Comic Relief: Billy Crystal Casts Audience Members in a 1950s African Movie

In 1994 in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Billy Crystal was performing on stage and decided to have some fun with his audience. He invited three audience members to join him in doing sound effects to enhance his re-enactment of a scene from a classic African movie.

One audience member used her hands to crunch a huge bowl of potato chips to make the sound of Crystal walking. Two others volunteered to make jungle bird calls. And the show went on.

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.

The Great Jewish Comedians: Remembering Garry Shandling

Garry Shandling, the American comedian, actor, writer, producer and director who died on Thursday, was born November 29, 1949 in Chicago, to a Jewish family. He grew up in Tucson, Arizona, one of three sons of Muriel Estelle (née Singer), a pet store proprietor, and Irving Shandling, a print shop owner.

His persona was an anxiety-ridden, grimacing, guarded, confused man on the verge of losing control. After a couple of years on the road, a talent scout from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson booked him to appear as a guest in 1981. Shandling substituted for Carson on a regular basis until 1987, when he left to focus on his cable show leaving Jay Leno as permanent guest host and Carson's eventual successor.

Shandling began his career writing for sitcoms such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. He made a successful stand-up performance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and became a frequent guest-host on the show. Shandling was for a time considered the leading contender to replace Carson (other hopefuls were Joan Rivers, David Letterman and David Brenner). 

In 1986 he created It's Garry Shandling's Show for the pay cable channel Showtime. It was nominated for four Emmy Awards (including one for Shandling) and lasted until 1990. His second show, The Larry Sanders Show, which began airing on HBO in 1992, was even more successful. 

During his three-decade career, Shandling was nominated for 19 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, along with many other awards and nominations. He served as host of the Grammy Awards four times and as host of the Emmy Awards three times.

Here's a video clip of one of his many performances doing stand-up comedy on Comic Relief.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.) 

The Great Jewish Comedians: Jerry Lewis as a Five-Year-Old Kid

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer and recording artist, film producer, screenwriter and film director and is known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. 

Lewis, who will celebrate his 90th birthday in March, was born Joseph Levitch (some sources say Jerome Levitch) in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian Jewish parents. His father, Daniel Levitch, was a master of ceremonies and vaudeville entertainer who used the professional name Danny Lewis. His mother, Rachel ("Rae") Levitch, was a piano player for a radio station.

His career began in 1946, with an act together with Dean Martin, forming the team of Martin and Lewis, which performed in live nightclubs, television programs, radio shows and movies before 1956, when the two men parted ways, after ten years as a duo. 

Then since 1957, as a solo, Lewis went on to star in many more films, such as The Delicate Delinquent (his debut as film producer), The Bellboy (his debut as film director and screenwriter) and The Nutty Professor as well as many television shows and appearances, music albums, live concerts and more. 

From 1966 to 2010, Lewis hosted the annual Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association for over forty years and served as national chairman of the organization.

In this video clip from a Comic Relief stand-up show in the 1980s, Lewis comes on stage to great applause and appears as a 5-year-old kid named Norman.

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.)