel Aviv for Funny Monday -- Israeli Standup Comedy in English

Comedians Yohay Sponder and Shahar Hason got their start as comedians in Israel catering exclusively to Hebrew-speaking audiences. As the two became more and more well-known to Hebrew speakers throughout Israel, they noticed a huge demographic in the country that was missing out on the laughs. 

Sponder and Hason took the risk of crafting and re-writing their material from Hebrew to English (and from Israeli humor to American humor), all the while unsure whether or not they would even get a laugh out of an English speaking crowd. Their hard work and dedication to broadening the audience of one of Israel’s most unique cultural elements has launched the growing scene of Israeli Stand-up in English.


Sponder, Hason, and some of their friends carry on each Monday in Tel Aviv with their standup comedy show, Funny Monday. Their English is a bit hard to understand, but it's worth a try.

Enjoy!

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Monday, March 4, 2024

A Joke to Start the Week - "The Facts of Life"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. He worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: My wife had been on my case for weeks. She kept saying "You have to talk to the boy. He's 13 years old, he's getting big." And then...

Enjoy!

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Sunday, March 3, 2024

Remembering Richard Lewis, Master of Dark, Neurotic Comedy


Comedian Richard Lewis, who parlayed his neurotic Jewish personality and self-deprecating humor into a 50-year career as a standup comedian and actor, died last Wednesday. He was 76. 

 As Andrew Silow-Carroll wrote for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency,

Although he considered himself retired as a standup, he appeared again as a regular in the current season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” playing a version of himself in the HBO show created by and starring his childhood friend Larry David. 

“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,” David said in a statement released by HBO. “He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.”

Lewis’ sensibility, in clubs and on screen, could be as dark as the funereal suits he often wore. In a signature joke, he spoke about an uncle who was so depressing that he would sit at home listening to the soundtrack of “The Pawnbroker,” the grim 1964 film about a Holocaust survivor.

In this video, Curb Your Enthusiasm creator and star Larry David pays tribute to his childhood campmate and long-time friend. 

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Friday, March 1, 2024

Welcoming Shabbat with The Miami Boys Choir Singing Adon Olam

The Miami Boys Choir experienced a resurgence in popularity in 2022, owing to the establishment of a TikTok account that posts clips of the group performing. One clip, a recording of 4 soloists performing an arrangement of Psalms 125:2 (Yerushalayim) has accrued over 9.1 million views as of October 8.

While the group was formed in Miami Beach, Florida, after releasing the first few albums, director Yerachmiel Begun moved the choir to New York. Although he retained the "Miami" in the name of the group, subsequent albums were released with boys primarily from the New York/New Jersey area.

In this video, the Miami Boys Choir sings Adon Olam.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Thursday, February 29, 2024

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Lainie Kazan Sings "What Now My Love" on the Ed Sullivan Show

It's another Throwback Thursday and today we're turning the clock back 58 years to 1966 when Lainie Kazan appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to sing What Now My Love. 

Kazan was born Lainie Levine in Brooklyn. She is of Ashkenazi Jewish and Sephardic Jewish descent with Russian and Turkish roots.Some of her grandparents lived in Jerusalem before moving to Manchester, England and settling in Brooklyn.

In 1966 she was primarily a singer, but she is best known as an actress who has appeared in many Broadway musicals and TV shows. Most recently Kazan played Maria Portokalos, the mother of Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise. She also played Aunt Freida on The Nanny.   

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  #Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Plant Sitter -- A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this classic episode people responding to an ad for a baby sitter for a 3-year-old girl are surprised that the 3-year old Gretchen is not a child, but a prize winning orchid.

Enjoy!

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Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Yiddish Word of the Day: The Sourpuss

In 2020 the Forverts launched a daily series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day.

The series, written and narrated by Forverts editor Rukhl Schaechter, aims to give non-Yiddish speakers an introduction to familiar Yiddish words and phrases and how they might be used in everyday situations. 

Schaechter, who was appointed the new editor of the Forverts in 2016, is the first woman to helm the paper in its 119-year history, its first editor to have been born in the United States, and likely its first editor who is shomeret Shabbat.

Today we're sharing some of the Forverts' words and expressions for a sourpuss, or someone who is spiteful.

Enjoy!

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Monday, February 26, 2024

A Joke to Start the Week: A Jew, a Hindu, and a Politician

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today we're sharing a joke by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson, one of America's premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism.

Rabbi Jacobson, an American Chabad rabbi from Monsey, New York, is one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world today, lecturing to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences on six continents and in forty states, and serving as teacher and mentor to thousands across the globe. 

He is considered to be one of the most successful, passionate and mesmerizing communicators of Judaism today, culling his ideas from the entire spectrum of Jewish thought and making them relevant to contemporary audiences. 

He served as editor-in-chief of the Algemeiner Journal, and as a choizer (transcriber) for Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

He also loves to tell jokes, and here's the setup: A Jew, a Hindu, and a Politician go hiking. They were searching for a hotel or motel. In desperation they knock on the door of a home of a farmer. And then...

Enjoy!

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Sunday, February 25, 2024

Annie Korzen, Comedian and Seinfeld Veteran, Publishes Funny Memoir

If there's anyone who knows how to make an audience laugh, it's Annie Korzen, a writer, actress, and performer who has appeared on Seinfeld and other TV shows, and was a regular on Old Jews Telling Jokes.

Korzen began her career as an actress-writer in New York's Off-Broadway scene. She has also worked in films (Tootsie, Stardust Memories, etc.). In Los Angeles, Annie had a recurring role on Seinfeld, playing Doris Klompus in the Florida condo. She also has been on E.R., Judging Amy, Oliver Beene and many other TV shows.

Annie created two solo shows that combine comedy, original music, and provocative issues. One of them is called Yenta Unplugged, a sophisticated 90-minute celebration of womanhood, from the Bronx to Beverly Hills.

She has appeared as a storyteller with The Moth Mainstage in L. A., Berkeley, and Boston, and has been a regular participant at spoken word venues in Los Angeles and New York.

Now Annie has published a new book, The Book of Annie, which includes funny stories, anecdotes, and random observations from her life in New York and Los Angeles.

“Understated” and “tasteful” could never be applied to Annie, and that’s just fine with her. A colorful actress with a decades-long career in TV, film, and theater—including a recurring role on Seinfeld and a center-stage spot touring with The Moth—Annie offers her trademark unabashed takes on both everyday and typically taboo topics. Whether she’s sharing her thoughts on the miracle of childbirth (“It’s a miracle that anyone who’s been through it is willing to do it again”), religion (“William Shakespeare was not Jewish; no Jew could write a play called All’s Well That Ends Well”), motherhood, or any other topic, Annie will have you laughing out loud.

Underlying the humor are poignant observations that feel particularly relevant today: the importance of kindness and consideration, how we’re all more alike than different, and the freedom to be found in self-acceptance. You’ll put down this book feeling not just lighter but inspired by Annie’s wisdom and insight, gathered over eight decades.

Recently, Annie sat down with Deborah Vankin of the LA Times at a book launch and signing event at a Los Angeles bookstore. Here is a video clip from the event.

Enjoy!

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Friday, February 23, 2024

Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam by Eli Schwebel at King David's Crown in Jerusalem

Eli Schwebel is a Brooklyn based recording artist and producer with Jewish music running through his veins.

Schwebel spearheaded the renaissance of Jewish a cappella music, as well as creating a vocally rich, pop-rock sound that transformed the definition of traditional Jewish music. He launched his solo career with his album, “Hearts Mind”, which has been called "groundbreaking" in its genre.

Eli has performed in Avery Fisher Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, The Jerusalem Theater, Universal Studios in Hollywood, and just came off sold out performances a Joe's Pub and David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. 

He has co-headlined with Mordechai Ben David, Avraham Fried, Matisyahu, Yaakov Shwekey, Yonatan Razel, 8th Day, Lipa Schmeltzer, Benny Friedman, Abie Rotenberg, Rivie Schwebel, Neshama Carlebach, Elly Kranzler and has joined D'veykus and The Rabbi's Sons a substitute member. 

Today we welcome Shabbat with Eli Schwebel, accompanied by Daniel Hoffman & Yossi Bronfman singing Adon Olam to the melody of Sharm el Sheikh.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Thursday, February 22, 2024

Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: Arte Johnson Teaches Jack Benny How to Tell a Joke

In October 1964 Jack Benny was telling a joke on The Jack Benny Program. In the middle of the joke he was interrupted by the operator of the show's sound boom, telling him that he wasn't telling it correctly.

The sound boom operator was Arte Johnson, who four years later would become one of the stars of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in, a comedy show that would run for 140 episodes from 1968 to 1973. It  became the most popular TV show in the United States and was the forerunner to shows like Saturday Night Live, which debuted in November 1975.

Johnson became famous on Laugh-in for portraying the roles of the dirty old man on the park bench and the helmeted Nazi soldier who rose from his grassy hideaway to deliver his punch line "Verrry Interrresting."

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

   
#Throwback Thursday      #TBT

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Rising Restaurant Table - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes. 

In this classic episode set in a restaurant in Branson, Missouri that has a trick table. It's on a hydraulic lift that raises the table ever so slightly during the course of a meal until it's ten inches higher at the end of the meal.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"

One hundred years ago this month, George Gershwin composed Rhapsody in Blue. The rhapsody is one of Gershwin's most recognizable creations and a key composition that defined the Jazz Age.

Gershwin's piece inaugurated a new era in America's musical history, established his reputation as an eminent composer and became one of the most popular of all concert works. In the American Heritage magazine, Frederic D. Schwarz posits that the famous opening clarinet glissando has become as instantly recognizable to concert audiences as the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

Gershwin was of Jewish ancestry. His grandfather, Jakov Gershowitz, was born in Odessa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine), and had served for 25 years as a mechanic for the Imperial Russian Army to earn the right of free travel and residence as a Jew, finally retiring near Saint Petersburg. His teenage son Moishe, George's father, worked as a leather cutter for women's shoes.

The 100th anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue is being celebrated worldwide. The story of how and why George Gershwin wrote it in just a month is one of the legends of American music and is told by Andy Hollandbeck in the February 11th issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

We're joining the celebration by sharing a short excerpt from a concert by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in Frankfurt in 1976.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.