The honoree was Mason's older brother Rabbi Bernard Maza. Mason used his classic observational humor to poke fun at cultural quirks, assimilation, and traditional Jewish life, while praising the vital work of instilling Jewish identity in youth.
His unique background as an ordained rabbi allowed him to connect deeply with the crowd, delivering rapid-fire punchlines that kept the room laughing.
Here is Mason's speech at the event honoring his brother. Enjoy!
Today we're sharing one of Jackie Mason's early standup comedy routines, recorded in 1961. Let's turn the clock back 65 years and enjoy Jackie in his prime.
From humble comic beginnings in New York, the Borscht Belt, and comedy clubs around the country, Jackie Mason rose to be one the hottest comics in America in the early 1960's.
Born
in Sheboygan, Wisconsin as Yacov Moshe Maza, Jackie Mason was raised on
the Lower East Side of Manhattan surrounded by rabbis.
His
father, grandfather, great grandfather, and great, great-grandfather
were all rabbis, as are his three brothers. No surprise that at age 25,
Jackie Mason was ordained a rabbi.
Three years later, he quit his job in a synagogue to become a comedian
because, as he says, "Somebody in the family had to make a living."
Enjoy!
Today we're starting the series with a 1969 performance by Jackie Mason on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Mason launches into a discussion about how sex is permeating our entire culture and how the average entertainer thinks he has to resort to sexual references when he walks onto the stage.
A Jackie Mason classic. Enjoy!
We have resisted posting comedy videos about the current presidential election because of the heated political environment and strong passions about the candidates. But we think enough time has passed to be able to look back 24 years to the contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
And what better commentator on the political scene in 2000 than comedian Jackie Mason. In January 2001 he was a guest on a Canadian talk show hosted by standup comedian Mike Bullard.
Bullard was a Canadian stand-up comic and broadcaster. He was the host of two late-night talk shows, Open Mike with Mike Bullard on CTV from 1997 to 2003 and The Mike Bullard Show on Global from 2003 to 2004.
In this video clip from Bullard's talk show, Jackie Mason carries on about the ridiculous aspects of the election. He observes that 90 million gentiles voted but the result will depend on seven old Jews in wheelchairs in Miami.
Enjoy!
In 1997, Moranis began a long break from acting to dedicate his time to his two children as a widower. He has not appeared in a live-action film for over 25 years, although he provided voice-over work for a few animated films, including Disney's Brother Bear (2003). He also released comedy albums and made appearances at fan conventions.
In 2020, after a hiatus of nearly 23 years from live-action films, Moranis signed to appear in a new sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, called Shrunk. However, as of 2024, the project has yet to proceed to the filming stage.
Here's a video clip from 1989, when Moranis appeared in a cold open sketch on Saturday Night Live, impersonating legendary comedian Jackie Mason.
Enjoy!
In this video clip from the show 35 years ago, Mason gives a tutorial on hate, armies, and images of the Jew as a fighter in daily and military situations.
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.
It's another Throwback Thursday and we're turning the calendar back to 1988 when Jackie Mason made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
Jackie held nothing back in that session, cracking Carson up with his staccato delivery and his unique accent.
Topics included his Broadway show, his films and records, why he never got married, soup vs. sex, cars as status symbols, and New York vs. Hollywood.
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.
Today we're continuing our tribute to legendary comedian Jackie Mason, who died two weeks ago. While his humor didn't appeal to all, and made some people uncomfortable, there's no denying that he was funny and topical in his political incorrectness.
Mason had a special insight into societal trends, attitudes and actions that defied common sense. His matter-of-fact observations played out to large appreciative audiences on highly rated TV shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show.
His appearance on the show almost cost him his career when he gestured to Sullivan in a way that Sullivan interpreted as obscene. But two years later they reconciled and Mason appeared on the show to give an inspired impersonation of Sullivan strutting around the stage.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.
Mason had a special insight into societal trends, attitudes and actions that defied common sense. His matter-of-fact observations played out to large appreciative audiences on highly rated TV shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show.
We've already posted some of these appearances over the years, but there are others that we hope to share with you in the coming months.
Today we're sharing a routine about luxury apartments that Mason presented 59 years ago in 1962.
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.
As Mark Kennedy wrote for the Associated Press,
The irascible Mason was known for his sharp wit and piercing social commentary, often about being Jewish, men and women and his own inadequacies. His typical style was amused outrage.
“Eighty percent of married men cheat in America. The rest cheat in Europe,” he once joked. Another Mason line was: “Politics doesn’t make strange bedfellows, marriage does.” About himself, he once said: “I was so self-conscious, every time football players went into a huddle; I thought they were talking about me.”
His Wikipedia biography fills in some of the details of his career change from rabbi to comedian:
As a teenager, Mason worked as a busboy at resorts in the Borscht Belt in New York's Catskill Mountains. He recalled: "Twenty minutes, at the Pearl Lake Hotel. I broke all the dishes. They made me a lifeguard. 'But I can't swim', I told the owner. 'Don't tell the guests."
At age 18 he became a cantor, and at age 25 he received semikhah from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and was ordained a rabbi (as his three brothers, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had been), in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.He led congregations as their rabbi in Weldon, North Carolina, and Beth Israel Congregation in Latrobe. He said that in synagogue, "I started telling more and more jokes, and after a while, a lot of gentiles would come to the congregation just to hear the sermons. "Three years later, after his father died, he resigned from his job as a rabbi in a synagogue to become a comedian because, he says, "Somebody in the family had to make a living."
In this video clip from his August 31, 1969 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Mason goes on a hilarious rant about doctors. 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.
Today we take a deep dive into the comedy pool and come up with an undated video clip of two performances that brought back funny memories of the early days of comedy.
A very young Jackie Mason takes the stage in the first clip showing his interaction with the audience that would become very familiar in the 1960s.
Then Dick Shawn introduces Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner in an early episode of the 2000 year-old man. They did their shtick many times on The Ed Sullivan Show and other TV variety programs but every segment was unique.
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.
Enjoy!
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