A Minute of Fun with Yiddish "Far..." Words from "The Nanny"

The Nanny was an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three children from the New York–British high society.

The show was created and produced by Drescher and her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson, taking much of its inspiration from Drescher's personal life growing up in Queens, involving names and characteristics based on her relatives and friends. The show earned a Rose d'Or, and one Emmy Award, out of a total of twelve nominations; Drescher was twice nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy. The sitcom has also spawned several foreign adaptations, loosely inspired by the original scripts.

One episode featured the use of Yiddish words starting with "far...", providing a minute of laughs and also a lesson in Yiddish expressions.

Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: Archie Bunker Gets Another Comeupppance for His Anti-Semitism

It's another Throwback Thursday and we found another classic episode of All in the Family in which Archie Bunker displays his anti-Semitic side and gets a Yiddish comeuppance in return.

Edith goes shopping in a department store and leaves without paying for an item. Archie goes to see the store manager to explain that it was a misunderstanding and that the store should not press charges against her.

In his explanation he makes derogatory comments about the names and ownership of the big department stores in town. Archie is taken aback when he discovers that he was wrong to assume the manager will go along with his assumption of common ethnicity to establish common ground.

Enjoy! 

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  #Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Remembering Bob Saget, Stand-up Comic, TV Sitcom Star, and Host of "America's Funniest Videos"

Bob Saget, whose comedy career included playing a wholesome dad on the 1990s sitcom Full House, hosting America's Funniest Videos, and performing raunchy standup comedy, died Sunday at 65 after a show in Orlando, Florida.

As Shira Hanau wrote for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency,

Even before he got to Hollywood, Saget honed his comedy as a misbehaving Hebrew school student at Temple Israel in Norfolk, Virginia.

“Well, a lot of it was rebellion,” Saget told the Atlanta Jewish Times in 2014. “In my Hebrew school training, I would spend more time trying to impress the girls in the class. I remember the rabbi taking me up to his office and saying ‘Saget, you’re not an entertainer; you have to stop doing this.’ I couldn’t stop.”

In 2021, Saget participated in a Purim spiel, or comedic reading of the Purim story, to benefit the Met Council, in which he played the villain of the story, Haman. “I’m self-loathing, too,” he quipped as he and other members of the cast sounded groggers to drown out Haman’s name.

Saget recalled his Jewish upbringing, including his Hebrew school experience and the Jewish foods his bubbe cooked, in the foreword he wrote for the 2011 book, “Becoming Jewish: The Challenges, Rewards, and Paths to Conversion,” by Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben and Jennifer S. Hanin.

“I was born a Jewish boy. I was circumcised. Thank God by a professional. That is not something you want done by a novice. Or someone doing it for college credit. So I ‘became Jewish’ instantly upon birth,” he wrote.

Saget did not consider himself to be very observant. But he did feel sense of spirituality on a trip he took to Israel with his parents in the 80s or 90s.

“It was quite a gift and there were many spiritual things that happened throughout and that I think is still the closest I’ve felt, because you can actually see it and feel it in the air in Israel,” he said.

Having lost his sisters and both of his parents — his father in 2007 and his mother in 2014 — at the time of his conversation with Sanderson, Saget talked about the difficulty in feeling spirituality or belief in God after experiencing so much loss.

“I go back and forth with my belief system, by the way. I’m not the best, most observant Jewish person you’ve ever met or talked to, and yet I’m Jewish and proud to be,” he said.

Here's a sample of Saget's comedy -- a skit on Saturday Night Live where he played a coach of a high school football team. 

Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: It's December 23! Happy Festivus to All of Our Readers!

Festivus is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas season. 

Originally created by author Daniel O'Keefe, Festivus entered popular culture after it was made the focus of the 1997 Seinfeld episode "The Strike", which O'Keefe's son, Dan O'Keefe, co-wrote.  

The non-commercial holiday's celebration, as depicted on Seinfeld, occurs on December 23 and includes a Festivus dinner, an unadorned aluminum Festivus pole, practices such as the "Airing of Grievances" and "Feats of Strength", and the labeling of easily explainable events as "Festivus miracles." The episode refers to it as "a Festivus for the rest of us".

It has been described both as a parody holiday festival and as a form of playful consumer resistance. Journalist Allen Salkin describes it as "the perfect secular theme for an all-inclusive December gathering".

Here is the episode of Seinfeld that started this whole mishegas. Enjoy! 

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#Throwback Thursday       #TBT

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Season 3 Has Arrived on Amazon Prime

With most TV channels covering the news coming daily out of Washington, you may not have noticed that over the weekend, Amazon Prime has unloaded another full season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It's a breath of fresh air that takes us back to simpler times.

Eight hour-long episodes of the highly anticipated third season of the widely acclaimed portrayal of a Jewish family in New York in the 1950s and 1960s is now streaming on Amazon Prime. All of the main characters are back, and we get to relive Jewish life in New York 60 years ago.

In the first episode Midge performs at a USO show with White Christmas as the closing number. She quickly realizes that she doesn't know the words. Her manager Susie learns the ins and outs of contract negotiation. Abe and Rose grapple with their new financial situation, and Joel finds the perfect spot for his new club until he discovers that the space isn't as it appears.

Here's the trailer for the new season.

Enjoy!

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Remembering Bob Einstein, Curb Your Enthusiasm's Marty Funkhouser

Bob Einstein, the Emmy-Award winning writer, comedian, actor and producer who died this week at 76, was best known for creating unforgettable characters such as Super Dave Osborne and Officer Judy on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour”, and giving life to Marty Funkhouser on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.

His childhood was touched by tragedy when his father, comedian Harry Einstein who was known as Parkyakarkus, died of a heart attack at the age of 54 just after a performance in 1958 at a roast for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Comedy was in the family genes, with Einstein's brother Albert changing his name to Albert Brooks to differentiate the comedian Albert Einstein from the physicist Albert Einstein.

Bob Einstein's comedy began in the late 1960s. One of his first jobs, as a writer, was on the “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” for which he won an Emmy Award in 1969. 

His most recognizable character for contemporary audiences is Marty Funkhouser of Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” In 22 episodes over a 13-year span from 2004-2017, Einstein played Marty as a hilarious foil to David, never failing to make him laugh both on and off camera. 

In this clip, Einstein as Marty Funkhouser shows up at a recently opened Palestinian restaurant wearing a big yarmulke.

Enjoy!

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Tovah Feldshuh and Patti LuPone Sing "Remember That We Suffered" on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"

The CW Network's video hit sitcom series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is now in its third season. Back in 2015 we posted a song from the series with actress Tovah Feldshuh rushed into her daughter's home singing Where's the Bathroom? 

Last year the second season included a funny spoof song with Patti LuPone playing the role of Rabbi Shari at a family Bar Mitzvah.

LuPone and Feldshuh join the family celebrants in a hora "Remember That We Suffered". 

As Linda Buchwald wrote in a review for JTA,

Broadway legend Patti LuPone guests as Rabbi Shari and sings “in a minor key to remember that we suffered.” That would have been enough —dayenu! — but then Tovah Feldshuh, in a recurring guest role as Rebecca’s mother Naomi, joins in, too. If there’s not an online petition yet to replace “Hava Nagila” with this song during the hora at all future bar mitzvahs, there should be.

Enjoy! 

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"All in the Family" Revisited: Is Archie Bunker Jewish?

In today's politically correct atmosphere, it's hard to imagine some of our favorite TV shows from yesteryear appearing on our screens every week. One of the best was All in the Family, which while attacking prejudice, managed to come up with some funny examples of it. 

Archie Bunker, as portrayed by Carroll O'Connor, didn't hide his feelings about Jews, Blacks, Pollacks, etc. But producer Norman Lear and the show's writers were successful in exposing prejudicial attitudes while still letting the funny punch lines shine through.

In this video clip, neighbor Lionel suggests that Archie might be Jewish, and then the fun begins.

Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Martin and Lewis Meet Martin and Louis

During a week of tributes to Jerry Lewis we thought our Throwback Thursday comedy special should include a return to one of the funny episodes of the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis show.

This one goes back 65 years to 1952. Dean and Jerry are reviewing old episodes and come upon one in which their fans are waiting at LaGuardia Airport for their arrival. They are upstaged by another Martin and Louis emerging first from the airplane.

Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Milton Berle Plays Auntie Mildred on the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour

Today is another Throwback Thursday and we're riding the nostalgia train back to September 1959 for a clip from Episode 1 in the third season of the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, a spinoff from I Love Lucy.

In this episode, in order to get Milton Berle to perform at a benefit at Little Ricky's school, Lucy uses Ricky's name to spark his attention. When Ricky catches her, Lucy must act in secret and decides to visit Mr. Berle's office. 

At the office, she overhears Milton's agent saying that Mr. Berle needs a secluded place to work on his new book. After discussion, Milton's agent suggest he write his new book at Lucy's farmhouse. Later, when Fred catches a "mysterious man" visiting Lucy while Ricky is at work, Ricky becomes furious.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: Seinfeld "Shiksa Appeal" Episode

Although every episode of the  TV sitcom Seinfeld oozes with a feeling of Jewishness, only a handful of them actually involve Jewish situations, such as a bris or a bar mitzvah. One of the most Jewy episodes is the 159th episode. It was the third episode of the ninth and final season. It aired in the U.S. on October 9, 1997.

In this episode, titled The Serenity Now, Elaine discovers her "shiksa appeal" and suddenly every Jewish man in New York, including her former boss, his Bar Mitzvah age son, and Jerry, is attracted to her. Elaine seeks help from the rabbi to see if she can reduce her "shiksa-appeal" but instead of giving her advice, the rabbi comes on to her.

We know this episode will get a mixed reaction from our readers, but it's Jewish, it's funny, and it makes a statement about the role of Jewish life in pop culture. So relax, lighten up, and enjoy!
 
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#Throwback Thursday, #TBT

Throwback Thursday Sitcom Showcase: Seinfeld and the Mohel

In one of the few explicitly Jewish episodes of the Seinfeld sitcom, Elaine and Jerry help friends find a mohel to perform a bris on their newborn son.

When the mohel shows up at the apartment, he's not exactly what they expect. In fact, he's eccentric, somewhat shaky, and manages to cut Jerry's finger in the process.

Here's a compilation of clips from within the episode. Enjoy!

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Tovah Feldshuh Sings "Where's the Bathroom?" on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" TV Show

Tovah Feldshuh, the talented Jewish actress who portrayed Golda Meir in the Broadway show Golda's Balcony, has performed in many Broadway and TV shows such as Law & Order.   

Back in 2010 we wrote about her comedy and singing talents and posted videos of her one-woman show in which she sings songs from Gershwin to Judy Collins and inhabits a gallery of hilarious characters, ages 8 to 80.

Now Feldshuh has a new role, that of the divorced and overbearing Jewish mother of lawyer Rebecca Bunch, whose romantic adventures are chronicled in the TV sitcom series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

A highlight of the show's first season was the appearance of Feldshuh, rushing into her daughter's home after a plane trip and looking for the bathroom. The song Where's the Bathroom? is hilarious and tells everything you need to know about their relationship.

Enjoy!

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Remembering Comedian Andy Kaufman on His 30th Yahrzeit

We didn't believe it at first. We had to go to Wikipedia to verify it, but it's true. This month marks the 30th yahrzeit of comedian Andy Kaufman, who for all the funny characters he portrayed, insisted on being known as a song-and-dance man. 

According to his Wikipedia biography, Kaufman "was a popular and eccentric American entertainer, actor and performance artist."

"Elaborate ruses and pranks were major elements of his career. His body of work maintains a cult following and he continues to be respected for his original material, performance style, and unflinching commitment to character."

Kaufman came to prominence with his "Mighty Mouse" routine on the first Saturday Night Live show. He portrayed a garage mechanic from an unidentified European country on the sitcom Taxi, which also starred Danny DeVito and Jewish actors Judd Hirsch (Alex) and Carol Kane (Simka) and featured Dr. Joyce Brothers as herself in this episode.

The character he played on Taxi, Latka Gravas, had a Jewish and Eastern European feel to it even though it was never specific. The dialect, language and rituals were all made up, but whatever your ethnicity, they made it seem that they captured some of the flavor of the "old country", whatever it was.

Kaufman was born in New York City and grew up in a middle-class Jewish family in Great Neck, Long Island. He died at the age of 35 from a rare form of lung cancer. For years his fans thought he was faking his death as another elaborate prank. 

Here is Kaufman's Mighty Mouse routine and a full episode of Taxi where he marries his girlfriend Simka in a hilarious wedding ceremony that's a sendup of all ethnic ritual ceremonies. We couldn't stop laughing and we hope it helps to start your day off with a big smile. (Warning: The Taxi episode is 22 minutes long.)

Enjoy!

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Seinfeld in Yiddish - "Jewish Singles Event"

Last year we posted two episodes of Seinfeld in Yiddish called The Bar Mitzvah and Dentist Jokes. Since we got a lot of requests for more, we're sharing another episode today.

As we wrote then, a YouTube uploader named A Mishel has done a big favor for Seinfeld fans who want to learn Yiddish. He or she collected excerpts from a few popular episodes of Jerry Seinfeld's long-running sitcom and posted them with the dialogue dubbed in Yiddish and with English subtitles.
 
We didn't want to have a problem with copyright violations, but the poster seems to have avoided these by stating that the clip is being used for education purposes and should fall under the fair use provisions of copyright law. If you listen carefully and read the translations, you are likely to pick up a fair amount of conversational Yiddish. 

In today's episode, Kramer is planning a Jewish Singles Night even though he is not Jewish. He invites Jerry and Elaine to join him there. Using three kitchens, Kramer does all the cooking and just about every Jewish food you heard of is served at the event. If you don't know Yiddish, there are English subtitles to follow the dialogue. If you do know Yiddish, read the subtitles anyway because some are hilarious. Lots of laughs from start to finish.

Enjoy! 

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Kosher Comedy Returns With Fourth Episode of "Verplanck"

In February, we posted the first three episodes of Verplanck, a new "kosher comedy" series that follows the exploits of four different types of Orthodox Jews, as they act on their plans to build a new Orthodox Jewish community in Verplanck, an actual city in upstate New York with just a few hundred residents. The locals are portrayed as hicks who have no clue as to what Orthodox Judaism or these newcomers are about.

The main characters include Mitch, a "left-center" Orthodox type; Avi, representing the "right-center"; Feishy, the chassid; and Yechiel Michel Raphael Menachem, the yeshivish (hareidi) guy who insists on using all four of his names.

The first three episodes, which you can see in our February blog post, include some funny confrontations between the foursome and the townies, some of whom are confrontational, some accepting, and some neutral, and highlight some differences in observance within the Orthodox circle. 

The show is presented as if it were a documentary but the viewer knows it’s fake. This format is referred to as a mockumentary. The genre can also be categorized as a dramedy -- a blend of drama and comedy.

If you have the time, we recommend watching the first three episodes before seeing the fourth episode below, but this new episode includes enough of a recap to let you enjoy it as a standalone episode. Enjoy!

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Israel's Most Popular Sitcom Is Coming to the U.S.

Ha-hayim Ze Lo Hakol (Life Isn't Everything), Israel's most popular TV sitcom, will be coming to the U.S. soon. Broadcast on Channel 2, Israel's largest commercial channel, it's the nation's most popular and longest-running sitcom, lasting for 9 seasons with 150 episodes.

It has scored top ratings consistently, with a current share of 33%. For almost every week that it was broadcast, it ranked in the top 10 most-watched weekly shows.

As reported in Deadline TV by Nellie Andreeva,

The creator of the original series, Daniel Lappin, will be involved in the writing of the U.S. version. Lappin will co-write the script for CBS with comedy veteran Mike Sikowitz (Friends). Sony Pictures TV, where Sikowitz has an overall deal, will produce with Reshet, the Israeli company whose Channel 2 broadcasts the original series. Sikowitz is already in business with CBS and Sony TV – he serves as an executive producer on Rules Of Engagement.

Noa Tishby, who was involved in bringing to the U.S. In Treatment, the Israeli series that sparked U.S. networks’ interest in formats from the Middle Eastern country, shepherded Life Isn’t Everything‘s trip to Hollywood. She is executive producing with Sikowitz, Lappin and an executive from Reshet.

CBS’ multi-camera Life Isn’t Everything is about a middle-aged, recently divorced couple who were bad at marriage and discover they are now really bad at divorce – messy, can’t help but being involved in each others’ lives, still have sex, etc. “It is a romantic comedy about a couple who are divorced but can’t get out of each other’s lives,” Lappin said. Added Tishby, “you can’t divorce your ex.” She called the original a “classic, perfectly written sitcom. There is such a high divorce rate in the U.S., and no one has been able to capture the funny side of divorce.”

When the series starts playing in the U.S., we'll have an update. In the meantime, enjoy a classic clip from the Israeli version.

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