Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Sid Caesar in "The Truck Driver and the Lady"

A lot of the guest hosts on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows participated in sketches. In this sketch the guest host is Paul Douglas, who had a successful career as an actor and announcer. 

No stranger to comedy, he starred with Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday on Broadway. Here he is Imogene Coca's lawyer defending her in a traffic case involving Sid as a truck driver. 

Carl Reiner is the judge and Howie Morris a hapless witness. When Douglas swings his cane in a stirring summation, watch for Carl and Sid's masterful reactions. 

No date is available for this sketch, which has only been released on very rare out of print VHS/Betamax tapes. We're grateful to the anonymous devoted collectors of Sid Caesar originals who found these tapes, had them transferred digitally, and shared them on YouTube.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Shalom (Hello) - The Book of Jewish (Jokes) - "Book of Mormon" Parody

Jewish Family and Child, a Toronto social services organization, has been sponsoring nights of Jewish joke telling. They recently enlisted many people from the Toronto Jewish community to participate in a parody of the lead song Hello from The Book of Mormon.

A direct spoof of the original, it has Toronto Jews ringing doorbells and encouraging homeowners to read The Book of Jewish (jokes).

Enjoy!

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Hava Nagila Around the World: A Slovak Version with Sisa Slovska and Peter Stasak

...And still they keep coming. We're talking about versions of Hava Nagila. With 74 different versions already posted on Jewish Humor Central, today we're posting a 75th version, sung by Sisa Slovska and Peter Stasak.

Sisa Sklovská is a Slovak singer. She studied at Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and subsequently joined the Slovak National Theatre, where she performed for five years as a soloist. Sklovská was among the judges for the X Factor (Czech and Slovak series.)

Peter Stasak is also a Slovak singer who has released 20 albums. 

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.

A Joke to Start the Week - "An Exact Portrait"

It's Monday again and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Here's another great oldie from Old Jews Telling Jokes. Today the joke teller is salesman and amateur theater director Arnie Finkel.

Here's the setup: Sarah decides she's going to go to a portrait painter. So she goes in and says to the portrait painter: "I want you should make me a portrait exactly as I am. Don't exaggerate nothing. Just exactly the way I look."

And then...

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.

"Fiddler" in Yiddish is a Big Success. What Other Broadway Shows Would be Better in Yiddish?

Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish has been a big success and is now playing off-Broadway. But wouldn't other Broadway shows benefit from Yiddish translation?

At the 2019 Easter Bonnet Competition, the award for best presentation went to the cast of Off-Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof - in Yiddish, which asked the question, “What if other Broadway classics were translated into Yiddish?” 

Their answer was a side-splitting medley of the Yiddish versions of The Book of Mormon, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Hamilton, Legally Blonde, South Pacific, West Side Story and Wicked, culminating with the show’s legendary director, Joel Grey, singing “Git op mayn grus tsu Brodvey” (“Give my regards to Broadway”) from George M!.

The skit was written by cast members Ben Liebert and Adam B. Shapiro with Yiddish lyrics by Mikhl Yashinsky. Records were shattered and inspiring, comical and soul-stirring performances were shared at the 33rd annual Easter Bonnet Competition, which raised $6,594,778 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the highest amount ever for a Broadway Cares event. 

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.



(A tip of the kippah to Esther Kustanowitz for bringing this video to our attention.)

Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi by Eliyahu Chait at the Jerusalem Shuk

There's nothing like preparing for Shabbat by visiting the shuk in Jerusalem.  The sounds, sights, and smells of the famed open market are the perfect background for selecting the freshest and finest foods to grace the Shabbat table.

Eliyahu Chait, Son of the famous legendary composer R’ Baruch Chait is bringing a new sound to Jewish music! This music video lets you enjoy a beautiful Erev Shabbat shoping experience at the Mahane Yehuda shuk in Jerusalem. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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President Rivlin and Boaz Sharabi Sing "Halevai" as Israel Celebrates 71st Independence Day

Today is Yom Haatzmaut, Israel's 71st Independence Day.

In honor of the day of country-wide celebrations, President Reuven Rivlin and singer Boaz Sharabi recorded a festive version of the song Halevai (I wish) with the participation of dozens of singing groups and choirs from around the country.  

Sharabi is a famous singer-songwriter, composer and lyricist who has sold over two million records and had over 30 number one hits in the charts.

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.

Ventriloquist Jonathan Geffner and His Cast of Jewish Characters

Jonathan Geffner and his puppet partners have enchanted audiences of all ages and sizes throughout the USA and beyond. They have appeared on the nationally seen television programs: Late Night (NBC), Hour Magazine (FOX), The Joe Franklin Show (WOR), Dialogue (ABC) and KTV (CNBC). 

Jonathan has also appeared on numerous cable TV programs, and has been featured on ABC-TV News and News-12 Long Island. National TV audiences have also seen Jonathan and Friends in several anti-drug PSAs. Their award-winning videos have been seen in thousands of schools across the country.

We've previously posted Jonathan doing a show in Yiddish for kids in a Hasidic camp. In this video, he performs for a Jewish school audience.

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.

Coming in June: The Jewish Week's Annual Funniest Jewish Comic Contest

Every year The Jewish Week, New York's  Jewish newspaper, sponsors a contest over a four week period to find the funniest Jewish comic of the year. This year, the stand-up comedy shows will take place on June 3, 12, 17, and 29 at the Broadway Comedy Club in New York City.

The contest, produced by Geoff Kole, offers new and established stand-up comedians over $250 in cash/prizes, a writeup in the Jewish Week and a paid spot at the Broadway Comedy Club.

To get in the mood for four evenings of stand-up Jewish comedy, we're sharing a video clip of a performance by Moishie Gamss at the 2017 competition.

Enjoy!

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